Goodbody Stockbrokers has dramatically upgraded its growth forecasts for the Irish economy this year to 5.5pc from a previous forecast of 4.3pc.

he stockbroking firm said Ireland is experiencing its most promising economic expansion since the 1990s.

Almost half of Irish businesses have either automated some of their business functions or intend to do so over the next year, according to new research.

The Grant Thornton International Business Report also found that the rate of automation in Ireland, at 48pc, was slightly behind the global average of 55pc.

The international survey of almost 2,600 senior executives, such as chairmen and managing directors, was conducted during February.

A …

A €5m equity fund has been established by AIB to to assist start-up companies in the sustainable technologies sector.

CEO Bernard Byrne said AIB is committed to further developing support plans for green technologies because “there is a gap in the eco-system here.”

The government’s new bank is funnelling hundreds of millions into asset-backed loans.

The Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI), which was set up last year to provide low-cost loans to small businesses, has selected asset-backed finance for its next round of lending.

The SBCI works through third-party lenders, giving them money at low interest rates which are then passed on to SMEs. Half of its €800m fund has already been …

Ireland’s small business owners have reported their most positive outlook since the start of the recession, but are still hampered by lack of access to credit and red tape.

Irish business owners are positive about the outlook for their businesses for the first time in seven years with the vast majority expecting increased or steady profit levels, while a significant number expect to hire staff and increase wages this year.

Investing in your child can also mean ensuring they are looked after if you die.

Besides budgeting for essential things like childcare and day-to-day school costs and maybe a bigger car, many parents willingly spend hundreds – if not thousands – on extra-curricular activities, while also putting money aside for third-level college fees.

One in three Irish adults are unable to save because they have no spare cash.

And many of those who are saving feel they are not putting enough money aside, according to the Nationwide UK (Ireland) Savings Index.

No new investment after July 2008 qualifies for relief under Countrywide Refurbishment scheme.

Having inherited a house in very poor condition I had it refurbished and rented it out, claiming tax relief under the Countrywide Refurbishment Scheme. The relief is supposed to apply as 15 per cent.

There is every likelihood that homeowners will be hit with higher premiums for home insurance this year.

The insurers have their excuse in the form of higher costs for rebuilding a property in the event of a fire or some other catastrophe.

However, another reason your home insurance could be going up is to do with the motor side of insurers’ business, as firms try to make up for losses …

If you stand to inherit property or assets from parents but are worried about getting caught in the current inheritance tax ‘trap’, a life insurance policy might be an effective way to avoid paying the full whack.

Over the last few years, the Government has reduced the tax-free threshold for capital acquisitions tax (CAT) to €225,000 for people who stand to inherit assets when their parents die.

So if a …