When it comes to personal finance, I wouldn’t call myself an expert. In fact, in the grand scheme of things, I’m fairly clueless. But there are a few basics I’ve managed to get right, and one of them is starting a pension early.

Money was never a strange or shameful subject in my house growing up. My parents were comfortable, but not flashy. I didn’t go to private school, which in Ireland is hardly unusual, and while we were never rolling in it, there was no sense of secrecy around money. At the dinner table, it was as ordinary a topic as the weather.

By the time I was a teenager, I knew how much our house was worth, what my parents earned, how their pensions looked, and even the monthly cost of running the household. Not because they sat me down for spreadsheets and lectures, but because I asked questions and they always answered. For me, money has never been awkward or embarrassing – it’s simply part of life.

So when I left home at 18 for my first........

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