Opinion
Why our fear is costing us dear
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR We are a nation of savers. We save 12.8% of our disposable income with €168 billion sitting in banks and credit unions, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Yet, more tan half of us earn less than 1% interest, while inflation eats into the true value of our cash …
Apprenticeships – why not earn and learn?
If you have tried to book a repair job or a service for your car or your central heating boiler you are likely to have to wait weeks if not months. I got given a date in December for the boiler repair and another six weeks ahead with my regular garage to have the car …
Keeping an eye on your child online
I had just turned 13 when my father stopped me in the hallway one day and pointed to the family cat. “See how Topsy has put on weight. That’s because she is going to have kittens. It’s the same with humans. Do you understand?” I nodded, his face flushed… and he moved on. It turned …
Now comes the winter of our discontent
THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS Over a beer, my publisher Dave tells me: “I’m still in denial over the end of summer. It’s more than officially autumn, and I feel like I’ve forgotten to do something. There’s this crumpled mental checklist I’ve been trying to unfold, something I’d tossed to the back …
Story of Auguste Deter and Alois Alzheimer
FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran As I get older I find myself becoming more, and more, forgetful. Not uncommon for folks of my vintage but I’d be telling a lie if I didn’t say I’m concerned as my brother John had Alzheimers for several years before he passed away last May. And so I read with …
Show caution when cashing in on Instant Payments
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR In a world where a tap on a screen can call a taxi, buy a coffee or a cartload of online tat, the arrival of SEPA Instant Payments feels like handing the family car to your teenager. Rolled out across Europe’s banks recently, including our own AIB, Bank of Ireland, …
Let’s talk menopause
BY CLAIR WHITTY World Menopause Day is held every year in October to raise awareness about menopause and the support options available. There are lots of natural menopause supplements to help with symptoms ranging from hot flushes and night sweats, irritability and low mood. But sometimes it can be overwhelming to decide which product to pick, …
Thought for food … and that cafe cappuccino
AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON It’s an odd feeling when you are understanding something to mean one thing and others think that its meaning is quite different. The reduction of the VAT rate for restaurants and cafes from 13.5% to 9% in Budget 26 is a case in point. Call me innocent, but …
Hi honey, I’m home… but I am working
THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS Just five per cent of Irish business leaders think that forcing workers to return to offices will strengthen their teams. The finding comes amid a continuing push by some companies to restrict working-from-home policies, five years after the Covid pandemic upended the working model of many businesses. …
Balancing Blood Sugar Naturally
BY CLAIR WHITTY Are you craving sugar and carbs or have been told that your pre-diabetic? It’s not the best news to get, but many of you can turn it around, maybe even preventing you from going on medication, just by making dietary and lifestyle changes. Your first step will be to take a look …
