Christmas
2020
LIFE COVER THROUGH YOUR COMPANY ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
Dr. Constantin Gurdgiev
15 FOODS YOU SHOULD EAT EVERYDAY 6 TIPS FOR ONLINE INTERVIEWS 15 IDEAS FOR CHANGING YOUR LIFE STARTING TODAY DECLUTTER YOUR BRAIN
TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 4 7 8 14 16 18 20 21
Life Cover through your company Economic Outlook - Dr. Constantin Gurdgiev Business Briefs 15 foods you should eat everyday 6 tips for online interviews 15 ideas for changing your life starting today Declutter your brain Meet the team Range of services
Welcome to the Christmas 2020 edition of our newsletter.
This issue contains a variety of articles which we hope will be of interest to you and your business. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us and one of our highly experienced team will be happy to assist you.
All The Team at Unique Financial Services.
Life Cover Through the Company Life Cover through the Company also know as Executive Pension Term Insurance has been approved under Section 785 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997. Premiums paid into Life Cover through the Company are eligible for tax relief at the appropriate corporate rate, subject to certain limits.
Sample quotes
Option €200,000 €300,000 €400,000 €500,000
WHO IS LIFE COVER THROUGH THE COMPANY SUITABLE FOR • If you are a director of a company or are an employere. • If you are a member of a group occupational pension scheme and your employer has set up a group AVC scheme.
RESTRICTIONS ON LIFE COVER THROUGH THE COMPANY Due to the generous tax relief available on premiums, The Revenue Commissioners have imposed a number of restrictions: • The policy can not be used as security for a loan and can not be assigned. • Can not be taken out in a joint or dual life capacity i.e. policy can only be taken out in a single life capacity.
FEATURES OF LIFE COVER THROUGH THE COMPANY • Taken up to a normal retirement age of maximum age of 70. • The policy must be set up under trust where typically the employer will act as trustee. • For members of occupational pension schemes, the maximum amount of life cover that is allowed by the Revenue Commissioners is four times your salary plus an allowance for dependants’ pension. • The expiry date or term of your Executive Pension Term insurance plan cannot go beyond your normal retirement age (NRA) of your company pension plan. In other words the term of the life cover must correspond to the normal retirement age of your company (occupational) pension scheme. Also, if you leave employment earlier than your NRA, the cover will cease at that date. • If premiums are paid by a company on your behalf, there are no Benefit-in-Kind implications for the policy holder (life insured). 35 €20.44 per month €29.23 per month €36.57 per month €44.84 per month
40 €24.74 per month €35.74 per month €44.77 per month €55.09 per month
45 €32.40 per month €47.88 per month €59.86 per month €73.96 per month
50 €43.83 per month €64.09 per month €79.27 per month €98.22 per month
Assumptions - Life Assured is a non-smoker/healthy. Term is to age 65
UNIQUE FINANCIAL SERVICES LTD IS REGULATED BY THE CENTRAL BANK OF IRELAND 3
Dr. Constantin Gurdgiev
As court battles waged by the Trump presidential campaign abate state by state, and the electoral college vote looms large on the time horizon, the markets appear to be oblivious to the longer term policy signals emerging from the incoming Biden presidency.
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Investments in dilapidating U.S. infrastructure, especially its past-due-date electrical grid, crumbling roads and bridges, and woefully underdeveloped mass transit,
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A significant green pivot in economic development, shifting focus from short-termist incentives for fracking oil and gas to more longer-term sustainable technologies and economic models,
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A promise of improved investment in public education and alleviation of the student debt burden,
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Return to some reforms in healthcare - an economic sector that costs U.S. almost 50 percent more than the OECD average but is not fit for purpose, as the Covid19 pandemic perfectly illustrates, and
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Social justice policies reforms that might move the polarised American democracy forward.
Some of these signals are positive:
Some, however, are negative for the markets and the economy. It is these latter reforms, of all other proposals, that in turn will require a robust longer-term policy response from Ireland.
