Informed Decisions Independent Financial Planning & Money Podcast

Hosted by Paddy Delaney (Parent, Educator, Qualified Planner & Executive Coach)

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381

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Take control of your financial future by joining us on Ireland's Independent & award-winning Investment & Retirement Planning Podcast, with Paddy Delaney (QFA RPA APA). Join Paddy & guests as they cut through the noise, nonsense and smoke-n-mirrors of financial services in Ireland. We want you to avoid costly mistakes and to make informed financial decisions in your investments and retirement planning. Paddy Delaney QFA RPA APA

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June 15, 2026Episode 37441 min

Pension Drawdown Above €2M: The €243,000 Timing Decision (SFT Ireland)

If your pension is approaching or has passed €2 million, the question is no longer just how to grow it, it's how to generate income without handing a significant portion to Revenue unnecessarily. The Standard Fund Threshold in Ireland rose to €2.2 million in January 2026, and the decisions you make in the next few years will determine how much of that headroom you actually use. In this episode, Paddy covers the income strategies that matter most at the SFT level. If your pension is approaching €1.5 million or more, this episode is for you. • Why timing your Benefit Crystallisation Events can shelter up to €500,000 from Chargeable Excess Tax • How the lump sum offset mechanism reduces your CET exposure — and what the effective SFT really is in 2026 • What the imputed distribution rules mean when your ARF exceeds €2 million • How to manage income through the standard rate tax band efficiently • Why spousal pension planning is one of the most underused strategies at this level 📊 Find out how we work and have a look at our Retirement Readiness Scorecard: https://www.informeddecisions.ie 📖 Read the full blog: www.informeddecisions.ie/post/generating-income-standard-fund-threshold-ireland ABOUT THE SHOW The Informed Decisions podcast is hosted by Paddy Delaney QFA RPA APA — independent, fee-only retirement planner in Ireland. The podcast and the blog at informeddecisions.ie are educational resources for Irish professionals, business owners, and high-net-worth individuals navigating retirement, tax efficiency, and investment strategy. DISCLAIMER This podcast is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute personalised financial advice. Figures and rules referenced reflect the position as at May 2026 and are subject to change. Always speak to a qualified, independent financial advisor about your specific situation.

June 8, 2026Episode 37327 min

Bonds Aren't Broken. What the 1970s Tell Irish Retirees About Bonds Today

A lot of investors have written off bonds after 2022. In this episode, Paddy Delaney explains why that conclusion is based on a misreading of how bonds work — and what the historical data actually shows. The 10-year US Treasury yield went from under 6% to over 11% during the 1970s. Bonds still returned 5.4% per year. The worst single year was a loss of less than 1%. If bonds survived that rate environment, what does it mean for the environment we are in today? In this episode: - How bond returns are calculated (starting yield and duration) - Why rising interest rates improve your future bond returns, not reduce them - What the 1970s data shows, using Damodaran historical records - What this means practically for anyone with bonds in an ARF or occupational pension - A short note on lifestyling: being moved into bonds automatically is very different from choosing to hold them This episode is relevant if you are approaching retirement, already in retirement, or reviewing an ARF or pension that includes a bond allocation. If you would like to talk through your own situation, book a Clarity Call at www.informeddecisions.ie Full blog post: www.informeddecisions.ie/post/bonds-arf-retirement-ireland • All Informed Decisions podcast episodes: www.informeddecisions.ie/podcast/ ABOUT THE SHOW The Informed Decisions podcast is hosted by Paddy Delaney QFA RPA APA — independent, fee-only retirement planner in Ireland. The podcast and the blog at informeddecisions.ie are educational resources for Irish professionals, business owners, and high-net-worth individuals navigating retirement, tax efficiency, and investment strategy. Find Paddy at www.informeddecisions.ie TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction to Bonds and Market Perceptions 02:43 Understanding Bonds: Their Role and Functionality 05:20 The Impact of Interest Rates on Bond Investments 08:20 Predictability of Bond Returns and Historical Context 11:11 The Mechanics of Bond Funds and Their Advantages 14:01 Current Bond Market Landscape and Future Outlook 17:03 Strategic Considerations for Investors and Pension Holders 19:46 Common Misconceptions and Mistakes in Bond Investing 22:25 Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts DISCLAIMER This podcast is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute personalised financial advice. Figures and rules referenced reflect the position as at May 2026 and are subject to change. Always speak to a qualified, independent financial advisor about your specific situation.

