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Trusted brokers for
life cover.
01 906 1122
Trusted brokers for
life cover.
With the fast pace lives that we live today, it may seem impossible to keep up a healthy lifestyle. It may seem easier to buy pre-made meals or just eat out and skip the expensive gym membership, but there are changes you can make to live a healthy lifestyle on a budget.
One way to eat healthier is to cook your own meals. A way to stay on budget while cooking your own meals is to meal plan. Meal planning helps you stick to a budget and only get the necessities for the meals. When you go into the grocery store, you will be able to stick to the grocery list and you know it is in your budget. This helps maintain a healthy lifestyle on a budget.
Living a healthy lifestyle does not mean you have to buy the top brands. When you buy generic brands you save money and more often then not are getting the same product. Because of food production standards and regulations, you know the product is made safely and with mostly the same ingredients. If you compare name brand and generic products, they will usually have the same ingredients labeled on the back.
If you go to the grocery store hungry, then you will end up buying things you do not need. Because you are hungry, your cravings can take over what you purchase at the store. When you go to the grocery store with a budget and you are hungry, you may buy items that are not on your list over items on your list. Sticking to your shopping list will insure that you stay on budget and stick to your meal plan.
When you buy frozen produce, you are saving money and getting the produce you want. Fresh produce always changes because of the seasons and is usually the more expensive option. Even though frozen vegetables lose some of their vitamins, frozen vegetables maintain their mineral, fiber and carbohydrate content from when it is fresh produce.
Buying a gym membership can be very expensive and going to the gym might not suit your schedule. Living a healthy lifestyle does not mean you buy an expensive gym membership. There are tons of free workout apps and videos online for at-home workouts. This saves you the travel time to the gym and do not cost anything. This is another way that you could maintain a healthy lifestyle on a budget.
Packing lunch for work or school helps your budget and your health. When you pack your lunch, you do not run to get fast food. Packing your lunch also insures you have healthy snacks and do not run out to get snacks either. This way you insure you are eating healthy and not spending excess money as you are sticking to your budgeted meal plan.
At Oomph, we make buying life insurance easy and affordable for you. Keeping healthy is important, but protecting yourself and your family from sudden death or illness is also important. Oomph can help you find a policy that fits in your budget. Get your free personal quote here.
There are many common myths about life insurance that stop people from purchasing life insurance. You may believe one of these misconceptions and have not purchased a policy yet. Life insurance could protect you and your loved ones in case of a sudden death or illness.
Just because you are young, single and healthy does not mean there is no need for life insurance. If you have any outstanding debt from education loans, car loans, or other debts, when you pass away, these debts will be transferred to your estate and still need to be paid of. Life insurance policies can help pay off these debts in case of sudden death, so your estate is not stuck paying it off. If you get a policy when you are young and healthy is usually cheaper, which makes it more manageable.
This is not always the case because company provided life insurance usually only covers 1 to 2 times the amount of your salary. 1 to 2 times your salary is not a sufficient amount. It is recommended to have 10 to 15 times the amount of your salary. Life insurance policies can provide this recommended amount in case of sudden death or illness.
This is just not true. Most life insurance providers have many different policies for people of all lifestyles. There are policies for people with different health conditions, for married and single people, and policies for people in all stages of their life.
The lose of one source of income can be a harder hit to a family than it is thought to be. Just because one spouse is not the breadwinner, you still lose one source of income for your family and this can take a bigger toll than you make think. If both income earners for the family have life insurance policies, in the case of a sudden death, the policy can assure the family can live at the same standard.
Serious health conditions may disqualify you from life insurance, but not all health condition disqualify you form life insurance. Most insurance companies have plans for people with health conditions like diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure. If you have a health condition, the premiums might be higher, but you can find a policy. Read more here.
To read more myths about life insurance click here.
At Oomph.ie, we provide competitively priced life insurance policies from the top 6 insurance providers in Ireland and can find a policy to fit your life. Take our 3 easy steps to get a free personal quote today!
You may have an asset like your house but this does not necessarily make you financially fit from an income point of view. What is the difference between being wealthy and financially fit?