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THE DISCOMFORT ZONE Since the late 1980s, Ireland has traded on policies that arbitraged the U.S. tax codes. In the 1990s, we opened the floodgates for the American tax-avoiding manufacturers and pharma, later followed by medical devices sector. Since the start of the new Millennium, we made huge inroads in attracting cash and jobs from tax-optimising data and web services providers, financial sector firms, biotech and even more pharma. By the mid-2000s, Ireland was rightly identified as the number one jurisdiction in the world for corporate tax inversions. As the result, our officially-measured economy is roughly 40 percent richer than our real economy. We got so good at this game that we managed to comply with the feared OECD’s BEPS tax reforms before the reforms were fully developed, just in time for registering growth rates in GDP so out of touch with reality, our national statistics were labelled ‘Leprechaun economics’ and our CSO had to clock some serious overtime hours trying to develop a measure we can pretend to believe is reflective of our real economic output, the so-called GNI*.
As the part of the Act, under the new Internal Revenue Code section 965, U.S. multinationals were forced to pay a one-time mandatory repatriation tax on deferred post-1986 foreign income. The payments are staggered: U.S. taxpayers can elect to pay their repatriation tax in instalments over eight years, with 8% minimum liability due annually in the first 5 years from 2018 on, followed by 15% in year 6, 20% in year seven, and 25% in year eight. So the end game is yet to be played, but based on corporate disclosures, the U.S. companies have paid some USD 210 billion worth of back taxes and repatriated around USD 1.1 trillion worth of off-shored earnings between 2017 and 2019. The effect of the TCjA on reparation was scaling down prior to the COVID19 pandemic, with peak repatriation taking place in 1Q 2018 at around USD 290 billion. By 3Q 2019, quarterly repatriation fell to around USD95 billion, which was still more than doubled the average rate of repatriations for 2016-2017 period. However, all in, the repatriations so far have been sizeable, even if well below the bombastic prognostications made by the Trump Administration upon the TCJA2017 passing.
It is, therefore, with trepidation that Ireland looked at the Trump Administration’s much-lauded Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA2017) that promised, on the paper, to dramatically lower incentives for the U.S. companies to accumulate their wealth off-shore.
And these repatriations have been visible in the Irish statistics, even though their actual impact on the Irish economy is yet to be felt. in other words, while Apple and the rest of the multinationals are now paying tax on off-shored funds held around the world, including in Ireland, and while these companies are shifting some tangible activities back to the U.S., Irish FDI engine is still running.
The TCJA2017 cut the headline corporate tax rate, reducing - on the surface - companies’ incentives to hold cash offshore and increasing incentives for them to bring back American jobs.
ENTER THE NEW Enter the Biden-Harris Administration next. During his presidential campaign, Joe Biden put forward some pretty significant proposals to further limit incentives for the U.S. companies to shift jobs, investment and operations abroad. These proposals include;
The aforementioned tax and regulatory penalties to offshoring of American jobs is one part of that equation. The other is the incentives to reward companies that reshore jobs to the U.S. The manufacturing communities tax credit the incoming Administration advocates would provide a 10% credit for revitalizing, renovating or retooling existing or recently closeddown facilities. In effect, it is a subsidy to support capital deepening and deployment of more automation. The package also extends to projects that expand domestic employment and increase manufacturing wages - a double subsidy to increasing technological intensity of U.S. manufacturing, as the funds would go to higher skilled, technology complementing labour.
Ҋ A 10% offshoring surtax to be levied on services and sales to U.S. customers from the U.S. companies’ foreign subsidiaries;
Ҋ A clawback provision to force companies to return all public investment funds for companies that move American jobs abroad;
Ҋ Another claw-back provision that would deny all deductions and expenses write-offs for companies that offshore jobs; and
Ҋ Further strengthening rules against corporate inversions,
Behind these moves is the growing bipartisan unease and even fear that U.S. producers’ supply chains have become too reliant on complex and hard-to-control supply chains - the very source of Ireland’s success in attracting a large share of the manufacturing FDI. China is the main target of these fears. But China does not pose a major tax arbitrage threat to the U.S. Instead, Ireland does.
especially inversions that became more popular in the years since 2004 tax codes reforms that imposed surcharges on the U.S. companies using M&As offshore their activities. Both, President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris spoke, although infrequently about the need to re-engage America in global trade. But both also promoted a madein-America pivot in their economic development policies.
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THREAT RESPONSE The core threat to Ireland from these Made in America proposals is two-fold, therefore. In the short run, the Biden administration, most likely with some support from the Republicans, will significantly increase corporate incentives to bring back jobs that service the U.S. market. These account for the bulk of the Irish goods exports to the U.S. In the longer run, increased capital deepening and automation will reduce the need for offshoring U.S. manufacturing processes to service the European markets. This will likely put a damper on growth in Irish operations of American manufacturers. Both factors will drive down short-term and long-term value creation by the U.S. companies based in Ireland in key sectors, such as medical devices, pharma, advanced electronics, and organic chemicals. Employment will follow value destruction.
