The full extent of the gender pension gap has been revealed, with retired women getting €153 less a week in pensions than men. A new report from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has found that men get €433 on average, with women receiving just €280. This means men are getting a third more than women in their pension pots - a gap of 35pc. Over a year, retired women receive on average almost €8,000 less than men.

As we are living longer and leading more active lives in retirement it is extremely important for all of us to plan for our retirement and ensure that we will have sufficient income to enjoy a comfortable retirement. I can recall, from pre-boom times, a previous employer’s word of advice to his employees being “Once your home mortgage is paid in full, the amount of the monthly mortgage repayment should be paid into a pension fund to help reduce the shortfall of income on retirement”.

Are you an established business? Are you looking for new business opportunities but have no access to funding? Here is the why and how you need to expand your business.

In my previous Quintas Newsletter article I referred to the fact that now is the time for new start-ups to gain access to the market and exploit the opportunities/incentives that the Irish government are making available. The same applies for established businesses looking to expand their business model and now is the time to do it!

The Government recently approved the extension of the Abhaile scheme over the period 2020-2022 with a view to reaching the remaining households at risk of losing their homes due to mortgage arrears. 2022 is expected to be on a ‘wind-down’ basis, focused on completing any outstanding solutions for borrowers who have been advised under Abhaile; this is subject to Government review in 2021.