June 1, 2026Episode 37236 min

Pension When You Change Jobs in Ireland: The 4 Most Important Decisions for Professionals

"There's a pension somewhere in your name that you haven't looked at in five years." That's a sentence Paddy finds himself saying in client meetings more often than you'd expect. Across a 25-year career, the typical Irish professional works for three or four different employers — and the result, by the time someone reaches their mid-fifties, is often €100,000 to €500,000 spread across multiple dormant pensions that haven't been reviewed in years. In this episode, Paddy walks through what he calls the forgotten pension problem: the structural feature of Irish pension administration that means employer-funded pensions don't follow you when you change jobs. He explains the 2-year vesting rule, what it means to be a "deferred member" of a scheme, and the four decisions every senior professional faces when leaving a role with a pension: leave it where it is, transfer to your new employer's scheme, transfer to a Personal Retirement Bond, or transfer to a PRSA. He also covers two structural changes that took effect at the start of 2026. The first is auto-enrolment "My Future Fund", which launched on 1 January 2026 and now automatically enrols workers earning over €20,000 who aren't already in a workplace pension. The second is a new restriction: transfers from group occupational schemes to personal pension structures (PRSA or PRB) are now only permitted before Normal Retirement Age — a planning point for anyone approaching a late-career exit. The episode closes with the annual pension audit — three questions Paddy walks through with clients each year to address the forgotten pension problem deliberately rather than letting inertia decide. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Introduction to Forgotten Pensions (01:53) Understanding the Forgotten Pension Problem (07:32) Options for Managing Your Pension (18:26) Recent Changes in Pension Regulations (27:12) Key Considerations for Senior Professionals (31:15) Strategies to Address the Forgotten Pension Problem RESOURCES MENTIONED • Full blog post (with the four-options framework, 2026 rule changes, and audit checklist): https://www.informeddecisions.ie/pension-when-you-change-jobs-ireland/ • Companion episode — PRSA vs Company Pension / Master Trust: https://www.informeddecisions.ie/prsa-vs-company-pension-ireland/ • All Informed Decisions podcast episodes: https://www.informeddecisions.ie/podcast/ ABOUT THE SHOW The Informed Decisions podcast is hosted by Paddy Delaney QFA RPA APA — independent, fee-only retirement planner in Ireland. The podcast and the blog at informeddecisions.ie are educational resources for Irish professionals, business owners, and high-net-worth individuals navigating retirement, tax efficiency, and investment strategy. Find Paddy at https://informeddecisions.ie DISCLAIMER This podcast is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute personalised financial advice. Figures and rules referenced reflect the position as at May 2026 and are subject to change. Always speak to a qualified, independent financial advisor about your specific situation.

May 25, 2026Episode 37126 min

PRSA vs Company Pension in Ireland: Which Is Right for You?

After the 22 April IORP II deadline, thousands of Irish directors are now in a pension structure they didn't deliberately choose. Most transitioned from an executive pension to a Master Trust or a PRSA under time pressure. Few sat down to ask whether the resulting structure is actually the one that serves them best. In this episode, Paddy walks through the PRSA versus Executive Pension / Master Trust decision in detail: Funding mechanics, lump sum comparison, death benefit treatment, and the second decision most people never review: the investment mandate inside the structure. The episode is anchored to an anonymised client story: a company director in his mid-60s who came to Informed Decisions in early 2023 with a €1.4m pension and one question. Less than three years later, with a different structure and a different investment mandate, that pension is worth over €2m. The estimated cost of taking the "safe" advice he was offered elsewhere: approximately €500,000 of growth. WHAT'S COVERED Why the IORP II deadline forced a structural decision under time pressure How PRSA contribution rules changed in 2023 and 2025 When the Master Trust's salary-and-service formula beats the PRSA's 100 % cap How the 1.5× salary lump sum compares to the PRSA's 25 % rule Why the PRSA's uncapped death benefit can change estate planning How the Standard Fund Threshold (€2.2m → €2.8m by 2029) affects strategy Why de-risking at 65 doesn't fit modern Irish retirement timelines Full written breakdown with comparison table, IORP II timeline, and FAQs: www.informeddecisions.ie/post/prsa-vs-company-pension-ireland If this episode raised questions about your current contribution strategy is going to get you where you want to go, that's exactly what we work through with clients. Find out more at https://www.informeddecisions.ie ABOUT Informed Decisions is an independent, fee-only financial advisory firm in Ireland. Paddy Delaney works with a small number of clients each year, typically business owners and senior professionals approaching retirement, to plan and protect retirement decisions in coordinated, tax-efficient ways. If today's episode raised questions about your own pension: whether the structure is right, whether the investment mandate has been reviewed, or how to think about both together: visit https://www.informeddecisions.ie to see how we work. DISCLAIMER This podcast is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute personalised financial advice. Everyone's situation is different. Always speak to a qualified, independent advisor before making pension or investment decisions. Tax rules and pension regulations change; figures quoted are accurate at time of recording.