This, in turn, means more investment in applied technologycomplementing training and education, more targeted migration policies to attract specialist skills in manufacturing and services linked to automation, and more funding for business education linked to advanced technologies. Demographics of ageing present a substantial challenge here for Europe as a region and for Ireland as an entrée-port for the U.S. manufacturers to European markets. Our manufacturing skills base is too small to support any at-scale changes in the FDI inflows toward greater automation intensity and lower tax arbitrage activities. And, our manufacturing skills base is demographically older than our services sector workforce. Which means that Ireland will have to address the hard-tocrack problem of retraining existing workers – something we had little success doing in the past.
Ireland’s policy response to this should be to move more aggressively to facilitate inflowing FDI pivot toward U.S. companies using the Republic as a base for distribution of goods and services into Europe. This means ramping up incentives and supports for technological investment and re-tooling in manufacturing, and increasing Ireland’s competitiveness vis-a-vis other European states in automation, data and software technologies. Accompanying these incentives, Ireland needs to focus on the only form of capital that matters in attracting automation-linked jobs: human capital.
Assuming the Biden-Harris presidency will be able to move past the likely policy stalemate in Washington to implement much of its ambitious agenda for accelerating jobs, investment and tax reshoring in manufacturing, Ireland has an opportunity to play a forward-looking smart game in modernising its systems of supports for American FDI. Success here can trigger a new age of economic development in the Republic. Failure, however, will see a deep and accelerating over time decline of the fortunes of our key goods exporting sectors.
Prof. Constantin Gurdgiev is the Associate Professor of Finance with Middlebury Institute of International Studies (California, USA) and an Adjunct Professor of Finance with Trinity College Dublin (Ireland). His research is concentrated in the fields of investment, geopolitical and macroeconomic risk and uncertainty analysis. Prof. Gurdgiev serves an adviser with a number of fintech start ups, and a co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of the Irish Mortgage Holders Organisation, and a co-Founder of iCare Housing Solutions, two non-profit organizations working with the issues of financial empowerment. In the past, Prof. Gurdgiev served as the Head of Macroeconomics with the Institute for Business Value, IBM, the Director of Research with NCB Stockbrokers, Ltd, and the Editor and Director of the Business & Finance magazine.
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LEGAL & GENERAL AGREES LANDMARK €54M DEAL TO DELIVER 200 SOCIAL HOMES
CONSTRUCTION SECTOR EXPANDS FOR FIRST TIME IN FOUR MONTHS
UK insurance giant Legal & General has teamed up with housing agency Clúid to invest €54 million in social housing projects in the Republic.
There were signs of an expansion in construction activity for the first time in four months during November, with the rate of expansion at its sharpest in more than a year, according to the latest Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI).
The deal, which will deliver about 200 social homes, marks the first large-scale investment in social housing here by a big international player and the first time an approved housing body (AHB) has secured financing on this scale from a private entity.
The seasonally adjusted index designed to track changes in total construction activity rose to 53.5 in November, up from 48.6 in October.
Deli very of the new homes financed through the agreement is expected to begin in the first quarter of next year, and most are expected to be located in the high-demand urban centres of Dublin and Cork.
Moreover, the rate of expansion quickened to the sharpest since August 2019. Index readings above 50 signal an increase in activity on the previous month and readings below 50 signal a decrease. Where activity rose, panellists generally linked this to higher demand.
Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), one of the world’s largest investment firms with €1.4 trillion in assets, said the agreement was “aligned with its social purpose” of financing affordable housing. It has invested more than £1.5 billion (€1.6 billion) in similar schemes in the UK.
AER LINGUS MOVING TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHTS TO UK IS MORE THAN A WARNING SHOT The irony should not be lost on anyone: Aer Lingus, an Irish airline, applying for a US permit, under a treaty agreed between that country and the UK to ensure air travel continues between the two jurisdictions post-Brexit.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ORGANISATIONS HIT BY CYBER SECURITY BREACH The US has issued an emergency warning after it emerged that nation-state hackers had managed for several months to weaponise software used by almost all Fortune 500 companies and multiple federal agencies, as well as hundreds of thousands of organisations globally.
Aer Lingus (UK) Ltd, a subsidiary of the Irish carrier, is seeking a permit from Washington’s department of transportation to fly from Manchester to Boston, New York and Orlando, Florida, from next summer.
