Is ‘Ethical Investing’ the new profitable? Here’s why Aviva’s ESG powered funds are now on the rise
Up until recently if you as a client had asked for an 'ethical' investment fund, we might have been advising that you were leaving some money behind you in order to 'salve your conscience'. However the data now tells a different story and Peter Smith,...
Life Expectancy Calculator… & Life Insurance premiums?
People are living longer so life cover for most age groups is getting cheaper. However this also means that you may have to survive for longer on a state pension which is currently only €230 per week! Responsible financial planning requires that you take out both a...
When you say goodbye to your old employer, don’t say goodbye to that pension
Don’t lose track of your pension especially when you move job! If you had thousands in a bank savings account, you would remember keep a good eye on it. You should think about your pension like that. Do you know and understand where your pension is invested? Or even...
New Year Revolution! Top 12 Money Saving Tips
HOW TO REDUCE YOUR INCOME TAX BILL NOW IN ONE FELL SWOOP INCOME TAX AND PENSION DEADLINE – WHAT HAPPENS ON 16 NOVEMBER 2019? Although, like all dates, it comes around each and every year, this one can throw up more than its fair share of complications on an annual...
Zurich pension funds show good returns over 25 years
25 years ago feels like another era, the time of the collapse of communism and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Pension clients of a certain vintage may find it hard to believe that was back in November 1989, that Zurich Life (formerly known as Eagle Star Life &...
10 WAYS TO GET THE BEST RETURN ON SAVINGS
This guide has been written for people who have a sum of money to invest. *This is for informational purposes only, and you should get proper advice from a financial broker. (You can start by completing the risk profiler questionnaire below). The Irish savings market...
Why investing in cash may not be the best option
After all the turmoil in property and stock markets in recent years, many people have chosen to put their savings or pension into cash-only instruments. Is this playing it safe or plain stupid? Zurich Life, which are one of the companies that provide pensions and...
Life Insurer calculates the replacement cost of Mums & Dads
Despite the changing nature of the traditional roles of men and women, this Irish Life survey claims that women are still providing the lion's share of unpaid work when it comes to child-rearing and household duties. According to this infographic below which was...
Wishing you all a happy ‘troika-free’ Christmas!
Just a note to thank you all for your continued business and for making 2013 another successful year for Ocean.ie.We look forward to being of service to you in 2014 and wish you and yours' all the best. Nollaig Shona Dhuibh, Terry & Philip
Are women more conscientious than men about household finances?
According to recent Ocean statistics it seems women are more conscientious than men when it comes to saving money on household finances, particularly insurance and mortgage costs. 69% of all switch and save' insurance cover applicants to Ocean are women; a figure...
Budget 2014: A Guide to Pensions and Taxation Changes
The Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan and the Minister for Public Expenditure, Brendan Howlin have delivered Budget 2014. Philip Doyle of Ocean.ie takes a deep dive into the implications for pensions and personal taxation. Budget 2014: Personal Finances Overview...
![If we are your financial broker…you are in good company [Survey]](https://ocean.ie/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/financial_adviser-600x273-1-400x250.jpg)
If we are your financial broker…you are in good company [Survey]
One thing we all have in common is how complicated our financial affairs have become. Given the increasing complexity of regulations attached to financial products, falling deposit rates and the pension crisis the country is facing, professional financial advice has...
Cancer Insurance Cover: Who needs it?
Specific illness cover options are now becoming more popular and affordable. This is particularly so with cancer considering its occurrence rate is greater than 1 in 4 of the general population. It is true to say that we don’t have to have to look too far in life to...
Mortgage Protection & Life Cover costs could now be reduced by up to 50%
Did you take out expensive mortgage protection or life insurance...perhaps during the Celtic Tiger era? Then you must read remarkable survey findings below which show how you might save serious money on your premiums and still get the same cover or better. Whether you...
Defined Benefit Pensions v Defined Contribution Pensions
What is better, a Defined Benefit (DB) pension or a Defined Contribution (DC) pension? If you had asked that question a number of years ago the answer would have been the Defined Benefit scheme by a country mile. A pension that gave you a ‘guaranteed pension’ when you...
Which Irish pension fund should you choose now?
