The most recent increase in the State Pension (Contributory) that came into effect in March of this year, means that those in receipt of the maximum rate of this payment (€248.30 per week) will have an annual guaranteed income which is in excess of the Revenue’s definition of specified guaranteed income (€12,700).

As a result, future retiree’s that have reached State Pension Age (currently age 66) and are in receipt of the maximum rate of State Pension (Contributory), will no longer be required to purchase an Approved Minimum Retirement Fund (AMRF). Should those individuals choose the “ARF” option, then all residual funds they have after taking their pension lump sum can be used to buy an Approved Retirement Fund (ARF).

For more information on the impacts of this increase please read our full TechTalk below.

Financial Health Check launched
 
 

Our new Financial Health Check prospecting tool and customer report, exclusively available for use by Financial Brokers and Advisors, has launched.
 
 
 
New Zurich bank details
 
 

On February 10th our Ulster bank accounts closed. Please ensure no further payments are issued to this account. Full details of our new accounts can be found below. 
 
 
 
Navigate the Zurich Broker Centre with ease
 
 

Last week's webinar pulled together lots of hints and tips that will make your life easier – from navigating your way through a client's policy information, finding the useful underwriting and claims forms, through to running a pre-sales or customer update report. View on catch up below. 
 
 
 
Latest investment podcast
 
 

In this investment podcast recorded on February 8th 2023, we speak about recent market movements and Zurich Investments current positioning and outlook. This month we also speak about Responsible Investment, what it is and what Zurich in Ireland is doing in the area of Responsible Investment.
 
 
 
Protection Promotions extended
 
 

We're delighted to announce the extension of all our protection discounts to 31 March.
 
 
 
Zurich Phone line - Prompt Change
 
 

Please note, we have made a change to our automatic phone message when calling our operations teams. Option 1 will direct you to your Service Team and Option 2 will direct you to a New Business Risk Agent. 
 
 
 
Temporary fund closure: The Zurich Property Fund
 
 

From Friday 17 February 2023, Zurich Life is imposing a temporary suspension on withdrawals from the Zurich Property Fund. There is no specific time limit on this suspension. Regular and single premium investments and switches into the Zurich Property Fund are also suspended. This decision has been made with the best interests of our customers in mind, and to help meet their reasonable expectations.
 
 
 
Cooking up retirement plans one pastry at a time
 
 

How one savvy business owner made his dough rise by making all the right moves for a secure post-work life. This article is an Irish Times Content Studio production.