Problems with purchases cost people almost €1bn a year

Faulty goods or services cost people almost €1 billion a year while about 1.6 million adults have problems with something they bought over the last 12 months, says a new study. According to State watchdog, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), 39 per cent of people told a survey that they had complaints about something they bought, costing them money, time or stress. Barry O’Halloran has the details.

If working from home is linked with lower wage growth, higher productivity and happier staff, why is a chief executive such as UPS’s Carole Tome ordering staff back to the office five days a week from early next month, wonders Pilita Clark in her Monday column.

US healthcare giant, Carelon, is hiring a further 100 workers for its Irish research and development (R&D) base in Limerick, the company has confirmed. Carelon Global Solutions, part of the US group, opened in the Republic in 2021 and now employs more than 200 people. Barry O’Halloran reports.

“When I started presenting radio programmes full-time, I spent several thousand euro getting my teeth fixed. The ones at the front were fairly crooked, so I needed an assortment of crowns and bridges. It was an extravagance because I didn’t need to get it done, but I’m very glad that I did,” broadcaster and author Rachael English tells Me & My Money.

Sleep and rest are not the same and failure to address both can increase risk of burnout

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Extend EV grant to second-hand purchases, says PwC

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Card data suggests it’s not all doom and gloom in the hospitality sector

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Latest euro zone inflation figures suggest ECB will move slowly on rates

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A group at Munster Technological University are seeking business owners and advisers to take part in a new €1.6 million international project to help SMEs implement effective sustainability measures. Ellen O’Regan reports.

“My father, who had a full stamp record, died 25 years ago. My 94-year-old mother has been getting a reduced State pension, as she worked part-time for most of her working life. Should she have been transferred on to the widow’s pension when my father died? And if she should have been, can it be backdated?” Dominic Coyle tackles your personal finance questions.

The blowback against Web Summit chief executive Paddy Cosgrave for a series of tweets criticising Israeli actions in Gaza last October – he accused Tel Aviv of “war crimes” – couldn’t have been swifter or more severe. Fast forward three months and the Irish Government, while not accusing Israel of war crimes, is arguably using even more emotive language in its condemnation of the country’s actions in Gaza. Could this trigger a corporate backlash against Ireland? ponders Eoin Burke-Kennedy.

Business management software specialist Intact plans to expand in the US after raising €17 million from AIB through a partnership with Goodbody Capital Partners, writes Barry O’Halloran. Dundalk-based Intact develops software that allows businesses to manage finance, stock, customer relationships, sales and other key areas. It has operations in the Republic, UK and US.

As we navigate the complexities of managing our businesses, expanding market influence, and overseeing costs, we often lose sight of the broader context in which we operate, live, and mutually support each other, writes Daryl Hanberry, head of tax and legal at Deloitte Ireland, in our weekly opinion slot.

Average residential property prices could increase by a further 5 per cent in 2024 despite the increased number of new builds last year with demand still comfortably outstripping supply, the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers has said. Emmet Malone reports.

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