OCEAN ARE A RECOMMENDED PENSIONS ADVISER SPECIALIZING IN HELPING PEOPLE TO SWITCH TO MORE AFFORDABLE PENSIONS WITH MUCH BETTER RETURNS. CALL 01 8693400 FOR A FREE FRIENDLY CHAT TODAY Ocean recently released results from an online survey which polled ordinary people...
ECB interest rate cut is good news…or is it?
When the European Central Bank governors met this week to announce that its main interest rate was to be cut to a record low of 0.5% nobody was surprised...but not everyone was particularly happy. The rate cut was made against a backdrop of a falling Euro inflation...
OECD REVIEW OF THE IRISH PENSIONS SYSTEM
The recently released OECD review of the Irish Pensions Systems might be a worthy tome but its recommendations risk over-reliance on state structures to the detriment of real competition for pension savers. The paper focuses heavily on compulsory structures and...
Announcing the Pensions Survey Competition Winner…
Amy Bennett was one of hundreds who completed the Ocean Finance Pension Survey and entered the competition to win a cool ipad mini! Congratulations to Amy and all who participated in the survey which revealed some surprising results about what you think about...
The Pensions Time Bomb! What the people think
PRESS RELEASE Ireland's Two Speed Pension Economy – New Survey shows whilst some people have stopped making contributions to their pensions, it is being offset by more people increasing their contributions Ocean.ie, a leading pensions advisory firm in Dublin has just...
Best Irish Pensions Fund Manager? Well, Go Compare…
iIrish pension managed funds continued their good work of late by delivering further positive returns during the pandemic season. But which fund managers are providing the best returns over different time periods? Use our interactive graph below to compare...
A rocket scientist’s guide to understanding your pension
Can the concept of saving during ones working lifetime in order to provide financial security in retirement really be that complicated? It’s not rocket science so why is it beginning to seem like it? It never fails to amaze me just how complicated the pensions world...
Irish Life giving away €500m worth of life assurance
Limited Offer - only 226 places remaining! ***UPDATE: THIS OFFER HAS NOW CLOSED*** Free life insurance of €25,000 for each parent for 12 months. No payment needed, and cover begins instantly This a superb offer for parents to ensure their family for one year for free...
Spring is in the air! Mortgage market thawing out
In a recent blog post we spoke about how there were signs of life in the mortgage market with AIB, BOI and PTSB coming out and promising to increase lending for the year. Both AIB and Bank of Ireland spoke of doubling their figure to approx € 2 billion each for 2013...
Finance Bill 2013: Pension Changes and Implications
February 14th was Valentine’s Day and also when the Finance Bill was announced. The government seems to be trying to show some love with their announcements regarding certain pension changes that are due to be enacted. But has Cupid’s arrow hit you? Section 16 of...
Pensions Time Bomb: 10 reasons why you should defuse it now
Recent talk in the media of €324 billion pensions time-bomb may seem fairly dramatic and may have a degree of scaremongering involved but if you look behind the headlines the basic message is clear. We as a nation won’t be able to rely on the state pension for our...
Family Finance Planning: ‘Where there’s a Will there’s a relative!’
That old proverb is never out of date. And indeed what about this perennial favourite; Whilst good financial planning cannot lessen your sense of loss on the death of a loved one, it can reduce your Tax Bill. Issues that need to be considered when you have assets to...
Investment Funds sing a new tune & What a Difference a Year Makes
Default Investment Strategies – The Balance between Risk & Return What difference a year makes in the world of investment funds! A year ago investors were concerned that the eurozone was about to break up and the global financial system on the verge of collapse....
What could possibly be more fun than a pensions survey?
UPDATE: This pensions survey competition has now closed for new entries. However if you wish to avail of a free financial consultation, you can still submit the survey form and we will use the information to tailor our advice to you. Just like the Apple iPad mini,...
Government Pension Policy in 2013
After much speculation, and a number of submissions from the pensions industry, the 2013 Budget introduced measures in which the impact on occupational pensions were few and mainly positive. The government have stated that it is in everyone’s best interest that as...
Getting a mortgage: 5 key issues for bank acceptance
In the wake of news that PermanentTSB have increased their mortgage lending fund to €450m in 2013, recently released figures from Bank of Ireland also provide some grounds for optimism. Bank of Ireland lent over €1bn in mortgages last year with a surging 65% increase...
