FJ Hanly & Associates

03/06/2026

Your credit union savings feel safe. And for short-term, emergency cash, they are. But for long-term savings, that comfort is quietly costing you.

Irish credit union dividend rates typically sit between 0.3% and 0.75%. Apply DIRT at 33% and set that against Irish inflation running at 2.2% in 2025 and 3.6% by March 2026, and the real return on your savings is not just low. It is negative. Your money is buying less every single year.

A €30,000 balance earning a 0.5% dividend generates roughly €100 after DIRT. Against even modest inflation of 2.5%, that same balance needs to grow by €750 just to hold its value. The real shortfall is around €650 per year, silently, with no letter from Revenue and no line on your statement to show it. Over ten years, the cumulative real loss on that balance can exceed €5,000.

This is not a niche problem. Irish households are holding roughly €140 billion in overnight deposit accounts at near-zero rates. The CCPC has flagged it repeatedly. The pattern is clear: Ireland is a country of cash savers, and that preference is costing households real money every year.

The question worth asking is not whether the credit union is good or bad. It is whether the money sitting there is in the right pot for the job it is actually being asked to do.
Read the full post here: https://www.fjhanly.com/the-quiet-cost-of-cash-why-your-irish-credit-union-savings-are-losing-real-value-every-day/

27/05/2026

Most Irish families don't think about Capital Acquisitions Tax until a parent dies. By then, years of entirely free, entirely legal tax planning have already slipped away.

The Small Gift Exemption lets any individual gift up to €3,000 per year to any other individual with no CAT, no Revenue return, and no impact on the recipient's lifetime threshold. It resets every January. It cannot be backdated. Miss a year and that allowance is gone for good.

Two parents gifting to three adult children can move €18,000 per year outside the CAT system completely. Over twenty years, that is €360,000 transferred tax-free. Start ten years late and you have permanently lost €180,000 of transfer capacity.

At the 33% CAT rate, that translates into roughly €59,400 of avoidable tax.

There is no Revenue letter telling you what you missed. The cost only becomes visible at the point of inheritance, when families look back at decades of gifting capacity quietly left on the table.

With Irish estates increasingly breaching the €400,000 Group A threshold, this is a conversation worth having before another calendar year ticks over.

Read the full post here: https://www.fjhanly.com/the-e3000-youre-throwing-away-every-year-why-delaying-the-small-gift-exemption-is-quietly-costing-irish-families-a-fortune/

25/05/2026

An excellent opportunity for an early-career advisor 😁

🚀 WE’RE HIRING – FINANCIAL ADVISOR (QFA)

We are looking for a motivated, client-focused Financial Advisor (QFA qualified) to join our expanding Limerick-based financial planning team at FJ Hanly & Associates 📊

This is an excellent opportunity for an early-career advisor to develop within a supportive, team-based environment while gaining hands-on experience across full financial planning services 🌱

💼 ROLE OVERVIEW
You will support experienced advisors in delivering high-quality financial planning advice, helping clients achieve their long-term financial goals.

Key areas include:
• Assisting with pensions, investments & protection advice 📈
• Supporting client meetings and financial reviews 🤝
• Preparing documentation and recommendations under guidance
• Ensuring strong compliance and regulatory standards 📑
• Building strong, long-term client relationships

🌟 IDEAL CANDIDATE
• QFA qualified 📜
• Experience in Life & Pensions / Wealth / Financial Services (preferred)
• Strong communication and client-focused mindset
• Highly organised with strong attention to detail
• Eager to build a long-term career in financial planning
• Team player with a proactive attitude

🏢 ABOUT US
At Gallivan Financial, we are committed to delivering trusted financial advice with professionalism, integrity, and real client impact 🌍
We pride ourselves on a culture of mentorship, collaboration, and continuous development — helping our people grow into confident, successful financial advisors 🚀

🎁 WHAT WE OFFER
• Competitive salary package
• Employer pension contributions
• Supportive, team-focused environment
• Mentoring from experienced advisors
• Ongoing professional development & career progression 📚

📩 Interested? Send your CV to [email protected]

🧡

22/04/2026

14% of Irish adults now expect to retire at 70. Among those already in their sixties, the average expected retirement age has climbed to 71.

These are not outliers. For a growing portion of the Irish population, working into your seventies is fast becoming the default, not the exception.

The CCPC Pensions Research 2025 paints a stark picture. A quarter of Irish adults have no retirement plan at all. Three in five people without a private pension are banking on the State Pension to carry them through retirement, a system that already costs over €10 billion annually and faces mounting pressure as Ireland's old-age dependency ratio is set to nearly double over the next 30 years.

The pattern is predictable. People start saving too late, rely too heavily on the State, and find themselves with no real choice but to keep working. The gap between starting a pension at 25 versus 40 can easily be the difference between retiring at 64 and retiring at 70.

