I recently came across a post by a money influencer Ann-Marie Gaynor, who goes by @Irishbudgetingmammy on Instagram. Against a typical hectic morning scene where a mother feeds one child while line managing another, a curling pink script reads “62 per cent of Irish women aged 30 to 50 handle the family finances alone. Only 18 per cent of women are investing.”

I thought of this figure when details of Simon Harris’s new personal investment account (PIA) were floated in February – and subsequently announced again and again in the run up to Budget 2027. Now we finally have the details. The Government scheme aims to encourage citizens to invest their savings. Many of us are excellent savers, it turns out; there is currently nearly €175 billion sitting idle in deposits.

We’re less confident when it comes to navigating the market: as things stand, just 2.3 per cent of Irish households’ financial assets are held in shares, bonds and other securities.

The new scheme will allow citizens to invest idle wealth in listed shares, bonds, ETFs and other retail funds (cryptocurrencies and derivatives will not be included). There will be no minimum contribution or lock-in period, but deposits will be capped at €12,000 annually. The accounts will have a tax-free threshold of €50,000. Above that, the Government plans to apply a flat annual charge of 1 per cent based on the value of the account, rather than taxing each capital gain or dividend separately. The accounts are due to launch on July 1st, 2027.

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As another financial behavioural incentive, the obvious parallel is with the Special Savings........

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