Informed Decisions are one of Ireland’s only remaining independent financial advice firms. We specialise in retirement & investment planning for successful individuals, so that our clients only have to retire once.
Retire successfully with Informed Decisions.
November 10, 2025
Through flat fees, hourly rates, or asset-based percentages. Fee-based advisors are usually more transparent.
You’ve probably wondered: what does financial advice actually cost in Ireland, and is it worth it?
Indeed, many people are also probably wondering if they are actually paying for advice, who may or may not be getting any!?
Many professionals in their 50s ask that question when they start thinking about retiring, reducing hours, or simply getting their finances in order. They may have accumulated assets through their careers, may or may not have had an advisor during that time, but are now considering the need as they plan their next chapter.
At Informed Decisions, we believe clarity beats guesswork. So let’s break down what you pay, what you get, and how to know if you’re getting real value.
What you’ll learn:
• Typical fees Irish advisors and providers charge
• What clients (should) get for those fees
• Whether advice adds measurable value to clients
• How to tell if advice is independent and worth paying for
• How to find a professional and transparent advisor
There’s no fixed price tag, but most advisors in Ireland charge in one of three ways.
Lets imagine you seek a Financial Planning firm to help you figure out what you should or could be doing with your financial assets, incomes, tax planning etc.
First step should be the creation of your own Financial Plan.
Some firms will do this for free. If so, this usually indicates a few things:
1) They'll need to sell you a follow-on financial product to cover their costs of that plan (there is no free lunch!)
2) They are commission-based advisors
3) The 'plan' may result in a recommendation which may or may not be optimal for your situation (though may still be 'suitable'/not awful!)
4) The 'plan' may not be as deep or detailed and holistic as you seek
Alternatively (and ideally!) there are a growing number of actual Financial Planning firms, where they focus on real Financial Planning. They offer a fee-based service for either initial Financial Planning or for on-going financial advice over the long-term.
They are professional Financial Planners and put huge skill, effort and onus on developing professional and helpful financial plans for clients.
And while the activity of financial planning (cashflow analysis, income and draw-down planning etc.) is not an activity that Central Bank of Ireland oversee, it is an activity that many of these firms do with great care and responsibility.
Some firms therefore will not do a Financial Plan for free!
They will charge a fee of anywhere from €1,000 to €10,000, depending on the complexity, the firm and the model. This usually indicates a few things:
1) The firm will get paid a fee for developing your plan, without introducing or selling a product
2) A product may or may not be recommended on the back of it
3) If your current approaches with regards pension/investment strategy is not optimal, an alternative may be recommended, and if it is optimal, should be no alternative recommended
4) You should get the clarity, input and advice you wanted via a professional and detailed personal Financial Plan, outlining exactly what you could or should do!
Important to note that majority of these firms that do real Financial Planning can and will also sell you an investment or pension in return for commissions from insurance company. So they'll charge you for a Plan and then get paid commissions when/if they set up a product for you and receive on-going commissions for as long as you keep that product with them. This can dilute the impartiality of the service and advice in some clients' eyes.
A fee-only Financial Planning firm on the other hand can do both but will not receive commissions. A fee only firm can and will do the initial Financial Planning (for a fee), and help you clarify where you are heading. They may also then set up a new pension or investment structure for you (for a fee), and support you into the future. The difference here is that a fee-only firm will receive zero commissions or hidden remuneration - they only get paid what you and they have agreed as a professional service fee. This is how Informed Decisions Financial Planning operates, as we believe it offers greater transparency, ethic and value for all.
The vast preponderance (what a word!) of financial advice in Ireland is incorporated and linked to a product such as an investment or pension.
If you want to buy a pension or invest in a product but do not want any on-going support, you may be able to source an 'execution only' advice firm to enable you to do this.
They will typically receive an Initial Commission from the insurance company (Irish Life, Zurich, Aviva, New Ireland etc) - the cost of which will be built into the fees that are deducted from your scheme units over the years. They will also often include an on-going commission via the product.
Alternatively, if you go to any Broker, Bank or majority of Financial Planning firms, they'll set you up with a pension or investment product.
They will get an Initial Commission and most often an on-going trail commission - which again, you pay for via internal unit costs within the product. All adding to the equivalent annual % fees.
If you ask for clarity on what the 'intermediary commission' is on a particular product, they should outline any Initial Commission as well as any 'Trail Commission' they (the broker/bank/firm) receive. You also want to know what the product cost is (the fees the pension/investment provider charge on the product itself).
In Ireland, as of 2025, we still have to rely on Key Investor Documents (only applicable and enforceable on insurance company Investment products, not pensions!).