The cyber security arm of the US department of Homeland Security ordered all federal agencies to disconnect from SolarWinds’ Orion platform, which is used by IT departments to monitor and manage their networks and systems.
It has been clear for some months that Aer Lingus was considering offering transatlantic services from Britain. Some airline industry observers dismissed this as the company firing a shot across the Government’s bows in an effort to get it to ease tough Covid-19 travel restrictions.
FireEye, a leading cyber security firm which said it had fallen victim to the hack last week, said it had already found “numerous” other victims including “government, consulting, technology, telecom and extractive entities in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East
However, seeking slots in Manchester Airport, which has had the space since Thomas Cook’s collapse last year, and setting up a UK subsidiary, which then applies for British airline licences and a US foreign carrier’s permit, are statements of intent, not warning shots.
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FOODS
Including 15 foods a day in your diet is a big ask if you’re unaccustomed to eating this way. But it may be worth the effort because, according to science, these foods have the power to prevent disease, improve your health and ensure that you live to a good old age. We’ve compiled this list to offer you the science behind the foods that you should eat. Even if you don’t manage all fifteen of these foods every day, you could include these superfoods a few at a time in your everyday meal routines.
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RED OR PURPLE BERRIES
strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, goji, acai In recent years, 500 researchers, resident in 50 countries, have been studying the greatest risk factors when it comes to illness and death. The conclusion of the biggest study of its kind is that in the United States the biggest risk factor for disease and death is diet. According to the study, one of the main causes of diet related disease was a lack of fruit, and more particularly berries, in the diet. Berries are blessed by their colour which bestows on them very high levels of antioxidants. Only spices have higher levels of these powerful nutrients. The American Cancer Society found in a study of almost 100,000 people of both sexes that people who consumed the most berries were the least likely to perish as a result of cardiovascular disease.
NUTS
walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, pecans, cashews, macadamias, almonds, brazils
Nuts improve arterial function. This is because they lower the levels of LDL, the bad cholesterol in the body. They also reduce blood sugar and oxidation. This is why a few grams of nuts eaten every day can reduce your risk of diabetes and heart disease, both chronic health problems suffered by hundreds of thousands of people. Nuts are high in fat, and yet, research shows that eating nuts daily will not result in weight gain, but rather in a loss of weight.
BEANS
kidney beans, soybeans /edamame, split peas, black beans, lentils, chickpeas According to global research, the biggest predictor of survival amongst older people is the inclusion of legumes or beans in the daily diet. It doesn’t matter what form of beans you prefer, for every two tablespoons of beans eaten daily, the risk of death reduces by 8%. Soybeans and foods made from soybeans are linked to a reduced risk of prostate and breast cancel. The active compound is phytoestrogen which the beans contain in large amounts. This compound works by obstructing the body’s access to oestrogen. In so doing, it alleviates symptoms brought on by factors such as the dairy consumption, hormonal changes and weight gain.
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CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES turnip greens, broccoli, horseradish, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, bok choy, radishes, arugula Cruciferous vegetables contain an active ingredient that confers on these plants powerful disease fighting abilities. Sulforaphane preserves our sight, protects our brain and reduces free radicals and pollutants in the body. It can also help to prevent cancer. The problem is that the sulforaphane is destroyed by heat, so to get your daily dosage of this magical compound, you have to eat the vegetables raw. There is one way to overcome this problem. Chop your vegetables into smaller pieces and then leave them standing for three quarters of an hour, before cooking them. 45 minutes is all the time the vegetables need to retain the sulforaphane, offering you the same nutritional value as the raw alternative.
MILLED FLAXSEED
According to a 2013 study, ground flaxseed offers more control of high blood pressure than any other food ever tested. Just a few tablespoons a day have the power to reduce blood pressure and the risk of stroke two to three times more than daily aerobic exercise. The best way to ingest flaxseed is to bake it into bread or add it to your smoothies. We’re not suggesting that you should reduce your exercise regime but it’s nice to know that flaxseed can improve your health when added to your daily diet.
OTHER SEEDS
pumpkin seeds, fennel seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, hemp seeds All seeds are packed with omega-3 fats and contain plenty of fibre. They are also easy to add to your meal without changing the flavour in a significant way. Chai seeds are particularly potent when eaten with a meal or just after. They regulate blood sugar and reduce the presence of inflammatory chemicals.
