After the 22 April IORP II deadline, thousands of Irish directors are now in a pension structure they didn't deliberately choose. Most transitioned from an executive pension to a Master Trust or a PRSA under time pressure. Few sat down to ask whether the resulting structure is actually the one that serves them best.

In this episode, Paddy walks through the PRSA versus Executive Pension / Master Trust decision in detail — funding mechanics, lump sum comparison, death benefit treatment, and the second decision most people never review: the investment mandate inside the structure.

The episode is anchored to an anonymised client story — a company director in his mid-60s who came to Informed Decisions in early 2023 with a €1.4m pension and one question. Less than three years later, with a different structure and a different investment mandate, that pension is worth over €2m. The estimated cost of taking the "safe" advice he was offered elsewhere: approximately €500,000 of growth.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

→  Why the IORP II deadline forced a structural decision under time pressure

→  How PRSA contribution rules changed in 2023 and 2025

→  When the Master Trust's salary-and-service formula beats the PRSA's 100 % cap

→  How the 1.5× salary lump sum compares to the PRSA's 25 % rule

→  Why the PRSA's uncapped death benefit can change estate planning

→  How the Standard Fund Threshold (€2.2m → €2.8m by 2029) affects strategy

→  Why de-risking at 65 doesn't fit modern Irish retirement timelines

Read the full blog post at www.informeddecisions.ie