Given my recent private criticism of Christmas decorations on the shelves before Halloween, an entire piece dedicated to avoiding debt this holiday season seems a little hypocritical. However, there is some sense in early preparation as regards your finances – after all the average sp

August is upon us, and that means the school term is just around the corner. Unfortunately, this can be quite an expensive time for parents who must fork out on school uniforms, books, equipment and other items for the year ahead. According to the Irish League of Credit Unions, one in

By Tiernan Cannon Though receiving a pay rise at work is extremely gratifying and should rightly be celebrated, it should also be approached with caution. The extra money might well lead to a sense of security that essentially makes you more financially reckless. If, however, you are

Struggling with debt, whether it be your mortgage, rent arrears or another bank loan? It can be a tough and stressful process, as you endlessly search through your budget with a fine tooth comb, hoping that you might be able to free up some funds somewhere. Thankfully, there are a few

Getting back on track with debt According to the Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI), there has been a drop in the number of bankruptcies in the first three months of 2016 – falling from 162 in the same period last year to 111. There has, however, been continued growth of 26% in new a

Holiday cash Heading off on a trip in the near future? Then make a plan for how much cash you’re going to need, or you could get stung with high withdrawal fees at ATMs abroad. That’s according to the Irish Independent‘s John Cradden, who notes that local banks could

Writing in the Irish Times this week, Fiona Reddan writes that parents might be taking on more debt than is wise. These days, parents are looking after their offspring for longer periods of time, what with the high cost of renting, securing a mortgage, childcare and other factors. The

Ulster Bank has said that it won’t write off debt for those who remain in their homes. Chief risk officer Stephen Bell said that it would be unfair to current customers who are meeting their repayments if those who cannot meet such commitments have their mortgage debt written of

You know the ads. They’re generally upbeat, featuring people who require immediate loans to dig them out of whatever situation they’ve found themselves in, yet appear to be unbelievably happy about the short terms and high interest loans they’re about to receive. Acc