The good news is that this does not have to be your story. Those who take action early, build their own pension provision, and get proper advice retain control over when they stop working. Those who don't risk having that decision made for them.

Two thirds of Irish adults have never consulted a financial adviser. Low engagement today is the single biggest factor pushing retirement further into the future.

Read the full post here: https://www.fjhanly.com/rising-retirement-age-are-we-heading-for-a-70-year-work-life

15/04/2026

When markets drop, the urge to move your pension to cash feels logical. It isn't.

Geopolitical crises trigger a predictable pattern: markets fall, investors panic and sell, then markets recover and they buy back in at higher prices.

Selling low and buying high. The exact opposite of what any sound strategy would suggest.

The numbers tell the story. DALBAR's 2025 research found that the average equity investor earned 16.54% in 2024, against 25.02% for the S&P 500. An 8.48 percentage point gap, driven almost entirely by poorly timed decisions. Over the longer term, Morningstar estimates that this behaviour gap costs investors around 1.22 percentage points every single year.

For anyone saving into a PRSA, an occupational pension, or the new My Future Fund auto-enrolment scheme, the investment horizon is measured in decades. There will be more crises. That is the normal rhythm of markets. What matters is that your pension stays invested and compounding through the full cycle.
The greatest risk for most pension investors is not the next geopolitical shock. It is the temptation to react to it.

Read the full post here: https://www.fjhanly.com/why-trying-to-time-the-market-during-geopolitical-crises-usually-backfires-for-pension-investors/

25/03/2026

Retirement means something different to every generation. But the gaps are worth paying attention to.

New insights from Standard Life show clear differences in how Ireland’s generations approach retirement. Baby Boomers lead in confidence and pension ownership, with 82% happy in retirement. Meanwhile, Gen X are falling behind on contributions, Millennials are investing but feeling anxious, and Gen Z are engaging early but often without advice.

One thing stands out across all groups. Those who seek financial advice are far more confident and better prepared for the future.

Retirement planning isn’t one-size-fits-all, but starting early and getting the right guidance makes a measurable difference.

Read more: https://www.fjhanly.com/generational-approaches-to-retirement-insights/

18/03/2026

What actually makes a retirement meaningful?

Recent research from Standard Life shows it’s not just about stopping work, it’s about how prepared you feel for what comes next.

People with private pensions are not only more financially secure, they’re also happier. In fact, 89% of pension holders report being happy in retirement, compared to just 65% without one. Planning ahead also boosts confidence, reduces financial stress, and makes the transition into retirement far smoother.

What’s interesting is how different retirement looks across Ireland. Some prioritise hobbies, others family, volunteering, or even starting something new. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but one thing is consistent: those who plan tend to enjoy it more.

Retirement isn’t just a financial milestone, it’s a life stage that deserves real thought.

Read more: https://www.fjhanly.com/how-to-have-a-more-meaningful-retirement/

17/02/2026

Leaving a Job with a Defined Benefit Pension? Pause Before You Decide.

Redundancy is a major moment, especially if you’re part of a Defined Benefit (DB) scheme. These pensions provide a promised income in retirement, often linked to your salary and service, so the choices you make now can have lifelong consequences.

Before accepting any transfer value or making changes, it’s vital to understand what you’re keeping, what you could lose, and how your benefits will grow between now and retirement. DB pensions are often one of the most valuable assets you have, and once altered, the guarantees can be difficult to replace.

Read more: https://www.fjhanly.com/redudancy-pensions-what-you-need-to-know/

04/02/2026

From €610,000 to €700,000 in three years. 📈

When Frank, a former Wyeth employee, took redundancy at 62, he had a big decision to make...

Rather than rushing into drawing benefits, he worked with F J Hanly & Associates to transfer his pension into a Pension Bond and adopt a carefully balanced medium‑risk strategy.

The result..

His fund grew from €610,000 to €700,000. At 65, he was able to take a €175,000 tax‑free lump sum and move the remaining €525,000 into an Approved Retirement Fund, keeping flexibility, control and ongoing growth potential.

The key wasn’t luck. It was:

• A clear strategy aligned to his risk profile

• Professional fund selection

• Ongoing reviews and active management

• Careful planning around ARF income and longevity

As Frank put it himself, having expert guidance took a huge weight off his shoulders.

If you’re approaching retirement and wondering what to do with your pension, this case study is worth a read:

https://www.fjhanly.com/client-case-study-helping-frank-secure-his-retirement/

19/12/2025

Wishing all our Clients & Friends a Happy Christmas and Prosperous 2026 🎄

We've included in our Christmas Letter this year a recipe for Christmas Leftover Pie.

This recipe is as easy as drawing down your pension! You don't even need to heat up the leftovers. Just chuck them all in a dish, top with pastry and a beaten egg and bake in the oven.

This recipe is as easy as drawing down your pension! You don't even need to heat up the leftovers. Just chuck them all in a dish, top with pastry and a beaten egg and bake in the oven.