News

Q I’m 57 and in a defined contribution pension scheme through work. Some of my colleagues are already talking about Approved Retirement Funds (ARFs) and annuities. Do I need to plan my retirement decisions now or wait until I’m 65? Imelda, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin I appreciate retirement is a little bit away but ideally […]

Splitting technology giant Hewlett Packard (HP) into two separate groups stunned staff and investors alike initially, but the breakup has given HP Inc the opportunity to accelerate its innovation in response to its customer needs. On the back of former eBay boss Meg Whitman’s decision, the separation of computer and printer business (HP Inc) and […]

Job vacancies in the hotel sector have surged in the five-year period up to 2017, a recruitment website has claimed. Analysis by jobs.ie found that there has been an increase in jobs vacancies in a number of key hotel roles – specifically hotel chefs, bartenders, waiters, receptionists, porters, mixologists and concierges. Every role has experienced […]

Investors in banks and tech companies could make money as rates start to rise, but telco and bond investors might lose out. Rising interest rates are changing the rules of the game for investors. Over the last decade, investors have largely been operating in an environment of record low interest rates – but these days […]

Q: I have lived in Spain since January 2017 where I work as a self-employed teacher. However, I worked in Ireland for some weeks during 2017, earning around €2,000 (PAYE income only). The same will happen this year. What are the tax implications of the few weeks’ Irish work? I am assuming I don’t need […]

Ireland is again the fastest-growing economy in the European Union, with a rise of almost 8pc in GDP last year. Just 10 years after the economic crash, and despite the looming threat of Brexit, the economy continues to perform strongly. Ireland has the European Union’s fastest-growing economy for the fourth year in a row, although […]

The country’s biggest mobile operator has warned more than 100,000 phone customers of possible disruption to roaming costs and data access in a week’s time. Vodafone says that technical updates will mean that its customers won’t be able to add data to packages for four days, starting Thursday March 22, which may leave some of […]

Ulster Bank has kicked off a new round of mortgage wars with a string of cuts to its fixed mortgage rates. The leading lender has ramped up pressure on its rivals by reducing its five-year fixed rates and by making it easier to qualify for its market-leading, four-year rate of 2.6pc. The move comes as […]

Under-investment by small and medium-sized businesses was at over 30pc in 2016, with financial issues the biggest contributing factors, research has found. The study by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) stated that there was “clear evidence” that actual investment is below what would be expected, given how companies are currently performing. ESRI researcher […]

Almost four in 10 Irish businesses would be willing to pay higher energy costs if their energy was coming from renewable sources, according to a new survey. Half of those businesses would pay a premium of more than 5pc. The survey carried out by Behaviour & Attitudes on behalf of Calor found that only 11pc […]