Respond! Housing Association continues to grow communities
Wednesday, 9th January 2013
Respond! Housing Association began in Waterford in 1982 during another period of economic recession. The organisation was founded as a result of poor living conditions being endured by people in Waterford at the time. There also existed a lack of good quality, affordable housing for both families and older persons. As a result of the housing crisis in the city, Respond! Housing Association was formed with the goal of alleviating poverty and providing better living conditions for the people of the city.
In the early days there was little Government funding available for voluntary housing so Respond! Housing Association relied heavily on the incredible support and generosity of the people of Waterford. Money was raised through house-to-house collections all over the city, overnight-fasts of young and old at the
Surveyors Remind Home Sellers on New BER Regulations from January 9th
Wednesday, 9th January 2013
The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) has reminded property owners that all properties for sale or to let must display a Building Energy Rating (BER) certificate on all advertising effective from January 9th.
The SCSI said that new Building Energy Regulations, which are being implemented at a European level, will require the Building Energy Rating of a property to be published on all marketing materials for the property.
Ed Carey, Chairman of the Residential Property Group of the Society of Chartered Surveyors (SCSI) said "From January 9th, the energy rating of a property must be published on all marketing materials relating to the property and home vendors and landlords must have a BER cert before the property is put on the market".
BER certificates, introduced in 2009, are essentially a guide to the energy efficiency of the property. They rate the property
Expert View
Wednesday, 2nd January 2013
John Smiles,
Qualified Financial Advisor
Adelphi Financial Brokers
Why should I save for my retirement?
The two main reasons are because you don't get a paycheque anymore when you retire and there is usually no more income, only expenditure. Everyone needs to plan for retirement.
People are living longer and healthier lives, so it is very important to think about how you are going to live in retirement. Retirement can last for 20 or 30 years, maybe even longer. That's a long time to live without a paycheque. So, when you retire, what are you going to live on? How much do you want to be able to spend or how much will you be able to spend every week?
If you have worked, you will have paid Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI). This means you have built up the right to get a basic State
Expert View
Thursday, 20th December 2012
John Smiles,
Qualified Financial Advisor
Adelphi Financial Brokers
What exactly is the Fiscal Cliff?
From Main Street to Wall Street, there’s a lot of discussion going on about the pending "fiscal cliff," along with speculation about what it may mean for the US and other world economies.
The term "fiscal cliff" was first coined by Ben Bernanke, and has entered the vocabulary with surprising speed. The phrase refers to federal spending cuts and federal tax increases that will automatically take effect on January 1, 2013.
If the US Congress takes no action, the higher federal tax rates are projected to increase tax revenue in 2013 and beyond, while federal spending is mandated to fall for the next several years.
In order to sidestep the cliff, President Obama and Congressional leaders will have to compromise on a wide range of issues. These include reductions in defence and non-defence
City Council Passes Budget
Thursday, 20th December 2012
Annual Budget for the year 1st January 2013 to 31st December 2013
Waterford City Council passed the Annual Book of Estimates on Monday night on a recorded vote of 11 votes to 2. The expected shortfall in the Budget did not materialise as the government increased the allocation to City Council by central government increased by 3.7%. Another major factor is the reduction of payroll with staff numbers dropping by 120 during the year due to retirements and voluntary redundancies. The City Manager, Mr. Michael Walsh’s Report to the Council is outlined below:
"The 2013 budget and the overall fiscal situation sees very little improvement in circumstances from a Waterford City Council perspective and the truth is that the overall situation has worsened slightly in 2012 and as a consequence the budget for 2013, not unlike those at national level, is one
Expert View
Wednesday, 12th December 2012
John Smiles,
Qualified Financial Advisor
Adelphi Financial Brokers
What is Market Capitalisation?
Market capitalisation is a term often heard on the financial news but few new investors know what it is or how it is calculated. Market cap, as it is called for short, is the amount of money it would cost if you were to buy every single share of stock a company had issued at the current market price.
