Dear Reader

Welcome to the first issue of our newsletter for 2015.  By now we are all well and truely settled into 2015 and I hope that the new resolutions and objectives you have set for yourself and your business are still on track.  Even if you have waivered in your endeavours slightly its still early enough to make the necessary changes to make 2015 your year!

In this edition of our newsletter we have a real mix of topics, ranging from the importance of supporting our local economy, to advice about insolvency, succession planning, tips on marketing your business and some pointers on good sales techniques.   

I hope you enjoy the read.


Tim McCarthy
Managing Partner

I’ve observed with great interest some commentary by Idaho and Sober Lane regarding the announcement that Starbucks are to open in Princes St in the near future. I always find such debate very interesting and would be very much on the side of the “locals”. Ironically I had similar debate with a neighbour of mine over Christmas. This neighbour an avid supporter of Aldi and Lidl was waxing lyrical about the impending arrival of Weatherspoons to Douglas. “Great to see it” he argued, “choice and competition is good”. I too am an advocate for choice and competition but not at any cost and I made the point that we have enough choice and competition in Douglas already with the pubs we have but more importantly for me all of them locally owned.

This is probably the firstquestion I get asked in my initial meeting with a client. The answer isn’t that simple as there are various options depending on the client and the debt involved.

There are a number of methods of dealing with debt on the family home but the main ways would be informal restructure through discussions with your bank under the MARP (Mortgage Arrears Resolution Programme), formal agreement under the new personal insolvency legislation or the final act which is bankruptcy. The banks must apply the conditions of MARP in all cases involving the family home.

When disposing of an asset or drafting a will you need to ask your Solicitor what the tax implications are of doing the transactions. While they may not know the answer they will be able to put you in touch with a tax advisor who will.  A simple conversation with a tax advisor could at the very least make people aware of the taxes involved but more importantly can save the person a considerable amount of money.

Passing of assets to the next generation is something we all will have to consider at some point in our lives. These can be assets such as the family home, cash or a business. Careful planning can reduce the liability significantly in all of the above cases.

Following the hugely successful Junior Certificate Business Studies Revision Courses which we've held over the last few years, Quintas are once again offering children of our clients and business contacts an opportunity to attend our course for 2015. 

Examination time is stressful for both parents and children.  At Quintas we recognise this and will do our part by assisting with Higher Level Junior Certificate Business Studies.  The course will cover such issues as, subject overview, marking schemes, time management, exam question prediction & practising some questions under exam pressure.  The course should prepare your child for the paper in a comprehensive manner.

We received some great feedback from the parents of the children who attended our courses previously.

We will host this one day course on two separate dates in February:

Dates:  Saturday 21st February & Saturday 28th February

Time: 9.15am to 4.30pm

Location: Quintas Office, Heron House, Blackpool Park, Blackpool, Cork

To register for the course please contact Sarah O'Neill at soneill@quintas.ie or call Sarah on 021 4641400. 

(Please note the course is strictly on a first come first served basis)

One of Quintas’ key offerings is our advisory services.   Over the years we have gained extensive experience, as we deal with a variety of business types. 

We are regularly asked to give advice to clients on how they can improve their current marketing efforts, communicate better with their existing clients as well as how they can attract new customers.   

Here are just a few simple tips:

Debt Resolution Open Evenings

The Quintas PIP, Mark Ryan, is hosting FREE Information Evenings on debt resolution, insolvency and bankruptcy on Wednesday evenings from 5pm to 7pm.  These open evenings offer you the opportunity to meet with Mark Ryan for a 15 minute consultation whereby he can advise you on how you can best overcome your debt worries.  If you would like to avail of this offer contact Sarah O'Neill on 021 4641400 or email soneill@quintas.ie

Appointment Announcements

Dave O'Brien - Tax Director

Quintas is pleased to announce the appointment of Dave O’Brien as Tax Director.

Dave joined Quintas from Ernst & Young in December 2012 where he had worked in a variety of positions in their tax team.  Since joining Quintas Dave has had responsibility for company reorganisations and restructuring, personal & corporate tax planning, succession planning and revenue audits.  As Tax Director, Dave will now have responsibility for the Tax Consultancy service offering at Quintas. 

Dave is a graduate of UCC where he obtained a first class BSc Degree in Finance. He is registered as a Chartered Tax Advisor with the AITI and is an active member.

New Trainee Accountants at Quintas

Quintas appointed a number of trainee accountants in recent months namely, Stephen O'Halloran, Tadhg O'Shea, Liam Swanton & Dean Power.

 Cork Simon - Where are they now?



  Cork Simon launched a report entitled 'Cork Simon - Where are they now?' during Simon week towards the end of last year.

Pictured at the launch of the report (see above) from L-R: Tim McCarthy, Quintas & Cork Simon Board Member,  Dr. Niamh Hourigan, Senior Lecturer in Sociology at UCC & Paul Sheehan, Cork Simon

New Arrivals

Congrats to Denis Healy and his wife Nicola on the birth of Caoimhe.

Congrats to Tsveta Garry and her husband Chris on the birth of Mia.

Congrats to Margo Healy and her husband Martin on the birth of Fiona.

Congrats to Margaret Lenihan and her husband Gary on the birth of Ciara.