No such thing as a free lunch, or is there? From time to time we all find ourselves having to transfer funds abroad. I myself had to transfer a fairly modest amount recently and decided to check the many specialist currency exchange companies to see if I could better the rate quoted to me from […]
How to protect your investments
With so many funds available, it is important to learn how to protect your investments. However, since the financial crisis, we have seen a new breed of fund launched onto the market. Many, if not all, claim to be the alternative to traditional investments and the answer to volatility, downside risk, and market corrections. On the […]
Forgot to apply for the 30% in the Netherlands?
The30% ruling in the Netherlands is a tax incentive granted to foreign workers possessing specialist skills that come to work in the Netherlands. The maximum duration of the ruling for expatriate employees is 8 years. It is not unusual for expats to be unaware of their eligibility for this tax break. The reason may be as […]
30% ruling benefits for contractors in the Netherlands
Oil & Gas and IT contractors are in prime position to take advantage of the 30% ruling in the Netherlands. Application for the tax break, offered by the Dutch government to expat contractors possessing specialist skills, should be considered as an essential part of financial planning. Partial Non-Resident Status When an expat relocates for work purposes […]
European court to re-assess changes to the 30% rule in the Netherlands
The recent review of the 30% rule in the Netherlands has been contested in the European court of justice during August 2013. The 30% rule stipulates that any incoming employees to the Netherlands must have been living at a distance of no less than 150 km from the Dutch border prior to the commencement of […]
Dutch thirty percent ruling
The thirty percent ruling is a tax incentive offered by the Dutch government to expatriate employees possessing specialist skills/expertise that are either absent or scarce in the local marketplace. The ruling involves tax relief in the form of a thirty percent tax-free allowance on the annual salary. Those expat employees who qualify for the ruling […]
Haircut Sir – threat to pension savings
You couldn’t make it up. ….in Cyprus, they just did! Is anywhere safe from the clutches of the TROIKA? The tripartite committee led by the ECB, the EU, and IMF has set a dangerous precedent in Cyprus by forcing the government to tax those with deposits of over €100,000 in local bank accounts by up […]
British workers not keen on retirement planning
So it’s now official, the Brits don’t save enough…there is nothing new there. However, what is worrying from the latest HSBC research: Future of Retirement: A New Reality is that of the 15,000 people surveyed across 15 countries, almost half have never saved for retirement! The United Nations predicts that one in five of us will […]
Redefining retirement – pension survey findings
Furnish people with the facts, and a more enlightened population will emerge.…….. Information put out in the public domain can often seem like a spider’s web, with bits of it finding and connecting with one other. The challenge is to find the correct pattern and make sense of it all. A recent pension survey […]
The UK budget and pensions – a ringside view
Cuts, cuts, cuts….the UK budget and pensions are back in the spotlight. This week’s UK budget and pensions legislation delivered a combination of punches that put pensions on the ropes. There were also uppercuts in the form of a levy on foreign companies used to purchase UK residential properties worth more than £2m, and body-punches […]
The Euro crisis has left the currency in Wonderland
With the ongoing Euro crisis, it seems like the currency has fallen down the rabbit hole. Politicians in Brussels appear to move from one surreal chain of events to another. One minute everything is upside down, and the next, we are all back on our feet again. Last month all eyes were diverted to the […]
The revolution in pension reform
Pension reform is long overdue in the Western World. As the bulk of people get older, society’s economic stability and social structure will become more dependent upon pension systems. Such systems provide long-term capital for industry and contribute to economic growth and job creation. The development of private pension provision can also play an important […]
Commodities and pension fund management
Every now and again you stumble across one in this business…… a diamond that wants to stay coal! In medieval times alchemists applied their knowledge and wizardry in the quest to transform base metals into gold. Modern day pension fund managers find themselves in a similar predicament in their attempt to deliver what […]
The National Irish Pension Fund- When The Music Stops
When it comes to the National Irish Pension Fund, compromise usually comes one teaspoon at a time. One day you find yourself down the road, and you don’t remember where you made a left turn. So now we know what is in store for the Irish public ……..or do we? For the last few weeks, […]
Retirement strategy
The camera lens opened and shut in his mind as he saw himself driving a convertible down an ocean highway. Along the bay shoreline, a windsurfer toyed with the breeze; he pulled into a marina café that unfolded onto the sands … The road to retirement is indeed paved with good intentions; however, your retirement […]