May 18, 2026Episode 37043 min

Risk and Reward in Retirement: What Ben Carlson's Research Means for Irish Investors - Interview

Most people approaching retirement believe their job is to reduce risk. Get out of equities. Move into something safe. Ben Carlson disagrees — and he has the research to back it up. Ben is Director at Ritholtz Wealth Management in the US, author of Risk and Reward (Harriman House, May 2026), and one of the most widely read financial writers working today. He's spent his career studying every major market crash in modern history: the Great Depression, Japan's lost decades, the dot-com bust, 2008 and what they actually mean for long-term investors. In this episode, Paddy and Ben talk about Ben's new Book: They cover the yin and yang of Risk and Reward Why globally diversified investors still came out ahead from financial crises The three dimensions of risk tolerance (willingness, need, and ability) How to think about drawdown and bucketing, inflation psychology, and the only benchmark that actually matters for someone approaching retirement. Ben's new book Risk and Reward is available now in Kindle, paperback, and audiobook (read by Ben himself) from Harriman House. There's a full written article about this Interview with Ben on the blog at http://www.informeddecisions.ie/post/retirement-risk-and-reward-ireland If this episode raised questions about where you sit on the age-related table or whether your current contribution strategy is going to get you where you want to go, that's exactly what we work through with clients. Find out more at https://www.informeddecisions.ie DISCLAIMER: This content is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute personalised financial advice. Always speak to a qualified, independent advisor about your own situation.

May 11, 2026Episode 36931 min

The Most Consistently Underclaimed Tax Break for Irish High Earners - Pension Tax Relief Explained

Most Irish high earners are claiming roughly half the pension tax relief available to them. Not because the rules are complicated, but because the contribution percentage set years ago has simply never been revised. In this episode, Paddy walks through the age-related contribution limits (15% to 40%) the €115,000 earnings cap and what it actually means in practice and a real worked example of a director, age 56, on €180k — who could be claiming €16,100 in tax relief every year but isn't. He also covers the year-end October timing window (you can still reduce last year's tax bill with one decision), five common mistakes that quietly cost high earners thousands, and why the personal contribution question and the structural question, PRSA versus company pension, really need to be looked at together. There's a full written article with the age-related table, the worked example, and year-end timing details on the blog at www.informeddecisions.ie/post/pension-tax-relief-ireland-explained Free Webinar: Should You Sell Your RSUs? - A Practical Guide for Tech Employees in Ireland, 20th May 2026: https://www.informeddecisions.ie/webinar/webinar-should-you-sell-your-rsus If this episode raised questions about where you sit on the age-related table or whether your current contribution strategy is going to get you where you want to go, that's exactly what we work through with clients. Find out more at https://www.informeddecisions.ie DISCLAIMER: This content is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute personalised financial advice. Always speak to a qualified, independent advisor about your own situation.