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WHOLE GRAINS
Whole-grains form an essential part of a healthy diet. The best way to enjoy your daily carbs is to include whole grains in your diet. This food group is essential to the healthy development and preservation of gut flora.
whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, quinoa, barley, oats, popcorn, wild rice, millet
The colon breaks down the fibre and starts a reaction that releases the nutrients into the blood. This process reduces the risk of inflammation and Type 2 diabetes.
DATES Dates have an astonishingly high sugar level. 80% of the weight of the date is pure sugar. By comparison cake frosting is just 60% sugar and maple syrup 66%. Despite this, dates won’t dramatically increase the sugar levels in the blood. In fact, dates are known to reduce antioxidant stress and improve the level of triglyceride in the blood. Dates are full of polyphenols and dietary fibre so they support good gut health through the creation of prebiotics. Eat 3 to 10 dates a day to satisfy your sweet tooth and boost your energy.
LEAFY VEGETABLES
(swiss chard, collard greens, spinach, lettuce, other salad greens
Research has shown that people who include more leafy vegetables in their daily diets improve their cognitive performance and slow down the aging in the brain. As we grow older there is a significant drop in the flow of blood to the brain caused, in all likeliness, by a reduction on the production of nitric oxide. This reduction in flow means that the blood vessels don’t dilate as well as they should. Vegetables such as spinach and lettuce are rich in nitrates. So, including them in your daily diet could help to prevent or delay the onset of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.
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SPICES
coriander, nutmeg, chilis, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, saffron, ginger On average, people have damaged DNA in around 7% of the cells in their bodies. The damage happens when strands of DNA suffer tiny tears. The causes of the tears are many and varied, but one important cause is the presence of free radicals. Free radicals cause mutations. They also cause major damage to the proteins, lipids and DNA in the cells. This damage can lead to cancer and disease. You can’t avoid free radicals because they are a by-product of metabolism in the cells. You can, however, protect yourself by eating food that contains anti-oxidants. Herbs, such as ginger and rosemary, and a wide range of spices can reduce the damage to DNA by a quarter. Research has shown that turmeric, even in small amounts, can make big inroads in the reduction of damage inflicted on the DNA. With other spices you may need a little more to have the same effect in the fight against free radicals.
FERMENTED FOODS sauerkraut, plant-based kefir, tempeh, kombucha
Probiotics that support the gut microbiome form an essential part of good health. Fermented foods contain these probiotics and should, therefore form part of your daily diet. Probiotics help to maintain the balance between good and bad bacteria in our digestive tracts. Fermented vegetables and fruit contain a higher volume of vitamins and increased antioxidant potential. This makes them powerful disease prevention tools.
WATER You may not consider water a food, but it is essential to life and may be the single most important element in your daily diet. Studies have shown that people who consume at least five glasses of water every day were half as likely to die of heart disease as those who drink two glasses of water or less. All life requires water. Drink enough of it and you’ll improve your skin tone and mental health, increase your energy and improve digestion. Water has major health benefits, not least of all in preventing obesity.
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VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT
Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin. Without it your cells can’t metabolise nutrients. Because there is insufficient B12 in our agricultural soil many people are vitamin B12 deficient. Your body can’t make vitamin B12 and it also can’t store it for very long. The only source of vitamin B12 is animal-based foods, so if you’re not getting enough of these products in your diet, it may be time to take a supplement. Vitamin B12 is water soluble so you can’t overdose on it.
SEA VEGETABLE nori, seaweed, dulse flakes
Breast cancers require oestrogen to grow. Studies have shown that seaweed in the diet of rats reduces the amount of oestrogen in the blood stream. This may be the science behind a population study that showed that women who ate just one sheet of nori every day reduced by more than half their chance of developing breast cancer. Seaweed contains phytonutrients that you won’t get from any other source. It’s so easy to eat. Just crumble some nori over your salads or soup and ensure that you get all the nutrients you need to stay healthy.
GREEN TEA Actually, it’s not just green tea that is good for you. All teas have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, and stroke. Of them all green tea takes the prize for its health benefits and the levels of antioxidants that it contains. As well as reducing the amount of damage caused by free radicals in DNA, green tea is also credited with inhibiting the growth of cancerous cells from early development through the spread of the cancer. Look after your health by starting the day with a relaxing cup of green tea.
