This initiative it is hoped will highlight the fact that life assurance is not as expensive as might have been perceived. This initiative also applies to Mortgage Life Assurance customers who may have taken out a policy with their bank at the time of taking out a mortgage who can now look at replacing this cover with a cheaper policy and in addition get the first two months free. In an environment where individuals who took out mortgages in the boom times and are struggling to meet monthly payments this could provide some respite to mortgage holders.

However like everything it comes with health warnings. It is only prudent to switch policy if it is on a like for like basis and the monthly cost after the discount period is over is less than you are currently paying.

At SmartQuotes.ie we offering a discount of 70% for the first twelve months on policies once the free two month period ends. For someone paying €50 a month this would save them €520 over the first 14 months

- In a more competitive marketplace insurers have reduced their premiums considerably

- If you are no longer a smoker (for more than 12 months) you should not be paying smokers rates which can be nearly 100% higher

- The policy you have for your Mortgage may be excessive for Mortgage Life Assurance.

Why not take a few minutes to find out if the cover you currently have is the best value for money. The cover you took out with the Bank at the time of taking out your Mortgage may not be the most competitive available.

In addition SmartQuotes.ie also offer 70% off the first twelve months premiums. For someone paying €50 a month this is a minimum saving of €420 in the first twelve months. This saving in the first twelve months could go towards a holiday, savings or paying off your credit card for example.

It is important to note that while the discounted first years premium is a significant saving it is most probably not worthwhile reviewing your cover unless you can get a cheaper monthly premium for the duration of the policy.

How do I find out more?

Go online to SmartQuotes.ie

or

Call one of team on 01 6853813

At SmartQuotes.ie we are adopting an innovative
approach to minimise the impact of this levy for clients who switch to a pension from us. We will cover the levy for the 4 years of the life of the levy by offering an additional allocation * on amounts transferred over by 31st July 2011. This is the minimum benefit
which you will get from switching your pension to SmartQuotes.ie. In addition we offer:

• Access to all the leading fund managers and insurance companies (Zurich, Irish Life, Canada Life, Standard Life, New Ireland, Friends First and Aviva)
• Full advisory service available. Benefit from our “House View” Portfolio approach Self Invested Option Available at no extra cost (buy and sell shares of your choosing within your pension)
• Quarterly Performance Updates by email (or at any time requested)
• Access to an experienced team
• Consolidate pensions from previous employments (including UK
• employments) at no cost
• Get advice in relation to recent budgetary and tax changes relating to your pension

How do I find out more?

Go online to our pensions page at SmartQuotes.ie
or

Call one of team on 01 6853813

* Subject to Terms of Conditions of the offer

The cover you took out with the bank at the time of taking out your Mortgage may not be the most competitive available. Why not go online to SmartQuotes.ie to get a quick quote.

In addition we also offer 70% off the first twelve months premiums. For someone paying €50 a month this is a minimum saving of €420 in the first twelve months. This saving in the first twelve months could go towards a holiday, savings or paying off your credit card for example.

“Of course, Ireland is still facing major challenges. But if there is one economy in the euro area that could meet these challenges, it is probably the Irish economy,” Ms Bartsch wrote.

“We continue to believe that Ireland is fundamentally different from the other peripheral countries in that it is a fully deregulated, fully liberalised market economy,” she added.

No one rings a bell at the bottom of the market but the above seems to indicate that from Morgan Stanleys perspective now is a good time to buy Irish Sovereign debt.  The yield of over 9% compares favourably with Deposit yields which at best are available at 4%.

SmartQuotes.ie offers investment options from all the major insurance providers in the market which include managed funds, multi asset funds, govt and corporate bond funds, commodity funds and specialist funds.  Call us now on 01 6853813 to discuss your options in relation to pensions and investments.

At SmartQuotes.ie (a trading name of PFP Financial Services Limited) we recognise the importance of two key elements that determine investment return:

- Investment Choice and Asset Allocation

- Charges

At SmartQuotes.ie we provide you with a low cost option but without having to compromise on the level of service.

