There’s €170 billion sitting in Irish bank accounts earning almost nothing — more than a third of everything Irish households hold in financial assets. We’re among the best savers in Europe, yet some of its most nervous investors.
So why?
In this video, I use Irish-specific data to break down the real reasons we don’t invest — and the four fixes that would change it. I look at the fear left behind by the crash, the financial literacy gap, the tax system, and the one thing Ireland still doesn’t give people: a simple place to start.
We look at how 90% of Irish savings sit in instant-access accounts (versus barely half across the eurozone), why the Central Bank says this habit cost us almost €800 million in lost interest in a single year, and how inflation quietly erodes “safe” cash — around a fifth of its value over a decade.
I also break down the tax problem in plain English: why capital gains tax climbed from 20% to 33%, how the 38% fund exit tax and the eight-year deemed disposal rule punish patient, diversified investors, and why your pension remains the most tax-efficient place to invest in Ireland today.
Then we look abroad at what actually works — Sweden’s ISK and the UK’s ISA — and at Ireland’s own proof that appetite was never the problem: the SSIA, which over a million people joined almost overnight. With a new Irish scheme now being talked about for 2027, I explain why waiting for it could be the most expensive decision of all.
If you’re living in Ireland and want clarity on whether your money is working as hard as it should be — this video gives you the full picture most people never see.
Credit to : Kevin Elliott Wealth