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As travel restrictions and stay at home advice make it more difficult to meet face to face, virtual job interviews have become another part of the new reality. The remote interview is a new experience for many work seekers, but it’s a practice that’s likely to be with us into the foreseeable future. It is therefore worth coming to grips with the best ways to conduct the virtual interview. It is not just the candidate that must come to grips with the virtual interview, many employers are also experiencing the process for the first time. Remote interviews may add to the applicant’s nervous tension ahead of the interview, but the employer must deal with increased complexity in preparing for the interview. Virtual job interviews are not easy for either the candidate or the employer, but you can make it easier. Here’s how:
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Before the interview, go through the CV and prepare your questions. These should include questions that test the candidate’s handling of various circumstance and their emotional responses to situations. Using a similar list of questions for all candidates will allow you to draw a comparison between the various candidates and may help with the final decision on the outcome.
Familiarise yourself with the technology
Preparing for the appointment is all-important. Set yourself up so that the light exposes your facial features, rather than putting you in silhouette. The candidate must be able to connect with you and this can only happen if they can clearly see your facial expressions. For effective communication make sure that the camera is at eye level. If you haven’t used your video conferencing equipment do a trial run and make sure that you know how to use it.
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Allow the candidate to do most of the talking
It is essential that you refrain from butting in with online communication allowing the other person to complete their discussion. The golden rule is to WAIT (why am I talking?). Online, the whole discussion will fall apart when people start to talk over one another. Pause at the end of the candidate’s discussion before you ask your next question. Engage in active listening. Keep notes about the discussion, and if the candidate permits it, make a recording.
Inform the candidate of what to expect
Make sure that the candidate knows how to connect to the interview. Inform them of who will attend and give them a rundown of what they can expect. If you have asked them to make a presentation ensure that they can share the presentation and inform them of the time limits that you have set.
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Make sure that you’re prepared to meet the candidate
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Make sure that the candidate is as relaxed as possible
Allow for a free flow of conversation
A good interview isn’t just about ticking off questions, it’s about actively listening and then asking additional questions that flow from the answers. This tactic can take you down avenues that you wouldn’t otherwise have ventured into. It can help you get interesting insights into the behaviour and character of the candidate. The purpose of the interview is, after all, not only to find out about the experience, skills and competencies of the candidate but to ensure that they’ll make a good fit with the rest of the team.
Before you launch into the interview, make small talk about general, neutral topics. Introduce yourself with a friendly smile in the same way you would if you were in a room together. To get the most out of the interview your candidate should be as calm and comfortable as possible.
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4 15 IDEAS
CUT THE SUGAR FROM YOUR DIET I am not suggesting that it’s time to cut carbs, but sugar contains empty calories. It has no nutritional value. It’s addictive and, simply put, It’s bad for your health. Cutting out, or at least, reducing your sugar intake has the power to reduce health problems by as much as 95%. When you reduce your sugar intake, you’ll have more energy, you’ll lose weight and you’ll overcome the glucose spikes that cause the ups and downs on the energy scale.
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FOR CHANGING YOUR LIFE STARTING TODAY
KEEP A JOURNAL
START A BUSINESS ON THE SIDE
Some of history’s most successful people from all walks of life have kept journals. These include Winston Churchill, Thomas Edison, Marie Curie and Ernest Hemmingway. Journaling will help you to discover your core values, keep your emotions in check and order your thoughts allowing you to determine what you really want to make of your life. `As your life and business become more challenging so you’ll find that journaling will help you to understand how your mind works. I’ve kept a journal for years, but it took just six months for journaling to transform my life.
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Even if you have no intention of starting your own empire, a side hustle has many benefits. You become flexible. You start to understand what’s possible and if all goes well, you’ll make some extra money so you can buy a few of life’s luxuries. Getting a small side hustle off the ground will teach you more about yourself than almost anything else you may embark upon.
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MAKE AN INVESTMENT IN YOUR COMMUNITY
START A BLOG
Support local events. Buy local produce. Do some volunteer work in your community. Buy local arts and crafts. In a globalized world it pays to become more focused on your community. In so doing you’ll feel more connected to the community and you’ll feel a sense of pride as you see the community growing and thriving.
Develop your writing skills. This skill is a supreme power that will help you to share your accomplishments, views and ideas with others. It allows others to engage with you. It will offer you a way to connect with clients, employees and friends allowing them to see what makes you tick. Writing will also help you to understand yourself and discover how you connect with the world at large.