Investment Choice

A cornerstone of an individual’s financial strategy is deciding how to distribute your funds among various investments. Most investors know that their portfolios need to include three main asset classes: equities, bonds and cash; and since these asset classes historically outperform at different times, the combination tends to temper volatility while pursuing return. Further diversification within asset classes — by security, sector and region — can help mitigate unnecessary risk and take advantage of various segments of the markets. Managed Funds should be combined with Equity, Fixed Interest and Specialist Funds where appropriate depending the individual’s attitude to risk.

Why Choose SmartQuotes.ie for Pensions:

- Up to 100% allocation on PRSA’s, Personal Pensions and Executive Pensions. All your money is invested.

- Access to all the leading fund managers and insurance companies

- Full advisory service available. Benefit from our “House View” portfolio approach

- Self Invested Option Available at no extra cost (buy and sell shares of your choosing within your pension)

- Quarterly Performance Updates by email (or at any time requested)

- Access to an experienced team

- Consolidate pensions from previous employments (including UK employments) at no cost

- Get advice in relation to recent budgetary and tax changes relating to your pension

- Assistance with exercising retirement options in the most efficient manner. Did you know it is possible to retire and access your tax free cash from certain pension arrangements from age 50

- Low annual management charges

Go online to SmartQuotes.ie or contact the team on 01 6853813 to discuss your options.

If you are aged between 50 and 80 and apply for 50+ Easy Life Cover, Irish Life will not ask you for any medical details or health history and they will not ask you to go for a medical.They guarantee to accept you for 50+ Easy Life Cover no matter what your medical history.

However, you are only covered for ‘accidental death’ during the first two years.

From just EUR15 a month, the plan can give your loved ones a guaranteed lump sum to help pay some of the costs they may face after your death, for example any funeral expenses or bills left to pay. In addition SmartQuotes.ie offer you 25% back on the first twelve months premiums. Go online now to SmartQuotes.ie to get a quick quote .

What type of cover does 50+ Easy Life Cover provide?

As Irish Life do not ask you to take a medical examination or ask you for medical details or health history when you apply, Irish Life can only cover you for ‘accidental death within the first two years.

For this plan, ‘accidental death’ means ‘death caused only and directly as a result of an accident caused by something violent, which can be seen and which is not linked to any other cause’.

If you die because of an accident during the first two years, Irish Life will pay the life cover benefit shown in your schedule. (Some exclusions apply around the nature of the accidental death, for example we will not pay a claim for suicide). Please see SmartQuotes.ie for further details. If you die during the first two years of your 50+ Easy Life Cover for any reason other than an accident as described above, Irish Life will only pay your estate a full refund of regular payments you have made.

After year two of your 50+ Easy Life Cover you are fully covered for life cover as shown in your schedule.

There is no cash-in value at any stage – it is not a savings plan.

Over 50s Life Assurance

Qualifying deposits of up to €100,000 per qualifying depositor per institution will continue to be guaranteed under the Deposit Guarantee Scheme (“DGS”) which does not have an end-date

The ELG Scheme guarantees all bank deposits made with participating credit institutions between the date the institution joined the ELG Scheme and 30 June 2011.

A private individual with a deposit of less than €100,000 is guaranteed solely under the DGS. If, however, the same individual has a deposit of over €100,000 with a participating credit institution, the first €100,000 will be guaranteed under the DGS and the balance that exceeds €100,000 will be guaranteed under the ELG Scheme.

Q: Is there a limit on how much of my savings are guaranteed?

A: There is no monetary cap on the amount of your savings that are guaranteed under the ELG Scheme in the case of default by a participating credit institution.

Q: How long will my savings be guaranteed for under the ELG Scheme?

A: If you have a demand deposit account or current account with an institution participating in the ELG Scheme, your deposit will be guaranteed under the ELG Scheme until 30 June 2011 regardless of when the account was opened. After this date, qualifying deposits of up to €100,000 will continue to be guaranteed under the DGS Scheme. This date can be extended further to 31 December 2011 with EU state aid approval and any announcements regarding an extension will be made before 30 June 2011.