The Coca-Cola Company has 2,317,441,658 shares of stock outstanding. If the stock closed at say, $49.60 per share and you wanted to buy every single share of Coca-Cola stock in the world, it would cost you 2,317,441,658 shares x $49.60 = $114,945,106,236.80. That's just short of $115 billion. We would therefore refer to Coca-Cola's market capitalisation as $115 billion.
Market cap is an important concept because it allows investors to understand the relative size of
Waterford Health Park
Wednesday, 12th December 2012
Waterford Health Park 'Building of the Month' for National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Waterford Health Park, the multidisciplinary healthcare campus at the former Presentation Convent on Slievekeale Rd, Waterford, is being showcased this month by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
The inventory – maintained by the Dept of Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht – showcases Ireland's finest architecture through initiatives including the http://www.buildingsofireland.ie website.
Shortlisted for World Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival Awards 2010, Waterford Health Park has been operating since May 2009 at the former convent.
Modelled on highly-regarded international examples, Waterford Health Park offers a wide range of primary healthcare at a single location. With up to 50 healthcare professionals on-site, the 30,000-sq ft facility is seen as an example of best practice in conservation and reuse of older buildings. It features in the Government
Local property tax
Wednesday, 12th December 2012
Local property tax could further jeopardise social housing in Ireland
Ireland's leading housing charity has slammed the decision by the Government to impose the local property tax on social housing organisations. Respond! Housing Association believes the new tax could jeopardise the future of many housing charities throughout the country that provide accommodation for low income and vulnerable families. The housing charity believes the move is short sighted and could have long term negative consequences on the future of social housing in Ireland.
According to Aoife Walsh, spokesperson for Respond! Housing Association, imposing the local property tax on social housing organisations is unjust and inequitable given the role played by housing associations in meeting the housing needs of the most vulnerable members of Irish society.
"Housing associations, along with local authorities, provide housing for low income families and those unable to do so from
Expert View
Wednesday, 5th December 2012
John Smiles,
Qualified Financial Advisor
Adelphi Financial Brokers
Do smokers pay more for Life Insurance?
If you smoke, you will pay a higher premium for your life cover compared to a non-smoker. That is because medical research shows smoking seriously damages your health and reduces your life expectancy on average by up to ten years.
If you need to buy life insurance, don't wait until you quit smoking, even if you have to pay more, be sure to protect your family now by purchasing life insurance at smoker rates.
Everyone knows that a person who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day is considered a smoker. But you may not know that all insurance companies consider you a smoker if you smoke cigarettes occasionally or smoked cigarettes at any time during the last year or smoke cigars regularly.
Should I Tell the Truth?
It is tempting to lie
Daft.ie Rental Report Q3 2012
Wednesday, 5th December 2012
The average rent in Dublin has increased by 2.8% since the same period last year and the number of rental properties available in the capital is down 70% from the peak in 2009, according to the latest report published by Ireland's biggest property website, Daft.ie. The average rent nationwide is now 820, which is 0.8% higher than a year previously.
The performance of rents in the other major cities varied, with Galway experiencing a 2.2% rise over the last twelve months, Cork remaining largely stable (-0.4%) and Limerick and Waterford experiencing 2.2% and 4.0% falls respectively. Rents outside the main cities rose 1% in the third quarter of 2012 but remain 1.5% lower than a year previously.
Waterford Rents
Rents in Munster fell by 1.6% in the year to October 2012, compared to a fall of 2.7% a year previously. In Waterford city,
Letters to the Editor
- A Government Successread more »
Once in a blue moon. As rare as hen's teeth. A Government success. Each of those three sentences are as unusual and as rare as each other. But the last one seems to be about to take place. The Government has announced that it plans to give each child in the State a second year of free pre-school. It might not sound like earth shattering news but if it does happen then it could be one of the most significant things that this Government has done since it took office. Any money that is given over to education is a …
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