When your biggest asset is your mortgage with your spouse, this is not good. This does not mean that you are financially stable and secure. What if the unimaginable happened and one of you was to suddenly fall ill or worst still pass away. Would you be in a position to pay the mortgage, the bills, lost income? What protection do you have in place if this where to ever happen in your lifetime. Would you need to sell your home to be able to live and pay for your expenses? If so, is your property in positive or negative equity?
This is where life insurance kicks in and provides you with a foundation of financial fitness. It provides you with a safety net and equips you to cope with any sudden events. It prepares you to cope financially and emotionally.
People often think that life insurance is expensive and one that is not necessary especially when starting out as a single person or newly weds. But this is not the case. It is very affordable for almost everyone. A healthy 30 years person can get a life insurance for €250,000+ for as little as €20 per month. A 20 year old can get life insurance for over €300,000 for as little €19 per month. A 40 year old can get life insurance €300,000 over 20 years for as little as €30 per month.
We know how important being financially fit is and we know how stressful life can be. So we like to work with our customers, listen to them and provide them with the best competitive prices in the market. We determine the wants and needs of each person and make a plan that suits you.
We are the largest online independent provider of competitively priced life insurance and work with the top insurance companies in Ireland. Get a quick quote today!
It’s going to happen to us all, there’s no stopping it. And yet so many of us live our lives as if death isn’t inevitable. For most people, sickness will take them in their old age, which may give plenty of time to prepare. Will your family have enough money when this does happen?
For others however, death will come in their prime, leaving devastated families, and potentially finances, behind.
But what happens if you or a loved one dies unexpectedly? Does your family inherit your debts? Can they access your current account? Do you have to pay your mortgage if it’s in both spouses’ names? What about your mobile phone – do they have to continue the contract? And what about a car loan?
These are all questions which we will all ultimately have to face when a loved one dies. We usually do not think about it because these questions are sad to think about.
If you have already written a will, hopefully you have addressed many of these issues. If you haven’t, however, or if you did so a long time ago, you might have something to think about.
Keeping your finances in shape can help reduce stress at what is already a very difficult time. Do you know how much money your family will need if this does happen?
You might be dead, but your financial accounts will continue to live on. Yes, until your “estate” informs the bank of your demise, your bank will act routine. Money will continue to transfer into savings accounts, charges will be incurred and direct debits will be paid as usual.
Difficulties can arise when a spouse, or next of kin, is unfamiliar with that person’s financial information. How many accounts do they have? Where are their accounts held? What about debts? And investments? And how can the bereaved access this money?
As a spokeswoman for AIB notes there is a “general lack of knowledge” among Irish people about what happens to your finances when you die and how probate works. If you’re the family’s sole, or bigger earner especially, your death can have significant ramifications on the family’s finances in the short term should your accounts be frozen.
Until the bank is aware of the death, the account solely held in the deceased’s name will be frozen. The proceeds of the account will fall into your estate and will be distributed to the beneficiaries of your will, or as per the rules of intestacy – but that’s generally a long process.
You will still be able to access some funds without the need of a grant of probate or letters of administration which arise when someone dies intestate (without a will), if looking for money to cover funeral expenses.
AIB for example, allows you to claim up to €5,000 to pay funeral expenses. You complete an application and indemnity to pay funeral and testamentary expenses.
Bank of Ireland will also allow payment for funeral expenses, directly to the funeral director.
“These are generally the only payments allowable until the estate is finalised,” a spokeswoman for Bank of Ireland says, though if there are any financial difficulties people can contact their branch or the special bereavement support unit.
An advantage of a joint account, however, is that “survivorship” applies. This means all the funds can pass directly to the named survivor on the account, so that a surviving spouse for example, won’t be restricted in accessing money in the days and weeks that follow a death. This account can then be converted to a sole account.
If you have savings in a credit union, you’ll also be part of a life insurance scheme. The amount paid out in the event of a member’s death will depend on your age and how much you have saved with the credit union over the years.
Typically, every €1 saved before the age of 55 provides €1 of insurance. So someone who is 54 with €2,000 saved in the credit union, should be entitled to an insurance benefit of €2,000 should they die. Over the age of 55, the benefits diminish, with someone aged between 65-69 earning 25 cent for €1 in savings. No insurance is payable on amounts saved after the 70th birthday.
