Financial advice helps get savings on track

Michelle O' Donohoe is a clinical nurse specialist in mental health, working for the HSE. She is also a busy mum of three. Her eldest child is in transition year, and she has two little ones aged two and five.

When Michelle was due to go back to work after her third maternity leave, she started to think about balancing work and family life. She wanted to get her finances in order and find a way to ensure she wasn’t working just for the sake of paying childcare. Quality time at home with her children is very important to Michelle and her husband and they are acutely aware of the need to save money for their children’s futures, especially their education.

Initially, Michelle and her partner got in touch with a financial advisor and looked at their income and outgoings to see where they could save money.

They found the advice they got from a financial advisor really helpful, and it gave them the confidence to start saving both short and long term.

Their eldest will be in college in a few years, so they wanted something that matured just around the time he was starting college. They also wanted longer term investments for their younger children.

“It was nice to think that we could get the money to work a little bit better for us and we felt we were more secure to do that once we were advised on how we could do that,” Michelle explained.

Saving with Zurich

At Zurich we have a range of funds to suit whether you’re a regular saver, lump sum investor, or both. 

You can watch your savings grow over time by putting an amount away regularly in a Regular Savings Plan. Your savings are invested in a range of investment funds depending on your risk profile. 

The Investment Bond for lump sum investors is suitable if you have a lump sum of money to invest, such as an inheritance or existing savings. Your money can be invested in Zurich’s range of investment funds including the risk rated Prisma Funds. 

If you have a lump sum to invest and would like to continue to make regular contributions over time, Zurich’s Special Savings Plus plan offers you the best of both worlds. 

We also have an Investment Growth Calculator which will give you an idea of what your savings could grow to over a specific time and the funds you can invest in. 

You can choose the risk level of your funds. You can find funds with steady consistent growth, and funds that offer more potential for higher long-term gains. The higher the potential for growth however, the riskier the fund. Your investment can always go up or down. 

With careful management, you can build a portfolio of funds geared towards your goals. Because unlike a deposit account, you have control over how your money is invested and how hard you want it to work. 

Zurich investment performance 

Zurich has been meeting the financial needs of people in Ireland for over 40 years. Our track record speaks for itself. Over the past 10 years, our popular Prisma 3, 4 and 5 Funds have outperformed the market average and delivered positive returns*. 

Our investment team, based in Blackrock, Co. Dublin, is responsible for funds under management of approximately €39.6 billion**.  

The Investment Provider and Pension Provider Excellence Awards from Brokers Ireland, and the Fund Management Company of the Year at the Financial Services Awards in 2024 are just some of the recent awards we have won***. 

Receiving these awards is recognition of the strength of our investment products and shows the consistency of our strong investment performance, delivered by our in-house investment management team.  

Straightforward savings and investments

You might think that investing is complicated, but it is a lot more straightforward than you think. At Zurich we are here to help guide you on your journey so you can make the right decisions for you. Our beginners guide to investing can help you figure out how much you can afford to save, the investment options available and how to choose the right investment funds for you. 

Organising your investments might seem like a major task, so it’s easy to keep putting it off. But once you get started, you’ll find it is quite straightforward. Of course, you don’t have to do it alone. Sound advice is invaluable, so it’s a good idea to seek advice from a financial broker or advisor who can guide you through the process and help you select the right investment funds for your circumstances. 

Contact Zurich Find a broker in your local area Apply online for a regular savings plan

The information contained herein is based on Zurich's understanding of current Revenue practice as at 1st January 2025 and may change in the future.  

Michelle O'Donohoe was paid a gratuity for her time in making this video

Sources: 

*Zurich and MoneyMate, August 2024. Prisma 3 Fund has 3.7% annualised returns over 10 years, compared to a market average of 2.8%. Prisma 4 Fund has 7.2% annualised returns over 10 years, compared to a market average of 5.6%. Prisma 5 Fund has 10.2% annualised returns over 10 years, compared to a market average of 8.0%. The constituents of the Market Average are multi-asset funds available from Life Company peers in the Irish market (Irish Life Assurance Company, Standard Life Assurance Company, New Ireland, Aviva), which target a similar level of volatility to Prisma 4. Where a provider has multiple fund ranges we use the most prominent, and where risk targeting methodologies differ we seek to use the most comparable fund. All unit price information is sourced from Fund Focus Performance figures and based on close of markets prices 31/07/2024, based on best available information. Annual management fees apply. Returns are based on offer to offer performance and do not represent the return achieved by individual policies linked to the funds. 

**Zurich, 30th September 2024. 

***Investment Excellence Award, Brokers Ireland, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014.No awards held in 2020. Pension Provider Excellence Award, Brokers Ireland, 2024, 2023, 2022. Fund Management Company of the Year 2024 Award, Business and Finance Financial Services Awards. Life Assurance and Pensions of the Year, InBUSINESS Recognition Awards, 2024.