Below are a selection of snippets from Investment product Key Investor Documents from the insurance company website of Standard Life, Aviva and Irish Life:
This Standard Life KID is from one of their regular savings products and shows total max costs to reduce your value by 2.5 to 3.6% per year when all costs are included (Government Levy, Financial Advice Commissions, Products and fund costs)
This above Aviva KID is from one of their lump sum investment products investing in an 80/20 fund, and shows total max costs to reduce your value by 2.4% per year when all costs are included (Government Levy, Financial Advice Commissions, Products and fund costs)
The above is from a KID Document from Irish Life if doing a lump sum investment via a particular broker, investing in an Adventurous portfolio. Again, over 2% when initial and on-going commissions, government levy and product costs are factored in.
So you'll see that advice costs are wrapped-up and combined in a rather opaque way with product costs when you buy an insurance-company pension or investment. It is the nature of the best, and how the cost of advice is paid. These are by no means the KIDs with the largest fees, and we still see an average all-in max fee of c2% per year via insurance company brokers.
If you compare these to say a total all-in fee of 1%-1.5% via a fee-only Financial Planning firm, which does not use insurance company products, the difference to an investors financial future can be quite stark!
Fee-only advice: you pay directly for transparent, product-agnostic advice.
Commission-based advice: the product provider pays your advisor, potentially influencing recommendations.
Fee-based benefits:
• Transparent pricing
• Fewer product conflicts
• You remain the client, not the product provider!
Commission drawbacks:
• Potential incentive bias, though many will try to not let that blur their recommendations
• Hidden or difficult to ascertain costs
• Harder to judge total value
If you’re seeking evidence-based financial planning, a fee-based model is usually the cleanest and most transparent route.
Paying for advice should bring more than paperwork and annual statements, it should bring confidence!
What you typically should receive from a quality financial advisor in Ireland:
• A clear plan aligned with your personal life goals, updated each year or so
• Pensions and investments structured for efficiency and aligned with goals and timeframes
• Guidance through market changes, regulation and tax updates
• Accountability from someone ensuring you follow through on living the life you can afford to!
• Behavioural coaching to stop emotional decisions with your portfolios and assets
Example:
John, aged 56, earning €160,000, wanted to retire by 60. He paid €5,000 for a detailed financial plan.
The plan showed he could retire at 58 by adjusting pension drawdown timing, optimising pension funding, switching to lower-cost approaches, and protecting assets in event of market turmoil. He saved roughly €10,000 in annual charges and gained two extra years of freedom!
That’s good value in anyone's books!?
Yes, especially for complex pensions and retirement plans. Ongoing guidance prevents drift, stress and poor timing decisions.
I'm biased to the 9th degree of course, but it seems it is! And not only for financial returns.
According to Vanguard’s 2025 “Advice Pays” survey,
Meanwhile, Vanguard’s 2022 “Value of Personalised Advice” report quantified the benefit:
A good advisor can add up to 3% per year in net returns through tax planning, behavioural guidance, and disciplined portfolio management.
That’s is measured across real investors and their real-world outcomes. So when you consider the cost of financial advice, remember that good advice can pay for itself several times over in euros, confidence, and time.
As I heard one time; 'Cost' is questioned only when 'value' is in doubt!
Not all advisors are the same, as you'll know by now!
A good place to start is to have a meeting with at least 3 different firms or providers.
Get a sense of who they are and what they are about. Ask these questions:
A trustworthy advisor will answer every one of these directly.
If you get vague or defensive answers, move on.
How do financial advisors get paid?
Through flat fees, hourly rates, or asset-based percentages. Fee-based advisors are usually more transparent.
Is ongoing advice worth paying for?
Yes, especially for complex pensions and retirement plans. Ongoing guidance prevents drift, stress and poor timing decisions.
Can I claim advisor fees as a tax deduction?
Usually not, unless directly linked to generating taxable income or pension contributions.
Do advisors have to disclose commissions?
Yes. Irish regulation requires written disclosure before and after transactions.
How do I check if my advisor is regulated?
Search their name on the Central Bank of Ireland Register.
The cost of financial advice in Ireland depends on the model, but the value goes far beyond fees.
Independent advice offers measurable returns, behavioural discipline, and the peace of mind that your plan is built for you!
I hope this piece helps you to engage with your own financial advisor and to reap the rewards that are there to be enjoyed.
Paddy Delaney QFA RPA APA
The content of this site including blogs and podcasts is for information purposes only. Everybody’s financial situation is different and the content we share on our site and through podcasts may not be applicable to you.
The articles, blogs and podcasts are not investment advice. They do not take account of your individual circumstances, including your knowledge and experience and attitude to risk. Informed Decisions can’t be held responsible for the consequences if you pursue a course of action based on the information we share
Usually not, unless directly linked to generating taxable income or pension arrangements & contributions.
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Informed Decisions are one of Ireland’s only remaining independent financial advice firms. We specialise in retirement & investment planning for successful individuals, so that our clients only have to retire once.
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