For those earning almost zero interest on a deposit account, switching to the credit union would give an additional benefit in the event of an untimely death. And once you have earned these savings, the insurance stays in place, regardless of the age at which you might ultimately die. Terms and conditions do apply however, and you should lodge the savings while you’re still in good health.
Keep an up-to-date list of your accounts and investments, either with your will, or give someone a password for access to a document containing this information.
You should also consider keeping a list of direct debit/standing orders that you would want to be reinstated and continued to be paid by your estate after your death.
Maybe you took out a car loan in your name, or a credit union loan for a holiday, or have just overspent on your credit card. But what happens to these loans when you die? Most financial institutions will simply pass these debts on to your estate – and interest will continue to accrue until they are repaid in full.
And, while the deceased’s family may be waiting on funds from their accounts to be released to settle day-to-day or other expenses, a lender is within its rights to take money from the deceased’s current accounts to pay off any loans they may have with that institution – before their estate gets to touch it.
“The bank will have the right to set off any debit and credit balances held in an account in the deceased’s name,” AIB says. If there aren’t sufficient funds to repay the loan, then the estate will also be liable “for any net debit balance due after death”, the bank says. The debt will be liable to surviving party, if both names are on it.
Where there is not enough money in the estate to pay all outstanding debts, funeral expenses and the cost of administration of the estate, they will take priority, followed by secured debt (such as mortgages) and, finally, unsecured debts (eg personal loans).
If your loan is with a credit union however, it will typically be cleared upon your death. Typically, this is only offered up to the age of 70, but some credit unions will cover it up to the age of 85. Again, terms and conditions do apply. For instance, you can’t get a diagnosis of a serious illness and then take out a loan, expecting it to be covered by insurance.
Car loans can also be problematic. If the deceased entered into a hire purchase agreement to buy a car, for example, whether or not the estate will be on the hook depends on how much of the purchase price has been repaid; it all comes down to the so-called “half rule”.
According to Bank of Ireland, which arranges finance for Opel, if a customer has paid half of the hire purchase price (or more) and the agreement is up to date with no arrears, the car may be returned to the bank with no further liability. The estate can keep the vehicle and repay the rest of the loan if they so wish.
On the other hand, if less than half of the price has been repaid the estate will be liable for the contract. “Arrears, if any, must be paid and such sum to make up half the hire purchase price must be paid if that sum is not already paid,” the bank says.
Remember to record of your loans and where the loan is held is important. And remember that it is the deceased’s estate that is liable for debts – not the deceased’s family. If a financial institution is trying to get you to take on the debts of the deceased, just say no.
When it comes to mortgages, the good news is that some banks, including AIB, may allow a moratorium following the death of a borrower. This means the bereaved won’t have to scramble for funds to meet mortgage repayments while their finances are still up in the air.
Interest however, will typically continue to accrue on the mortgage until it is repaid in full by a life policy. If you have life insurance it’s worthwhile checking if this policy is assigned to your mortgage lender.
“This will reduce the delay in the insurance company making payment to the bank to clear the debt [during which time interest may continue to accrue] as the insurance company would not be required to wait for the grant of probate/letters of administration to be extracted first,” AIB advises.
According to Shona Chambers, financial adviser with John McColgan Financial Services in Donegal, mortgage protection claims usually go through “fairly quickly” in about four-six weeks or so.
“What usually what slows it down is a doctor filling out the report,” she says.
The gas bill is in your name; the electricity in his. You’re loyal to Bord Gáis but your husband was forever seeking out the best deals. Now he has died unexpectedly and your bank has stopped withdrawals and direct debits from his account.
You will need to contact your gas provider and arrange an alternative form of payment – but who is your gas provider? In the era of paperless billing, it can be a further complication if such information isn’t shared.
Another issue can arise with mobile phone contracts. If you die with 10 months left on your contract, must your estate settle the amount outstanding?
Fortunately, it appears not. According to Three, in the event of a customer’s death, an executor can contact the mobile operator and the account will be closed “with no outstanding costs pursued”.
Protect yourself and your family sudden illness or death. Get your free life insurance here.