Do Google property search trends suggest sentiment shift?
It's no secret that we in Ireland are obsessed with property and the number of Google searches per month on property-related terms bear this out. But can Google tell us which way the market is going? If one had a crystal ball to help us predict the future trends of...
Just how much life cover do I need?
Already have Life Cover or Life Insurance? Then you are alright then...or maybe not... Recent research from Caledonian Life has shown how many people who already have a Life Cover policy may be under-provisioning for their dependants and beneficiaries in the event of...
EU Gender Directive affects women…on facebook
Ocean Finance has had a facebook page for some time, albeit it was unloved (by all) and neglected (by us) until recently. Things have changed a bit since... Facebook provided us with a unique channel to reach out specifically to an audience that we wanted to talk to...
Budget 2013 Guide: All you need to know at a glance
Ocean.ie have compiled a summary of the main budget headlines indexed by category from the budget speech. If you have any questions about how it might affect you, drop us a line using the contact form or comment function below. Business Taxation Commitment to maintain...
EU Gender Directive: Stick it in your pipe and smoke it
Female smokers may be choking on their insurance costs when the forthcoming EU Gender Directive comes into force on December 21st 2012. The Directive states; the use of sex as a factor in the calculation of premiums and benefits for the purposes of insurance and...
![The Curious Case of the Shrinking Pension Pot [Case Study]](https://ocean.ie/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/pension-pot-600x273-1-400x250.jpg)
The Curious Case of the Shrinking Pension Pot [Case Study]
An accountant approached us recently and asked us to take a look at a pension a client of his had set up in the early 90’s. Although he had been contributing regularly for nearly 20 years, the value seemed quite low and now that he was approaching 50 he was getting...
Insurance for Women: EU Gender Directive deadline is looming
Women Beware! New EU Gender Directive Has Massive Implications It is not widely known at this time despite some recent media focus on the implications of the new EU Gender Directive will have on car insurance premiums, that in fact the implications are much broader....
INCOME PROTECTION: Can You Answer The Following?
What arrangements does your employer have if you are on long term sick leave? How long would your savings last if you were to draw on them every month to cover the cost of day to day living? How would you continue to pay for all your outgoings without income? These...
Life Planning with Ocean
Ocean.ie is pleased to announce a new service to our customers which is designed to provide them with access to one of our specialised advisors. This is one-to-one to consultation presents an opportunity for the customer to have a close look at all their financial...
The Value of Deposits In a Volatile Time
Due to the continuing volatility in markets due to the world recession and also the uncertainty within the Euro area, more and more people are looking at more conservative and safer options to invest their money. Whether it be your pension plans (including any...
Nama Negative Equity Scheme
After months of rumour and speculation Nama have finally launched a new scheme which it hopes will kick start the property market and therefore hopefully shift some of the 10,000 + properties it has on its books. The scheme which it is calling the “80:20 Deferred...
The Pension You Left Behind
Have you are anyone you know recently changed jobs or indeed in these recessionary times lost their job? If so did you have a pension, and if so were you given your options for your pension when you left the company. In many cases there are retained pension benefits...
One in five mortgage holders may leave their families in debt
Almost 155,000 (one-in-five) homeowners are now struggling to repay their home loan each month and the majority of these are potentially under-insured on their Mortgage Protection. This is according to analysis of the latest Central Bank figures by Caledonian Life,...
Things To Consider When Taking Out Income Protection
Life’s unpredictable and no one knows what is going to happen next. But wouldn’t it be comforting to know that your loved ones would be looked after if you weren’t around? We want to help you understand your needs and get you thinking about what protection you might...
Where did my pension go?
Ever wondered where is that pension you had with your previous employer and more importantly how is it performing, what is it worth and what can I do with it? In many cases on leaving employment people do not realise that they can actually take ownership of this fund...
Cash is King
If you’ve money to invest – will you get real returns? Pat O’Sullivan - Head of Investment Strategy, Irish Life Cash is currently king in Ireland with almost €100 billion sitting in cash. What’s more is this figure is set to rise with €12.2 billion being saved each...