Expert View
Tuesday, 21st May 2013
John Smiles
Qualified Financial Advisor
What is financial planning?
Financial planning is about getting to grips with your money to help your goals become a reality. Start by looking at your household budget and your bills. Do you have money left at the end of the month? Are you spending too much on some things and not enough on others? Are there new expenses on the horizon that you haven't prepared for?
Financial planning isn't just about saving and investing. Taking control of your day to day budget and understanding what you spend your money on is probably the most important part of dealing with your personal finances. Until you know what you've got to spend, you can't decide what to spend it on.
Decide on your financial priorities. Are you and your family protected against the unexpected? Most people insure their homes and cars
What is an Option?
Wednesday, 15th May 2013
An option is a contract to buy or sell a specific financial product officially known as the option's underlying instrument or underlying interest. For equity options, the underlying instrument is a stock, exchange-traded fund (ETF), or similar product.
The contract itself is very precise. It establishes a specific price, called the strike price, at which the contract may be exercised, or acted upon. It has an expiry date. When an option expires, it no longer has value and no longer exists.
Options come in two varieties, calls and puts, and you can buy or sell either type. You make those choices - whether to buy or sell and whether to choose a call or a put - based on what you want to achieve as an options investor.
What a particular options contract is worth to a buyer or seller is measured by
Threshold welcomes PRTB Index as "Comprehensive & Accurate Source"
Wednesday, 15th May 2013
Threshold welcomes PRTB Index as "Comprehensive & Accurate Source" of Information for Tenants, Landlords and Government
Threshold, the national housing charity, has welcomed the new rent index published today (08.05.13) by the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) as the most comprehensive and accurate source of data on the private rented market.
The index, which shows rent levels throughout Ireland, is based on data collected from landlords registered with the PRTB. The index published today tracks trends in rent levels since 2007. From now on, the PRTB will publish its rent index on a quarterly basis.
Welcoming the new index, Senator Aideen Hayden, Chairperson of Threshold, said it is a valuable source of information for tenants and landlords.
"The publication of this index is a very welcome move. This provides more accurate information on rent levels for the first time," she said. "Up to now,
New National rent index
Wednesday, 15th May 2013
New National rent index reveals actual rents being paid for houses and apartments across the country
The Private Residential Tenancy Board (PRTB) have published the most accurate and authoritative rent report of its kind on the private accommodation sector in Ireland. Compiled by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), and based on the PRTB' s own register of over 277,000 tenancies throughout the State, this Index (available to view here ) reveals the actual rents being paid for rented properties, as distinct from the asking rent which features in other rent reports published by other parties.
Overall, compared to Q1, 2012, there has been a 2 per cent increase in national rents in Q1 2013 – a 2.3 per cent increase in Dublin rents, and a 0.8 per cent increase in rents for outside Dublin. However, rents in Dublin fell in
Bank of Ireland opens its doors to Waterford businesses for 8th National Enterprise Week
Wednesday, 15th May 2013
A number of Waterford based companies will be displaying their wares at Bank of Ireland branches across the country for the 8th National Enterprise Week, which takes place from 17th – 24th May. Bank of Ireland business customers and non-customers have been invited once again to ' Show Their Business' at their local branch, to have the opportunity to interact directly with customers and highlight local success stories.
According to Bank of Ireland at the start of National Enterprise Week, new and approved lending to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has risen by over one quarter in the first three months of 2013, based on year on year figures. Bank of Ireland has already approved over €1 billion since the beginning of the year and is confident that lending for 2013 will exceed its new and increased lending target of €4
Legal Brief
Wednesday, 15th May 2013
New Housing Standards For Landlords
Fiona Ormond
Solicitor with MJ O' Connor Solicitors,
Confederation House, Cork Road, Waterford. 051 355663 \n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
New Laws have just recently come into force which set out minimum standards to which landlords must comply with for rented housing. The Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2008 set out
Waterford School Boy Harry is Eight Year Old Life Saver
Wednesday, 15th May 2013
Waterford school boy Harry is, in most respects, your average eight year old. He loves nothing more than playing football and playing with his friends. But unlike most 8 year olds, Harry is a lifesaver.
In 2011, Harry' s family welcomed Isabelle, the latest edition to their family and the smallest as she was born premature. Mum, Maria said, "All my children were born premature, so when Isabelle came along at 28 weeks we weren' t surprised and we knew what to expect."
One of the things Maria knew to look out for with premature babies, was a condition known as Apnoea of Prematurity; a condition that causes the baby to stop breathing for 20 seconds or longer. At 8 weeks, Isabelle stopped breathing for the
Former MTV star to host FAB Business Awards
Wednesday, 15th May 2013
Former MTV and RTE presenter Emma Ledden will host the annual FAB Waterford Women in Business Awards, which take place on Friday, May 17th at Dooley' s Hotel.
Emma started her career as a presenter on RTE' s The Den and from there moved to MTV where she interviewed global starts from Beyonce to Britney. After presenting stints on the BBC and TV3, Emma returned to Ireland full time to set up her own business Presenting to Sell and is still a regular face on the red carpet at some of the country' s most prestigious events.
Emma will host the awards, which will be attended by the Mayor, Cllr Jim D' Arcy and leading business women in Waterford, many of whom have been nominated for one of the ten categories and one of the ten winners will then be chosen as
Expert View
Tuesday, 7th May 2013
John Smiles
Qualified Financial Advisor
What is Financial Repression?
Many investors who fled to safe-haven investments in the wake of stock-market uncertainty have become unwitting victims of government policies known as "financial repression." This global environment of low yields and slow growth, most likely to be followed by a period of moderate inflation, can hurt many asset classes and is unlikely to change anytime soon, which is why it's critical to take action.
All around the world, economic growth has slowed while government debt has ballooned to unsustainably high levels. Financial repression has historically involved a number of government actions to reduce debt, including lowering interest rates, increasing regulations and restricting capital movements, while maintaining inflation. The goal is to create negative real (after-inflation) returns and inflate away public debt by forcing real rates below GDP growth.
There are four factors that are working against
Free public asthma management clinic
Tuesday, 7th May 2013
Asthma Society of Ireland helps Waterford locals to get their asthma under control
World Asthma Day took place on 7th May 2013 and to mark this annual event, which raises awareness of asthma, the Asthma Society of Ireland is hosting a series of free clinics around the country, including Waterford, to raise awareness of this chronic condition among sufferers and their families. The Asthma Society of Ireland is the national charity, which provides services to thousands of people with asthma every year.
Ireland has the fourth highest prevalence of asthma worldwide and 470,000 people in Ireland suffer with the condition?. In Waterford alone, 1 in 10 adults suffer from asthma. Asthma cannot be cured, but it can be managed. Yet nearly 60% of Irish asthma sufferers do not have their asthma under control, and more than one person a week dies from
Letters to the Editor
- Editorialread more »
Google AlertWhen a company which has it's European Headquarters here in Ireland is called 'evil' and 'immoral' by M.P.s in The House of Commons you tend to sit up and take notice. The particular company that was being referred to was Google and the reason it had enraged M.P.s in London was because even though it has a big operation there and conducts a lot of business there it pays no corporate tax. It does this by having all of its financial transactions finished here in Ireland. And the company here is …
