Consider Pension Term Assurance
Michael McGovern and Hughie Doyle, Horizon Financial
Hughie Doyle, director of Horizon Financial, urges Irish people to think smart and protect themselves. Rather than rushing out to buy Life Assurance, he suggests that people look instead at the cheaper option of Pension Term Assurance.
“Life Assurance is important for two main groups of people,” explains Doyle. “Parents who want to protect their children in case of sudden death and couples where only one partner is working and the loss of that income through death would throw the family into possible penury.”
Up until now, the traditional path has been to purchase Life Assurance directly, a lot of people are unaware it is possible to purchase Life Assurance through a pension scheme. The benefits here are that the insurance qualifies for tax relief in the same way pension contributions, saving 41 cent in the euro where people are in the higher tax bracket.
“Pension Term Assurance is less well known than traditional Life Assurance as people were not aware they could use the scheme, believing incorrectly that they had to be part of a pension scheme to apply,” says Doyle. “And while there are some qualifying criteria, it represents savings of some 41 per cent or 21 per cent depending on their tax rate over traditional Life Assurance.”
People who qualify for Pension Term Assurance must be either self employed or an employee. It does not work for more than one recipient, ie. there is not joint Life cover. Also, if the person moves or changes employment out of the initial criteria, the scheme cannot be carried on. The policy is not lost though, as it can be converted into a conventional Life Assurance Policy, but without the benefit of tax relief.
In addition, Doyle advocates that the people look to buy fixed term rather than whole of life policies. “Circumstances change and whole of life policies tend to be more expensive at the beginning, which is ironic since the financial needs of most people are less as they get older, children leave home etc. However, when fixing your term, you should also allow changes to be made, in case your children stay at home longer than you originally planned!”
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Tags: financial advice Ireland, Financial Services Wexford Ireland, Horizon Financial, Hughie Doyle, Life Assurance Wexford, Pension Term Assurance, Practice PR, public relations, public relations company ireland, Public Relations Ireland, www.practicepr.ie
Partnership delivers integrated mobile field to office solutions
Pegasus Software, an award winning supplier of accounting and business software to SMEs, today announces a partnership with PSI Mobile, the leading Irish mobile solutions company. The partnership will allow the two companies to provide an end-to-end mobile solution which seamlessly integrates field operations into back office functionality.
Carmelisa Dunne, Business Development Manager, for Pegasus Software, explains the partnership arose from a common client. “We first met with PSI Mobile when a client wanted to provide its field engineers with an automated mobile solution that also integrated with Opera II, covering a complex array of modules including back office accounts, CRM systems and management reporting.
“PSI Mobile was able to create a very powerful mobile solution that eliminated duplication of work and fitted seamlessly into Opera II. The client now benefits from an end-to-end solution that has cut costs, increased productivity and minimised data errors. We are so impressed with this integration and are looking forward to working with more joint accounts.”
PSI Mobile is one of the leading providers of mobile field solutions in Ireland. Henrik Johansson, Commercial Manager with PSI Mobile, welcomes the opportunity to partner with Pegasus. “We have integrated our software with a range of business solutions providers but we are delighted to partner with Pegasus. The Opera II solution is very powerful and can really help our customers to maximise their data, speed up their operational processes and practically eliminate all duplication risks and errors.”
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Tags: www.practicepr.ie, public relations company ireland, public relations, Practice PR, Pegasus Software, Carmelisa Dunne, accounting and business software Ireland, PSI Mobile
RedRibbon.ie, Ireland’s biggest online store of activity gifts has gone live, turning gifts into a whole new experience for Irish shoppers. The new online gift voucher store has hundreds of activities at discounted prices, from international travel to outdoor adventure, hotel breaks, pamper days, cinema, dining, wine and cookery courses, driving, air experiences and much more.
Shoppers can purchase a RedRibbon Universal voucher that allows the recipient to select from hundreds of different gifts on RedRibbon.ie, or select a specific activity for their gift voucher. The cost of these unforgettable experiences is unbeatable value, beginning with discounted beauty treatments and adventure activities around €25-€30 before moving to aspirational activities like hot air ballooning, trips to Paris and even international trips to music and film award ceremonies.
