Better With Money

The idea of an “admin party” has gone viral since the term was coined last year. It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise given how we are all drowning in our own quicksand of “I must get around to that” jobs. Whether it’s disputing a charge with your bin company, wading through health insurance or getting your car ready for the NCT, these “small” tasks coalesce to become one big soup of digital paperwork. When the overwhelm becomes so great, the instinct to withdraw wins out for many of us. So can an admin party help? Aideen Finnegan is joined by journalists Conor Pope, Niamh Browne and Órla Ryan to simulate an admin party in the extremely sober environment of The Irish Times podcast studio. Niamh brings her own particular baggage to the episode. An actual plastic bag she has been using to hoard receipts, much to Conor’s horror. We also solve her 600 per cent gas price hike problem in real time. Órla has been meaning to take out full health insurance for years but the overwhelm of terms and conditions, as well as the fear of choosing the wrong policy, has left her in a procrastination doom loop. Find out why Conor tells her ChatGPT is not the solution to this problem. If these are the kind of conundrums you come up against in your life, don’t miss this episode of Better with Money.This episode - which first aired in March 2026 - is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.

This episode first aired in April.It's exactly the one you need to hear if you buy so many items online, you feel you need to sneak them past your partner / family / housemates before they see another package arrive at the door. Even at a time of spiralling fuel prices and huge increases in the cost of living, it is possible for someone to overspend on holidays, clothes or even just the “little treats” when they can least afford it. Why? Because an abundance of credit, modern consumer culture, frictionless shopping experiences and a desire to feel control are all working in consort to part you with your money. And let’s face it, they don’t call it “retail therapy” for nothing. Had a colossally crap day at work? An online purchase might keep the dopamine going until the package arrives. Can’t afford to buy a house so why bother even trying? Let’s go to Ibiza. In this episode of Better with Money, Paige Pritchard, founder of overcomingoverspending.com explains why this thinking is a form of financial self-sabotage. But it's rarely about numbers and more about the “iceberg” beneath: mindset and emotions, shaped by beliefs about scarcity, responsibility and identity (“I’m just a spender”). Paige shares her story of racking up $40,000 worth of debt, the shame of revealing it to her loved ones, and how she's now dedicated to helping others break the cycle too. This episode is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.Presented by Aideen Finnegan

This episode was first published in September 2025 so the prices quoted will reflect a time when Donald Trump hadn't started a war with Iran, the Strait of Hormuz was open and inflation wasn't as high as it is now. However the information is rock solid because Neil Briscoe is breaking down the different ways to buy a car; Hire Purchase, PCP or a personal loan from the bank. Which option is the cheapest, which is the best value and are they always the same thing? Neil has practical tips, highlights the importance of trade-ins and weighs up the advantages and disadvantages of leasing. Plus, he outlines the “shockingly enormous" savings you can make from going electric. Don't buy a car until you've heard this episode.Presented by Aideen Finnegan.

If you’ve been wondering whether solar panels are worth the costly initial outlay, this is the episode for you.“At no stage have I ever heard anyone say ‘I wish I didn’t put so many solar panels up.’ It’s usually ‘I wish I put a bigger battery in,’” says Garrett Fox, a landscaper and retrofitting enthusiast from Co. Galway. In 2018 during “The Beast from the East”, his 80s bungalow was so cold his bedroom curtains froze shut. Since then he’s added solar panels, insulation, new windows, air-to-water heating, two EVs and watched his energy bills plummet as a result.Garrett breaks down appliance costs by tariff, explains the key system parts (panels, inverter, battery and software), and outlines his (pun-tastic) “three whats” approach: what's your usage, what are your future plans for your home and what are your goals.For a typical three-bed semi, he estimates it would cost around €7,000 for 8 to 10 panels plus €4,000 to €5,000 for a 10kW battery. He believes you could potentially break even around five years later without a battery and six to seven with one installed, plus benefits from microgeneration credits and potentially lowering your mortgage interest rate if your improved BER qualifies you for a “green mortgage.”This episode is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.Presented by Aideen Finnegan.

If you have found yourself at the point at which you're finally ready to invest, but you don't know how to do your research into index and exchange traded funds (ETFs), this is the episode for you.There’s an overwhelming amount of information online about investing, but most of it is aimed an American, and to a lesser extent, a UK audience. In this episode wealth advisor, YouTube content creator and Donegal man, Kevin Elliott, brings his years of experience working for financial institutions in New York, London and Toronto and translates it jargon-free for an Irish audience.Building on earlier episodes* about index funds and ETFs (which tend to be lower risk and more beginner-friendly than buying individual stocks and shares) Kevin explains how to choose an ETF from the tens of thousands out there. He shares the checklist he himself uses when choosing funds in Ireland: use passive index funds, no "star pickers" of stocks, watch for steep fees, choose broad and ideally global indices, trade in euro and make sure the funds are domiciled in Europe for tax purposes. Plus some other tricky jargon worth knowing before putting your money into an ETF.This episode is for for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.Presented by Aideen Finnegan*You can find previous episodes which examine ETFs in detail with Dan Malone here and here, as well as our complete beginner episode with Kel Galavan here.

Aideen Finnegan speaks to financial influencer Annmarie Gaynor (Irish Budgeting Mammy) and Cian Carolan of DNG Financial Services after they attended a Department of Finance meeting with Simon Harris and junior minister Robert Troy about a proposed state “personal investment account”. It’s not an SSIA savings account that would be topped up by the Government, neither will it be a product “with a portal you log into with a password.” Rather it looks set to be a tax-incentivised “wrapper” applying new rules to existing investment options offered by banks, life insurers and trading platforms. The key aim is to encourage “middle Ireland” to move some savings from deposits into long-term investing, but major details remain unconfirmed, including annual limits, fees, tax treatment and timelines. They describe Ireland’s complex investment taxes (deemed disposal, exit tax and a life-insurance levy) as barriers to getting involved in investing, while stressing the need for a financial literacy campaign to communicate risk, understand inflation and set clear personal goals for the individual.This episode is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.