Help is at hand for overcoming financial phobias

Financial phobia sufferers never open bank statements, rarely check their current account balance and often ignore letters from financial institutions.

Money matters can induce feelings of guilt and anxiety, regardless of whether or not we are actually overspending and/or being ripped off.

The condition is often triggered by events seemingly beyond our control, like "sure bet" Eircom shares going down the toilet or insurance companies refusing to meet claims on the basis of spurious technicalities.

When consumers do not trust financial institutions, they adopt a "they're all as bad as each other" attitude.

But banks, building societies, insurance companies, brokers, estate agents and investment managers are not all as bad as each other. Some are definitely worse than others. Others go through good phases and bad phases.

Mortgages, for example, are a common financial product where consumers seem content to throw money away.

Borrowers frequently incur unnecessary mortgage interest debt because they don't stay on top of interest rate changes, according to Mr Ian Mitchell, managing director of Deloitte Pensions and Investments.

"Lenders frequently have good rate deals on offer, but don't have any requirement to inform existing customers about their existence - so the onus is really on the borrower to keep abreast of what's going on," says Mr Mitchell.

"General sloppiness" in checking bank statements means customers often don't discover errors in the fees they have been charged, he adds. Sometimes when people don't know what to do about their finances, they opt to do nothing at all.

"How often do you hear people say, 'I am embarrassed to talk about money'?" asks financial adviser Mr John Lowe of Providence Finance Services.

"There is less of a taboo talking about death than there is about money. I am sure that, at a subconscious level, fear has a great deal to do with irrational financial decision-making," Mr Lowe writes in his new book, The Money Doctor.

"Fear of making the wrong choice does indeed sometimes mean that opportunities are lost," says Mr Mitchell.

"This is why it's imperative to form a relationship of trust with an impartial and independent adviser who knows the market well."

But access to truly independent financial advisers is not always easy.

According to the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority (IFSRA), four out of every five consumers find it hard to get truly independent information on financial products, with 75 per cent finding written information on financial products too complicated and difficult to understand.

Many insurance brokers only receive commissions from a handful of companies and are thus more akin to salespeople than advisers.

And not everybody wants a guru to step in and take over: they just want simple answers to simple questions.

Such people can face their financial fears this weekend by visiting the Money Show at the RDS in Dublin.

The exhibition is the first to bring banks, investment firms, mortgage providers, pensions companies, auction houses and property experts together under one roof. Tickets cost €12.50 on the door.

It will feature an independent helpdesk staffed by financial advisers as well as a programme of seminars and question-and-answer sessions, according to the event director, Mr John McGlade.

Organisers are encouraging consumers who are worried that they are making all the wrong financial choices to bring along the evidence.

"Come along with your annual mortgage statement, come along with your insurance policy and ask the exhibitors, 'Is this a good deal? Can you do better for me?'" Mr McGlade recommends.

Meanwhile, for the rest of the year consumers can drop into IFSRA's information centre at College Green in Dublin. They can also visit its website at www.itsyourmoney.ie or ring its lo-call helpline on 1890 777 777.

Today, IFSRA is on the third day of its residency at Westside Library in Galway as part of its series of regional visits.

Staff are answering consumers' questions on financial products and services from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The regulator will then move on to Cork City Library, where it will be present from Wednesday November 17th, until Friday November 19th.