The quick search on RedRibbon.ie is broken into Spend, Category or Area, or a combination of all three categories. The Latest Offers section offers deals of up to 25% off some experiences, and there are pre selected gifts in some of the most popular price brackets if you are in a hurry!
This search process will throw up dozens of ideal suggestions, prompting the purchaser to choose an activity (e.g. a spa pamper day) and request that it be packaged and posted directly to the recipients home address in the stunning Red Ribbon gift pack. A personalized note will be printed on the voucher, along with full details on how to redeem the voucher, including telephone number so that they simply call and make their booking.
“The Red Ribbon Universal voucher (which can be ordered online or by calling the 1850 35 45 55 voucher line) is going to prove a very popular item for people all over Ireland who simply cannot think what to buy this Christmas,” says James Lenehan, founder of RedRibbon.ie. “RedRibbon is something new – it is about creating a memory, and making the unforgettable affordable.”
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Tags: Christmas presents, experience gifts, James Lenehan, online Christmas shopping, Practice PR, public relations, public relations company ireland, Public Relations Ireland, Red Ribbon, redribbon.ie, www.practicepr.ie
Colm Murphy from Irish IT security company Espion explains to Sybil Mulcahy the risks of online shopping and shares useful tips for safe Christmas shopping! (it starts at minute 24.25)
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Tags: Espion, IT security, IT security Ireland, online Christmas shopping, PR company, Practice PR, public relations, safe online shopping, Sybil Mulcahy, tips for safe online shopping, TV3 The Morning Show
Rees Hunt has been appointed UK Design Manager with Irish company RoanKabin. He has over ten years general construction experience, including six years experience in the modular and system build market; having held the position of Design Team Leader with Britspace, Wraith & Terrapin.
Hunt’s qualifications include NVQ Level 2 and BTEC National Engineering, City & Guilds 2D and 3D, Draughting and Design, and a Higher National Certificate in Construction.
Hunt will play a key role in the continual value engineering of the RoanPlan Modular Building System, which forms a major part of RoanKabin’s ongoing development strategy.
“I am very excited about taking up my new role with such a dynamic company & group. I look forward to developing the RoanPlan Modular Building and being a part of the numerous exciting projects than will undoubtedly come RoanKabin’s way,” he says.
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As Cyber Monday looms, Irish information security company Espion is urging shoppers to be cautious when buying Christmas presents online.
The term Cyber Monday was originally coined by the online retail industry in the US, and refers to the Monday immediately after Thanksgiving, when online sales hit its highest levels. This year Cyber Monday falls on 30th November.
“While originally applied to America, Cyber Monday is a concept affecting Ireland and Europe as well. It marks the beginning of the busiest period of the year for online retailers. Recent surveys show we are number 10 in the world for online shopping. We are one of the most Internet savvy consumers in Europe and traffic to online retail websites multiply in the run up to Christmas,” explains Colm Murphy, technical director with Espion.
According to Eurostat, Ireland has one of the fastest growth rates in online purchases in Europe. According to Murphy, Irish online shoppers should be aware of the risks.
“Cyber Monday will see a huge increase in online shopping. Taking this fact into account, online criminals may try their luck by attempting to exploit weaknesses in online retailers’ systems to gain access to information about shoppers. There is also the risk of encountering hoax retailers and other non-reputable sites,” he adds.
“There are no absolute guarantees of safety on the Internet. With a little common sense and some basic security awareness, you can avoid any problems with your online shopping experience.”
Some of the risks of buying items online include…
-Mis-use or interception of your credit card details
-Getting charged for goods or services that you did not purchase
-Not receiving goods you have purchased
-Unacceptable delays
-Receiving goods other than what you paid for
-Poor after sales service
Tips for Safe Online Shopping-
- Never hand over any sensitive personal and/or financial information to anyone over the phone or email.
- Use reputable retailers that you know OR look for sites with payment safety standards; or PayPal verified sites.
- If you are using your credit card, make sure the site is secure: a website with an address which starts with https://’ (rather than http://) is secure.
