Over-60s can borrow against the equity in their home. But should they?
Equity release can give older people financial peace of mind or the funds for a more comfortable retirement but be careful of the terms and conditions
Cost of Living
Read more articles about the cost of living from your personal finances to the global economy
Why is Ireland the second most expensive place in Europe? These are 10 key areas where we pay more
Several recent studies have reinforced how expensive Ireland is in global rankings. Here are 10 key areas where we pay well above average
Living in deprivation: ‘I felt so ashamed that I couldn’t provide properly for my children’
Latest CSO figures show almost half of lone parents with children aged under 18 struggle to make ends meet
Third of households with single adult and children went into debt to meet ordinary living costs last year
CSO says 54 per cent found basic cost of housing to be a ‘heavy burden’
Grocery prices in Irish supermarkets on the way up again, new figures show
Households shopping bills have now risen by well over 20% when compared with late 2021, says Kantar Worldpanel
‘My mother (80s) is paying €2,200 on her health insurance. Could she get a cheaper plan?’
Health cover costs have only gone in one direction – up – and switching can be complicated, but it’s worth shopping around
Energy bills: Jack Chambers rules out once-off supports for households in budget despite rising prices
Bills remain 90% higher for gas and 60% higher for electricity compared with pre-energy crisis prices
New Look, old story as retailer refuses to honour gift vouchers at closing-down sale
Shoppers were dismayed to find they could not use vouchers at UK fashion chain’s Irish stores, which have gone into liquidation
‘I am at a loss as to how €5,200 goes missing’: PTSB customers say refunds disappeared without a trace
Two customers of the bank have been in touch seeking help over missing refunds
Lidl Ireland employees to benefit from pay increases averaging 3%
Retailer investing €8m in pay for its existing workforce in the Republic, with a further £1.1m in Northern Ireland
Despite earning €100,000 a year, buying a one-bed apartment in Dublin still seems an impossible dream
Our reader’s son earns over €100,000 a year, but fell foul of restrictive loan-to-value rules
Consumers to face more pain as SSE Airtricity raises gas and electricity prices
The change will see the average electricity bill increase by about €172 per year, while a typical gas bill will go up by €113
Electricity bills: What are your options for cheaper deals as prices surge?
Irish electricity prices are the highest in the EU but there are steps you can take to pay as little as possible
Things aren’t better in Australia than in Ireland, but they are easier
I don’t want to tell anyone that things are better here than they are at home, but they are easier
Is there alcohol in alcohol-free beers, and should we be worried?
Two readers contact us over concerns about alcohol-free beer
SSE Airtricity misread Anne’s meter, overcharged her by thousands and won’t refund her
The SSE Airtricity customer has spent more than a year trying to extract a refund from the company
Trump and his contradictory economic agenda
US president stood for election on a pro-growth platform but with ostensibly anti-growth policies
Four signs your cortisol levels are out of control – and what to do about it
The naturally occurring ‘stress hormone’ helps to regulate our stress responses and our sleep-wake cycle
UK inflation rises to 10-month high of 3% in January
Figure surpasses expectations and highlights challenge for Bank of England
The low-cost vet clinic providing a lifeline to pets whose owners are under strain
Blue Cross is ‘busier than ever’ amid fears rising costs are leading to pet abandonment
Household spending rose 6.1% in January as consumers made new year plans
While year-on-year growth in spending with travel agencies and airlines was ‘modest’, spending on hotels rose 4.9%
Texts weren’t designed to be secure, and two-factor authentication isn’t safe
Who is responsible when verification goes wrong?
Why are we left on our own when it comes to fraud?
Despite a new measure by ComReg, Irish consumers are set to remain vulnerable to scammers and won’t have the same protections and supports that exist elsewhere
Should adult children living at home pay rent? Our readers respond
The average age for moving out of the family home is 28. What kind of financial contribution, if any, should people make in the meantime?
St Valentine’s Day: A-Z of all things romantic, overpriced and good value on February 14th
Conor Pope composes an A-Z of all things romantic, overpriced and good value on February 14th
When your chance of owning a home depends on whether your parents do, the system is rigged
A third of first-time buyers receive help from their home-owning parents, so it feels like the system perpetuates privilege
In pictures: The volunteers serving almost 500 hot meals to those in need outside the GPO every week
Muslim Sisters of Éire’s soup kitchen is one of the longest-established in the capital
The Dubs win again: The difference between Ireland’s richest and poorest counties
Income distribution points to critical policy questions, including how to deal with a congested Dublin and underdevelopment in rural Ireland
Energy supplier Yuno hits reader with €870 overcharge and admits others impacted following systems upgrade
Customer displeased to note the error as he checked his bank app close to the end of lean January
Euro-Zone inflation unexpectedly quickens, backing ECB caution
Consumer prices advanced 2.5% from a year ago in January, up from 2.4% in December
An Irish family’s Miami ordeal: ‘I was shocked by the heartlessness of Aer Lingus’
Airline ignored family’s predicament and staff were ‘rude and antagonistic’
Emigrating in your 20s: ‘The level that I was drinking in Ireland was 10 times higher than the life that I have now’
Emigration, home ownership and climate change are among the issues weighing on the minds of Irish twentysomethings
A new part for an Opel Astra left this reader off the road for five months
Cork man suffered an extraordinary delay in getting his Opel Astra back up and running
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