
The ultimate tax break you need to take advantage of
But we're unpacking them in a way that won't melt your brain, we promise.
Whether you've started late or haven't even taken one out yet, deputy business editor Dominic Coyle explains:
How part time work or staying at home to care for children can leave you poor in later life
How to start from scratch, or level up a basic pension plan
Understanding jargon
How employer contributions can help double your pension pot
How to maximise the state's contribution
Ways you can offset the disadvantage of starting later
Sneaky charges you need to watch out for
Don't think of it as a pension. Think of it as a bucket list fund for your 'second act'.
READ MORE
Presented by Aideen Finnegan. Produced by Declan Conlon and Aideen Finnegan.
Dominic answers your personal finance questions every week in The Irish Times. You can send your queries to
dominic.coyle@irishtimes.com
For more jargon-free and impartial pension tips, go to the
Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC)
You can read Dominic Coyle and Joanne Hunt's recent articles on the gender pension gap
here
and
here
.
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- Irish Times
Irish rents rise by 115% since 2010, more than four times EU average
Average rents in Ireland rose by 115 per cent between 2010 and 2025, according to new figures from Eurostat. The cumulative increase was more than four times the European Union (EU) average (27.8 per cent). Eurostat said rents increased in 26 EU countries between the first quarter of 2010 and the first quarter of 2025, with the highest increases registered in Estonia (220 per cent), Lithuania (184 per cent), Hungary (124 per cent) and Ireland (115 per cent). Greece was the only country where rent prices decreased (-11 per cent). READ MORE Eurostat also assessed the changes in house prices over the same 15-year period. Average prices in Ireland were found to have risen by just over 80 per cent compared to an EU average of 57.9 per cent. [ Private rental sector has lost more than 43,000 properties over past five years Opens in new window ] The figures show Irish house price have been on something of a rollercoaster since the depths of the financial crisis in 2010 when they fell by 12.5 per cent. That was followed by declines of 17.8 per cent, 14.7 per cent and 0.5 per cent in 2011, 2012 and 2013. However, they rebounded in 2014, rising by 15.2 per cent and rose every year, barring 2023, since. How the wealthy are buying up land to avoid inheritance tax Listen | 22:03 When comparing the first quarter of 2025 with 2010, house prices increased more than rents in 21 of the 26 EU countries for which data are available, Eurostat said. They more than tripled in Hungary (260 per cent) and Estonia (238 per cent) and doubled or more than doubled in nine EU countries: Lithuania (194 per cent), Latvia (154 per cent), Czechia (147 per cent), Portugal (130 per cent), Bulgaria (125 per cent), Austria (113 per cent), Luxembourg and Poland (both 102 per cent) and Slovakia (100 per cent). [ Landlords rail against rent control reforms Opens in new window ] Italy was the only country where house prices decreased, falling 4 per cent. Eurostat noted that house prices and rents in the EU followed a similar pattern between 2010 and the second quarter of 2011 'but have since evolved differently'. 'While rents have increased steadily, house prices have followed a more variable pattern, showing a staggering increase between Q1 2015 and Q3 2022, followed by a small drop and stabilisation, before increasing again since 2024,' it said.


Irish Times
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- Irish Times
Ryanair to increase size of free cabin baggage allowance
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Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Wicklow County Council paid €613,000 to secure public access to Magheramore Beach
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