Q Following a long overdue visit to my dentist, I have been told that I will need a lot of dental care over the next two years. Is it too late now to purchase dental coverage?
A Based on the details provided, it would be worth considering some type of dental coverage, according to Dermot Goode at TotalHealthCover.ie. DeCare Dental offers a range of plans to suit different budgets and the waiting times are minimal compared to private health insurance.
Checkups are covered immediately and basic dental treatments such as fillings and extractions are covered after three months, Goode said. More comprehensive treatments such as root canal and crowns have a 12 month waiting period.
He said you should contact the insurer and explain exactly what treatment is needed and that they will confirm the benefit payable, the cost of the plan and the relevant waiting periods, after which you can then decide if it is worth it. to join or not.
There are other dental coverage providers in the market as well, including Vhi, but Mr. Goode maintains that DeCare has the widest range of dental plans.
Q I have read articles on ethical investing and an ESG approach. What does this mean exactly?
A ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. For those seeking an investment strategy focused on responsible investing, ESG is among the fastest growing investment categories on the planet, according to Frank Conway, founder of financial wellness provider MoneyWhizz and qualified financial advisor.
Growing demand from investors means that not only do they want their investments to work for them personally, but they also want their investment choices to work for others, including the employees of the companies they invest in, the company. in general and the environment in general. ESG investing largely applies traditional financial analysis when evaluating an investment, explains Conway.
However, he then superimposes an additional screen on it; taking into account environmental, social and governance risks. In other words, investment potential is the first test while ESG factors are the second.
Thus, the ESG filter looks for the financial result to be delivered in the best way that meets the conditions of the workers, the protection of the environment, etc. In practical terms, using the example of an energy company that an investor may see as an investment option, their decision to invest can be influenced by a sharp shift by that company towards developing greener alternatives. .
A mutual fund manager would consider many emerging factors when looking for the best ESG options available, Conway added.
Q My employer enrolled me in the Temporary Wage Subsidy Program (TWSS) for six months in 2020, so I’m sure I now owe the income money. But I never filed an income tax return and never claimed medical expenses. I hope that one can compensate the other. If I owe a refund, will the tax authorities pay the refund and continue to collect TWSS over the next few years, or will they just use my refund to pay back what I owe?
A It all depends on the order in which the returns are filed, according to Marian Ryan, commodity tax manager at Taxback.com.
Unless Revenue decides to review your 2020 taxes at the same time as your 2017-2019 returns, which is extremely unlikely, if you have a refund in each or any of the years 2017, 2018, 2019, and an underpayment in 2020 you have two options, she says.
First, file your 2020 return first to confirm the underpayment.
Then file for the years 2017-2019, which should lead to overpayments. Since the 2020 underpayment is confirmed online, Revenue will then offset the 2017-2019 refunds against the 2020 liability to reduce or clear the underpayment.
Alternatively, you can file the 2017-2019 returns first and wait to receive any refunds due, after which you can submit a return for 2020, which may result in an underpayment.
The income will then reduce your personal tax credits over the years 2022-2026 to recover the underpayment. As you wish. Some people prefer to get the refund now and gradually pay off the obligation over a longer period of time, while others would like to pay off the tax obligation as soon as possible.
