Podcasts · Informed Decisions: Ireland's Independent Retirement Planning Podcast

Financial Advisor Commissions in Ireland: What Are You Actually Paying?

23 Mar 2026 · 31 min

Most people with significant pension assets have no real idea what their financial advisor earns from their money. Not because the information is illegal to share — it isn't — but because the system is designed in a way that makes it genuinely difficult to see.

In this episode, Paddy looks at how commission structures work in Irish financial advice, why the difference between a percentage and a euro figure matters enormously, and what a truly transparent client-advisor relationship should actually look like.

Key points covered:

• How initial and trail commissions work on Irish ARFs, pensions and investment products — and what those percentages look like when converted into real euro figures • Why the structure of commission-based advice creates a conflict of interest that isn't malicious, but is very real • The difference between a suitability standard and a fiduciary duty — and why that distinction could be worth a significant amount of money to you • A real client story: a couple who were being advised to keep working and keep contributing, when in fact they already had enough to retire comfortably • What good transparency would actually look like — and the three questions every investor should be asking their advisor right now

I hope it helps.

The episode on the publisher’s site ↗ (opens in a new tab)