If you have a notice account with a participating institution your deposit will be guaranteed under the ELG Scheme until 30 June 2011. If you give notice of your withdrawal to the participating institution before 30 June 20114, the ELG Scheme will continue to guarantee your deposit until the end of the notice period, even if this period extends beyond 30 June 2011. In any event, qualifying deposits of up to €100,000 will continue to be guaranteed under the DGS Scheme after 30 June 2011. If a deposit is only partially withdrawn, the remaining amount will be guaranteed in accordance with the terms of the ELG Scheme. Any subsequent withdrawals will also be subject to the principle explained above. Term deposits of five years or less made or rolled over between the date a credit institution joined the ELG Scheme and 30 June 20115 are guaranteed under the ELG Scheme. For example A 5 year term deposit placed with a participating credit institution on 1st January 2011 is guaranteed under ELG until 31st December 2015.

Further information:

For further information on the operation of deposit protection in Ireland, see itsyourmoney.ie.

For information on the legal details of the ELG Scheme, see the Dept. Finance website.

For information on the operation of the ELG Scheme see here.

Basically, you are in negative equity if the value of your house is worth less than the outstanding balance of your mortgage. To take a simple example: if you took out a 100%, interest-only mortgage on a €300,000 house at the height of the market in 2007, and say that the value of that property has now fallen to €250,000. As you have made no repayments on the capital borrowed, only the interest, you would now be in negative equity to the tune of €50,000 – that’s the difference between your mortgage balance and the current market value of your house.

However, most homeowners will have borrowed a smaller percentage of the value of their home, usually 70-90%. This gives some leeway as values fall: a more typical 80% capital-and-interest mortgage on the same property would yield a current mortgage balance of €240,000 – €10,000 less than the current market value. Nevertheless, if you bought a property at the height of the market in 2007 with a mortgage greater than 85% of the value then there’s a good chance that you’re in negative equity. If you’re not looking to move house or raise money secured against your home and you can continue to make your monthly repayments, however, negative equity probably won’t affect you in the short-term. But there are things you can do now to help ensure that negative equity doesn’t affect your future financial freedom and security. The most important thing is to ensure that you continue to make your monthly repayments. If you are on an interest-only mortgage then your repayments will be having no effect on reducing the capital you owe. So, as property values fall, your level of negative equity rises. You should ask your financial adviser or lender about the possibility and financial practicalities of switching to a repayment mortgage. This could then begin to narrow the gap between your home’s value and the outstanding balance of your mortgage.

The money you are using to pay off your mortgage is coming from the money you earn, so it makes sense to take steps to protect your income. One of the best ways of doing this is through a form of insurance called Income Protection. This insures your income against the possibility of you suffering an illness or injury which prevents you from working and earning an income for 6 months or more. While many employers will provide some form of sick pay, this very rarely lasts beyond 6 months. For further information go online and get a quick quote at SmartQuotes.ie.

After that you could qualify for State Illness Benefit, but at just €9,776 per annum in 2009 this is highly unlikely to cover a typical mortgage. If you’re self-employed you don’t qualify for State Illness Benefit at all. Income Protection provides you with an income that can be up to 75% of your net relevant earnings, allowing you to meet your most immediate financial responsibilities such as your mortgage, loans and utility bills, as well as day-to-day living expenses.

Also, if you have a Mortgage you will have Mortgage Protection. Life Assurance rates have come down significantly in the last number of years due to a more competitive marketplace. A recent issue of the Sunday Business Post highlighted that savings of up to 30% can be made by reviewing your Life Assurance. It may therefore be worthwhile reviewing your cover to see if you can obtain a lower monthly premium.

The cover you took out with the bank at the time of taking out your Mortgage may not be the most competitive available. It is important that borrowers realise that they have a choice, and that they were not under any legal obligation to purchase these types of products from their lender only.

The average monthly premium for Mortgage Protection is €60 per month. A saving of 30% would equate to €18 per month.

In addition SmartQuotes.ie also offers 70% off the first twelve months premiums. For someone paying €60 a month this is a minimum saving of €504 in the first twelve months. This saving in the first twelve months could go towards a holiday, savings or paying off your credit card for example. Contact SmartQuotes.ie on 01 6853813 to get a quick quote.