May 4, 2026Episode 36823 min

Is your ARF built to last? - Safe Withdrawal Strategies

Most ARF holders know their fund value. Most know Revenue requires a minimum annual drawdown. Very few have stopped to ask whether meeting that minimum is actually a strategy, or simply the path of least resistance. In this episode, Paddy explores safe withdrawal rates in an Irish context: the research on real retiree behaviour, why the 4% rule is both useful and misunderstood, and why the sequence of returns in the first five years of retirement carries disproportionate weight on long-term outcomes. He walks through a concrete sequence-of-return scenario: same starting fund, same average annual return, same withdrawal rate, completely different outcomes and shares a real-life case study of a retired solicitor whose conservative ARF mandate was quietly eroding her fund at a 7% real rate of depletion annually. Covered in this episode: The US Health and Retirement Study findings on actual retiree withdrawals Bill Bengen's 4% rule and its Irish limitations Sequence of return risk and how a cash buffer changes the equation Three common ARF drawdown mistakes and three concrete takeaways. The imputed distribution sets the floor. It doesn't set the strategy. Read the full blog post at www.informeddecisions.ie/post/safe-withdrawal-strategy-arf-ireland DISCLAIMER: This content is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute personalised financial advice. Always speak to a qualified, independent advisor about your own situation.

April 27, 2026Episode 36733 min

€2M ARF in Ireland: What You'll Actually Keep — And How to Keep More

You've built a €2 million pension. Now here's the question nobody asked you: how much of it will you actually keep? In this episode, Paddy runs the real numbers on what a €2 million ARF looks like in Ireland in 2026: mandatory drawdowns, income tax, USC, PRSI, and the phased strategy that could save you tens of thousands every year in the early stages of retirement. What this Episode covers: Why a €2M ARF triggers a mandatory €120,000 income. Whether you need it or not The real net income after tax: €72,614 at a 39.5% effective rate How phasing your drawdown across two crystallisation events drops your annual tax bill from €47,386 to €8,088 What happens to the deferred pot if it grows at 6% for 8 years, and how that interacts with the Standard Fund Threshold The couple scenario: why joint assessment changes everything SFT mechanics at each Benefit Crystallisation Event and where the margin gets tight The numbers are stark. The structure matters. And getting this wrong (or not thinking about it at all) is one of the most expensive planning gaps we see. Discover the full blog post and show notes on informeddecisions.ie

April 20, 2026Episode 36625 min

How Much Money Do You Need to Retire in Ireland?

In this week's episode, Paddy tackles the question he gets asked more than any other: how much do I actually need to retire in Ireland? Well, for an answer to that question, one should make a proper calculation beforehand, and Paddy is here to help you out by covering the key benchmarks from the Pensions Council report, what they mean in practice, and where they fall short. Some of the specific points covered in this episode: Why the state pension — currently €299.30 per week in 2026 — changes the calculation significantly, and what it means for couples where both partners qualify The simple framework for working out your own number: current spending, minus what disappears, plus what increases, minus state pension, divided by 0.04 Why many couples targeting a comfortable retirement need a private pension pot closer to €300,000–€400,000 than the €1 million figure people often assume The healthcare wildcard — private health insurance costs that the benchmarks don't fully capture Why the question changes completely for those with €1 million or more in pension assets: it's no longer "do I have enough?" but "how do I structure what I have?" The imputed distribution rules every ARF holder needs to understand before drawing down If you're in your 50s or 60s and haven't yet put a real number on what retirement will cost you, this episode is a practical and reassuring place to start. Enjoy listening!

April 13, 2026Episode 36532 min

Is One Million € Enough to Retire? - Real Income from Savings

In this week's podcast, Paddy talks about what a €1 million pension can actually generate in retirement—and why the headline number doesn't always match the reality of income. The tax-free lump sum explained You can take 25%, but only the first €200,000 is fully tax-free. The rest may be taxed, reducing what you actually receive. ARF income isn't as high as you think A €750,000 ARF might generate around €30,000 per year—but after tax, that's closer to €25,000 net. The State Pension makes a big difference Adding the State Pension can bring total income to roughly €45,000+, improving monthly income significantly. Annuities offer certainty—but at a cost They provide guaranteed income for life, but you give up control, flexibility, and access to your capital. You can take more—but it comes at a price Higher withdrawals from an ARF are possible, but they increase your tax bill and may reduce long-term sustainability. A mix of ARF and annuity may work best Combining both can give you a balance of guaranteed income and flexibility. Couples have a clear advantage With two State Pensions and wider tax bands, married couples can generate significantly higher net income. What matters isn't the €1 million It's the income it produces—and whether that income supports the life you want. What's realistic, what's sustainable, and what €1 million actually means in retirement. Enjoy listening!