Many Irish consumers assume that when they are confronted with shockingly bad customer service, dodgy deals or rip off prices, they can simply call the National Consumer Agency(NCA), the Communications Regulator or the Financial Regulator and they will put things right. They are, of c

As a nation, Ireland is reluctant to do away with private health insurance policies – even in straitened times. But there are ways to cut the cost, writes Charlie Weston. With household budgets shrinking fast from levies and layoffs, private health insurance is one of those areas wher

Barry McCall looks at the options facing mortgage holders who have seen their repayments increase of late. When PermanentTSB announced in July that it was to increase its standard variable rate mortgage to existing borrowers by half of one percent, it generated widespread outrage.Gree

Maggie McKenna, designer of You & Your Money, was crowned Designer of the Year (Consumer Category) at last night’s Irish Magazine Awards 2009, which were held in the Four Seasons Hotel. You & Your Money’s sister publication, maternity & infant, scooped a further two awards

The ugly paradox of Brian Linehan’s Budget is that he has done the right thing for the country but delivered harsh medicine to a great many of her citizens especially the most vulnerable on disability and carers allowances. These cuts are shocking. He has told the ultra left that ther

How do banks work? The answer to this question might be changing. In very simple terms, banks buy and sell money. They pay interest to customers who put money on deposit with them, and they then use that money for several different things. Mostly they use the money to lend to other cu

With an estimated one in three mortgage-holders soon to be mired in negative equity according to recent estimates, owning a property which is worth less than how much you borrowed for it is now a reality for thousands of people all across the country. While it is easy to look back and

With a New Year looming, I would recommend that everybody take time to consider how they are going to replace their income in retirement. Around this time of year, so much focus is put on saving tax that many of us forget the real reason for making pension contributions, which is to p

Q: I have a tracker buy-to-let mortgage that’s been running for about six years. I paid interest and made capital payments for the first year, then moved to an interest only arrangement (the ECB rate plus one per cent) for the next five. I recently requested that I spend another five