A NEW website offers Irish consumers advice and information on a range of personal finance products, as well as specific guidance on dealing with various life stage events.

www.itsyourmoney.ie has been set up by the Financial Regulator and, crucially, is independent of any commercial interests.

The website includes new easy-to-follow product sections on banking, mortgages, personal loans and credit, savings and investments, general insurance, life insurance and pensions, as well as sections dedicated to budgeting and consumer rights. The ‘Life events’ section contains relevant personal finance information based on financial life events such as:

• starting college;

• buying a home;

• buying a car;

• having children;

• separating/divorcing; and

• planning for sickness, redundancy or retirement.

In response to consumer demand, cost surveys will now be published online. All banking related surveys including credit card, lump-sum deposit, personal current account, student current account and personal loans will be continually up-to-date, as firms have been advised to notify the Financial Regulator of any changes to rates or charges in advance.

They will also be displayed in a new format, with the name of the financial institution and the product on the first page, along with the key pieces of information that consumers would usually use to choose a product. Consumers can then click on individual products for more detailed information and product benefits. All insurance products including motor, home and life cost surveys will be updated every six months. From 2008 the insurance surveys will be updated every three months.

The site includes interactive features and useful tools such as loan and mortgage calculators, a budget planner, regular consumer polls, competitions and insurance checklists. Consumers will also be able to subscribe to an e-newsletter and news RSS feeds, and order publications online.

The site has been designed to be consistent with the userfriendly look and feel of all of the Financial Regulator’s consumer communications and has been written in plain English. Content on the site, including the frequently asked questions, will be updated on a regular basis. All of the Financial Regulator’s existing suite of publications and related subject articles will also be available online.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 6th, 2007 at 11:00 pm and is filed under Personal Finance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.