- Read shipping, refund and return policies.
- Check the site’s privacy policy.
- Always keep a record of your Internet transactions.
- Choose your credit card over your debit card, as credit cards offer security features that debit cards don’t have.
- Know that if you buy from traders in other European countries you have many of the rights that apply in Ireland. However, this might not be the case when buying from retailers outside Europe (USA, etc). Check that company has a physical EU address.
- Beware of unrealistic bargains: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
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Tags: Cyber Monday, Espion, IT security, IT security Ireland, online Christmas shopping, online holiday shopping, online shopping, PR Tip, Practice PR, public relations, public relations company ireland, Public Relations Ireland, tips for safe online shopping, www.practicepr.ie
MCD, the leading Irish music promotions company, has centralised its entire array of corporate and event websites onto the LetsHost hosting platform. The array of websites, which includes corporate MCD and the Dublin venue Academy website as well as festival websites such as Oxygen and Bulmers Comedy Festival, were migrated in Month to a single server platform with LetsHost away from multiple vendors and different physical locations.
Shonagh Hurley, website production manager with MCD, welcomes the new service offered by LetsHost. “Our collection of websites had grown over time and were hosted with many different providers. We needed to centralise these websites onto a single server for security and ease of management. We sought recommendations from peer companies and LetsHost was at the top of the bill.”
LetsHost assessed MCD’s requirements and opted for a scalable dedicated server solution with significant resources to service MCD’s flagship site. The solution had emphasis on speed, high availability and continuous backup of data.
Hurley reviewed the LetsHost solution and was happy to proceed based on a number of positives including the user interface offered by LetsHost, the fact LetsHost is an Irish company and the high standards offered by the company. Competitive rates were also a further compelling reason to choose the LetsHost service according to Hurley.
Once the migration was complete, Hurley has supervised the ongoing service. Again LetsHost has offered more than might be expected. “When our Oxygen site went live earlier in the year, the huge traffic jump caused performance issues. Luckily for us LetsHost was able to install new software to speed up the sites and as a result our customers were able to access the information they needed and quickly,” she says.
“Every time we have called or emailed them, they answer very quickly, even if our emails are sent in the middle of the night,” says Hurley. “Our customers access our sites 24×7 and so we need a partner that works along similar lines. The LetsHost team has proven to be very flexible and responsive to all our demands.”
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Tags: www.practicepr.ie, public relations company ireland, Public Relations Ireland, public relations, Practice PR, PR company, hosting ireland, letshost.ie, hosting company Ireland, MCD
Cuinneog wins Great Taste Gold Award for their Farmhouse Irish Country Butter for the second year
Celebrity chef Phelim Byrne, as seen on The Afternoon Show, recently visited Cuinneog in Mayo to sample their Gold Award winning Irish County Butter and to see the companies new branding – a distinctive orange wrapper with 9 purple cows, one of them curiously peeking out at you.
This is the second year Cuinneog Irish Country Butter has won the esteemed Gold Award the ultimate recognition for food producers in the UK and Ireland and the most prestigious award in speciality food and drink. The Great Taste Awards is organised annually by the Guild of Fine Food with more than 100 leading chefs, cookery writers, retail buyers and other food & drink specialists judging thousands of foods in a process lasting several months.
The best products are awarded one, two or three gold stars in a scheme that echoed the Michelin star scheme for restaurants, with regional and national awards also being presented. Produced in County Mayo with traditional churning techniques, Cuinneog Farmhouse (Irish for churn) Irish County Butter is low in salt and is a uniquely fuller flavoured butter.
Tom Butler, founder of Cuinneog explains “the key to its distinctive flavour is the fermentation of the fresh pasteurised cream before being traditionally churned. The butter is then hand wrapped and shipped to your local store.”
Phelim says, “As a country butter it has just a hint of that unique traditional taste which blends beautifully with the rounded flavour of the butter itself. Consumers looking for authentic traditional-style butter don’t have many options in today’s mass production food market.” He continued, “It is extremely important for us, as consumers, to try products where the wisdom of generations has been combined with innovation to create flavoursome foods of extremely high quality. Whether it is for Christmas baking or just for sandwiches I would recommend you add a little Cuinneog for the flavour because once you try Cuinneog, there is no turning back.”
