NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

It’s cold outside these days so why not stay in and sort out your finances! According to research from GoCompare.com, more than half of us plan New Year’s resolutions every year and 2010 is no different. And alongside losing weight and taking more exercise, fixing our finances is a priority for many of us. If you review the list we have compiled below, you may save just enough within the year to finance that holiday you thought you might have to go without this year.  Surely that in itself is incentive enough.

Car Insurance

So it’s time to renew your Car Insurance. With so many Insurance providers out there, how can you be sure that you are getting the best deal?  Well there are two ways you can go about this task.  You can either get out the Golden Pages and ring around which is a huge job as there are many brokers and a large number of Insurance companies that deal directly with the public.  The other option makes much more sense.  Go on line to www.chill.ie.  They have already partnered with over 14 different Insurance companies, so they will do the searching for you.  Just key in your information once and the system will automatically search all policies and relevant rates.  The end result is that you are then presented with a list of Insurance companies, their rates and benefits all on one page.  Simply select the policy that suits you and if you want you can purchase there and then.  However if you still would like to speak with someone, maybe you have a question or just want the comfort factor that someone is there should you need them, Chill.ie has a fully staffed call centre on 1890 30 20 20. For a quote simply follow our Easy Step process by clicking here.

Home Insurance

Protecting your biggest investment is a necessity. Finding a Home Insurance policy that is right for you is never easy. There is a big difference between the bare minimum and complete coverage. To make sure you select a policy that suits your needs the quickest option is to log onto Chill.ie.  Chill.ie has partnered with over 10 insurers so we really can get you the best deal and benefits in the market. In addition they have a fully staffed call centre with Insurance experts on hand to discuss any queries you might have.  To ensure you have the correct cover for your home, you should discuss re build and content figures, you do not want to be over or indeed under insured.  Remember every year your building and content amounts increase as they are index linked, so ask the questions after all it is your home and probably the biggest investment you will make in your lifetime.  Simply follow our four Easy Step process for a quick quote by or enter in additional detail and compare multiple policies, based on price and benefits. Click here for more.

Become more energy efficient

If the recent cold snap isn’t enough to spur you on, maybe the New Year will be. For example, swapping an old G-rated boiler for a new condensing model could cut your bills by as much as €250 a year. With new entries to the market such as Airtricity and Bord Gais you do not have to rely on the ESB, make sure to speak to all suppliers and you could save more than 15% a year on your electricity bill.  For some additional tips it is worth visiting Des Bishop unplugged on behalf of ESB.

Switch to a better current account

If your current account has been a bone of contention for years, use 2010 to do something about it. “Customers should realise that they don’t have to stick with the same bank,” says Kevin Mount ford, head of banking at Moneysupermarket.com. “There are a range of highly competitive current accounts on the market and the switching process is easy, with most of the major banks now having dedicated switching services to do most of the hard work.” Be aware of those hidden charges. Bank charges for current accounts were previously very common in Ireland – but 2005 saw many banks dropping most of their account charges.

Ulster Bank, Bank of Ireland, Permanent TSB and NIB all have current accounts with no charges. Some do have strings attached however. With Bank of Ireland you need to have a minimum balance of €500 and carry out three transactions per month online or by telephone. With all banks you still have to pay the 50 cent government tax on each cheque you write and €30 per year stamp duty on credit cards and 5 euro a year on debit cards. Some banks now pay interest on current accounts. Halifax pays 7% on balances up to €1500. See Money Guide Ireland for more.

Start a pension

The sooner you start contributing to a pension, the sooner you will have adequate income in retirement. Pensions from Chill.ie have a clear low cost charging structure, and offer full flexibility to those whose goal is a comfortable retirement. A rough rule of thumb, according to the Pensions Advisory Service is that you should pay in half your age as a percentage of your salary to afford a reasonable retirement. For example, 15% of your salary if you are aged 30 or 20% if you are aged 40. So the earlier you start the better.

We hope these tips help and thanks for stopping by. If there is anything Chill.ie can help you with, simply log on to www.chill.ie or call us on 1890 30 20 20.