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ACCEPT YOUR REALITY
DEVELOP A HOBBY
We spend our lives worrying about the future or beating ourselves up about the mistakes that we’ve made in the past. This leaves us with very little time to live the in the present. We’re constantly thinking about the lives we wish we had. Until we accept where we are, we can never change where we are going. Take stock of your life. Set the baseline and then set a date to start working on new goals for the future. Only when you know where you are and where you want to be, can you develop the road map to the future reality that you want.
If you find life a little boring, others probably find you boring too. A hobby has the power to transform your boring life into an interesting reality. Hobbies also have the power to make you more interesting as you are able to talk with enthusiasm about that thing that you do for the pure joy of it. A hobby also offers a refuge at times when life becomes that little bit overwhelming.
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BE MINDFUL
GIVE UP ON THE NEWS
Daily meditation along with journaling are the keys to staying grounded and ensuring that you don’t become overwhelmed. It will help you to understand where your thoughts are and can ensure clarity in decision making. Meditation provides the energy you need to make each day a success. Over time meditation will help you to identify which thoughts you can trust and which you should discard. As you improve, meditation will help you to quickly process your emotions and you’ll become more productive, more present and more free.
There is so much fake news out there, that it really isn’t worth poisoning your mind with the propaganda that comes forth from the news agencies. The news that you see online, in the papers and on the television is no longer a real. Work on enjoying your life and being productive and leave the political debates and outraged arguments to other.
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FIND SOMEONE TO MENTOR
START THE DAY WITH A ROUTINE
Almost everyone has something that they can teach another. When you teach someone, you learn so much yourself. Guiding others is rewarding and can give you meaning in life. Explore the ways that you can help from writing content to shooting videos or guiding someone through a difficult phase of life. Whatever you choose to do both you and your mentee will benefit.
The aim of a morning routine should be to achieve an objective. There is no point in starting a routine for the sake of it. You may, for example, need time to write your blogs or journals. The early morning can offer your that peaceful time to connect with your inner self. If you’re not used to rising early, you may want to make this a part of your morning routine. The early morning, when most others are sleeping, is also the perfect time for mindfulness meditation.
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HIRE A COACH
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Just make sure that you find the right one. There are some great coaches out there but there are also some disasters. The right coach can change your life forever. A good coach will help you to think straight so that you can see the bigger picture. They will help you to learn faster so that you can quickly enjoy the benefits. All the information that you need to change your life is readily available and you don’t have to pay anyone to do it, but few people can do this unaided. Find the coach that you need whether it’s a fitness, writing or life coach, a good one can change your life. If your life isn’t quite what you want it to be, you may need help.
DO SOMETHING SCARY
It’s time to break out and face your demons. Consider the problems that you have been unwilling to face and make a conscious decision to face those issues head-on. Few problems go away on their own. You’ll feel liberated when you face off those issues that produce the most anxiety for you.
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CHECK YOURSELF
USE YOUTUBE TO HOW TO DO THINGS
One of the reasons that we fail is that we are not always honest with ourselves. We frequently rationalize and make excuses for why we find ourselves where we are. This is where journaling really comes into its own. Use it to understand your strengths and weaknesses and to allocate responsibility. It is also useful to examine when you’re being honest with yourself and what needs to change. It’s not always easy being honest. It can be painful, but as the saying goes “the truth will set you free”.
Anything you want to do is spelt out in detail on YouTube. From cooking a great meal to fixing your computer, starting a business to dressmaking it’s all there on YouTube. When you start to use YouTube instructions you will begin to understand that you can do anything you choose without the benefit of a formal education. This can change your mind set and put you on the path to upward mobility.
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YOUR YOU CAN ACHIEVE HIGHER-LEVEL THINKING
And produce results you didn’t think you were capable of. Your brain is like your home. If there’s garbage everywhere, you will feel stressed and function at a drastically lower level. Higher-level thinking looks like this: • Your brain comes up with ideas. A few of them are good. • You can access effortless levels of creativity helpful if you’re a writer, an entrepreneur, musician, comedian, or actor. • You don’t walk around with huge levels of brain fog that clouds your sense of judgment. When your brain is cluttered, you blow up at every tiny thing. You need a clear mind to achieve extraordinary results.
First, let’s toss out the mess from your brain: 18
What you can’t control There’s a lot in your life you can’t control. The fastest way to clutter your brain with B.S. is to think a lot about what you can’t control. A question to change your life: “What are you going to do about it?” This question acts as a pattern interrupt. You break up the story of that which you can’t control when you force yourself to take personal responsibility. What you can’t control directs you when you let it.