The manufacturing process used to produce the Cuinneog range sets it aside over and above standard dairy products. “Normally, once the cream has been separated from the milk, it is immediately churned into butter. However, Cuinneog butter is made using pasteurised farm-fresh cream, which is ripened before churning, giving the range a very distinctive and creamy taste,” says Tom.
Cuinneog, a family business run by Tom and Sheila Butler, was established in 1990 to produce a country-style butter to satisfy the demands of consumers looking for authentic flavour and exceptional quality.
The company, which is a member of Good Food Ireland, also produces Cuinneog natural buttermilk, which is the by-product of the fermented cream. It is a naturally low-fat product (with less than half percent of fat). Distributed by PRM Ltd, Cuinneog Farmhouse Irish Country Butter and Cuinneog Buttermilk are found in all major supermarkets as well as independent retailers across Ireland.
Located just outside Castlebar, the company has been established in Shraheens near Bohola for over 19 years and employs ten people.
*WATCH Phelim Byrne on The Afternoon Show, using 100% Irish Produce, including Cuinneog butter. (Recipes start at minute 14.50 and minute 51.27)
*Check out Phelim Byrne’s recipes and products used.
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Tags: cuinneog, Great Tast Awards, Irish country butter, Phelim Byrne, Wexford chef
Bloodstock agency chooses software to streamline finances and increase productivity
Wicklow – based bloodstock agency Peter J. Doyle Bloodstock Ltd., www.doyleracing.com has chosen Pegasus Opera II to streamline finances across their multi-faceted business.
Doyle Bloodstock works on a commission basis for clients at public auction, privately manages clients’ racehorses, offers advice, and arranges nominations (covering stallions) for clients’ mares. The company also offers insurance services, as well as arranging transport for clients’ horses. The bloodstock agency has a turnover of €2,700,000.
According to Director Anna Doyle, Pegasus Opera II gives the agency a better control of its finances, ultimately increasing productivity and efficiency. Doyle manages the business with her husband and son, her fellow directors.
Previous to the installation of Opera II, the business and financial procedures were managed manually, making ready access to financial information difficult for the agency’s management team, as Doyle explains.
“A new system was needed to improve access to reports, as well as increase the speed of invoicing and other statements. It was also important that the software package could handle more than one currency.”
Opera II’s reliability, matched with personal service, impressed Doyle Bloodstock’s directors. “Someone recommended Charles Alken, from Pegasus Software and we were very impressed with Charles. He spent a considerable time understanding the specific needs of our business and we felt confident that the solution he was offering was based on that understanding.”
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Tags: Opera II, Pegasus Software, Peter J. Doyle Bloodstock, PR company, Practice PR, public relations, public relations company ireland, Public Relations Ireland, www.practicepr.ie
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Recent Entries
- Life Assurance – With Tax Relief!
- Pegasus and PSI Mobile enter Partnership
- RedRibbon.ie goes live – biggest online shop for experience gifts in Ireland
- Watch Colm Murphy on The Morning Show – TV3
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- Mobile marketing
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Mobile marketing
etext could be the solution to your Christmas greetings campaign. Etext.ie is a corporate messaging service that allows companies to send both bluetooth and text messages to your contacts’ mobile phones. It has a wide range of services in its control panel to help businesses attract and communicate effectively with current and potential customers. etext.ie can be controlled to send text messages on demand, scheduled or in an automated alert way to mark special occasions, such as a client’s birthday.
”We provide all our clients with full ability to customise the control panel to their needs and provide an exclusive 24/7 support system,” explains Paul Kinsella, of etext that has over 150 hotels, bars, nightclubs, restaurants and leisure centres signed up for the service so far.
If you’d like to send greetings to your customers via text message, visit www.etext.ie
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Tags: Christmas marketing, corporate messages, mobile marketing, PR company, Practice PR, public relations, public relations company ireland, Public Relations Ireland, www.practicepr.ie