Junk food for your brain Anger and frustration are junk food for your brain. They don’t get you anywhere. Turn anger and frustration into action. Don’t worry about revenge — focus on results. Results make anger look stupid, rather than you.
People-centric thinking Thinking about people is low-level thinking. Your brain is smarter when you focus on ideas. Humans are a messed up species and critiquing them is hilarious when you think deeply about it. You really want people to act the right way, be kind, respect your views, be generous towards you, believe the same as you, get on with everybody? Seriously, this is an immature view of the world. Don’t worry about judging people. This is brain clutter. Change yourself to change the world.
Money driven obsessions Money is an obsession. When you think money will solve all your problems you mess up your potential. Money solves nothing. America has lots of money. Do they have many problems these days? The time you spend thinking about money can be better utilized.
De-clutter The clutter you hoard takes up space in your physical world. Try to think clearly while you’re standing in the middle of a rubbish dump that smells like a public toilet. You can’t. Inspirational thoughts that drive you towards action aren’t going to happen when you are surrounding are cluttered be it the office or home. Discarding of old stuff declutters your mind.
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KEVIN O’BOYLE
GER FITZPATRICK
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND GENERAL MANAGER OF UNIQUE FINANCIAL SERVICES LTD.
Kevin started his career with New Ireland Direct Sales and went on, in 1995, to join FBD Life & Pensions Ltd. Following on from his FBD employment, he joined Unique Financial Services Ltd. Kevin was appointed Managing Director of Unique Financial Services in December 2017. During Kevin’s employment with FBD Life & Pensions, he developed very strong relationships in the Farming and Business sectors and is very grateful for the support he has received over the years. Kevin specialises in providing advice on Pensions, Investment and Protection products in a clear and easy to understand manner. He always places his clients in the centre of all discussions. Contact Kevin
FINANCIAL ADVISOR
Ger Fitzpatrick is a Qualified Financial Advisor employed by Unique Financial Services. Ger has gained vast experience in the Financial Services Industry over the past number of years. He has worked with Industry leaders such as Irish Life, Standard Life and FBD Life & Pensions. In his role with Unique Financial Services, Ger specializes in providing advice on Pension, Investment & Protection Products in the North-Western area of the country, covering the areas of Sligo, Roscommon, Leitrim and Donegal Contact Ger
kevin@uniquefs.ie
ger@uniquefs.ie
091 877481
086 2252767
086 2424492
MAIREAD HEAVEY HEAD ADMINISTRATOR
Mairead Heavy is Head Administrator at Unique Financial Services. Mairead has a number of years experience in the Financial Services Industry. She was employed by Ulster Bank for over 20 years, carrying out various roles during her employment with them. In her role with Unique Financial Services, Mairead ensures that the office is operated in an efficient and friendly manner. Contact Mairead
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MATTHEW O’BOYLE ADMINISTRATION AND IT
Matthew has been employed with UFS since 2016. A deft hand with computers and tech, Matthew runs the IT side of Unique Financial Services. Matthew manages the company website, social media accounts and does miscellaneous office work. When not working with UFS, Matthew is also enrolled in the National University of Ireland Galway and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Information Systems.
Contact Matthew
mairead@uniquefs.ie
matthew@uniquefs.ie
091 877481
091 877481
RANGE OF SERVICES PROTECTION
SAVINGS & INVESTMENT
•• •• •• ••
•• •• •• ••
Term Insurance Serious Illness Income Protection Life Cover with Tax Relief (Section 785) •• Group Income Protection •• Group Death in Service
SPECIALIST ADVICE •• •• •• •• •• ••
PENSIONS •• Personal Pensions (for the Self Employed) •• PRSAs •• Executive Pensions (for company directors) •• Self-Administered Pensions •• Self-Directed Pensions •• Group Occupational Pension Schemes
The Livestock Mart, Athenry, Co. Galway
Lump Sum Investments Bonds Structured Products Savings Plans
Business Protection Partnership Insurance Inheritance Tax Relief and Estate Planning Financial Services for Cohabiting Couples Pension Adjustment Orders Employee Benefit Schemes
DEPOSITS •• Fixed Term Accounts •• Easy Access Accounts
uniquefs.ie info@uniquefs.ie 091 877481
Unique Financial Services Ltd is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.