Chartered Financial Solutions

About Us

Chartered Financial Solutions (CFS) has been helping clients plan and achieve their financial goals since early 2005. We advise on over €200 million of pension and investment assets on behalf of a broad range of clients.

CFS is Mark Haskins and Shane Brennan, supported by the hard-working administration team, led by Kate Duffy as the operations manager.

Sadly, our other founding director, Justin Prendergast, passed away suddenly in 2015. Justin was an integral part of the successful growth of our business, and a great friend.

We’ve developed the business and travelled alongside our clients since the very beginning. CFS values long-term relationships with clients; we’re not interested in short-term transactions. It means consistency, continuity, and confidence in a professional approach, which will continue to be our key focus going forward. We are proud to confirm that many of our clients have been with us since 2005, a good testament to these aspirations.

Our fundamental goal is to provide first class impartial advice to retail clients and SMEs, and we are primarily active in the area of pension planning. Since 2005, we have built a successful client facing brokerage based in Ranelagh.

We specialise in empowering owner-directors, senior executives and the self-employed to make well informed decisions with the goal of achieving great long-term financial outcomes.

Terms of
Business and Privacy Statement

Our terms of business set out the basis on which we work with our clients. This includes information on our regulatory status and our credentials to work with you.

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Fee Schedule

Chartered Financial Solutions Limited provides a transparent charging structure for clients. We operate a fee basis if this is your preferred method of payment.

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Our Remuneration

Pursuant to provision 4.58A of the Central Bank of Ireland’s September 2019 Addendum to the Consumer Protection Code, please find a summary of the details of all arrangements for any fee, commission, other reward or remuneration provided to CFS.

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Chartered Financial Solutions Ltd is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland

Financial Planning

A good financial plan puts you in control. It gives you a clear sense of where you want to get to, how you’re going to get there and then helps you stay on track.

Over the years, we’ve established what we think is the best approach to financial planning. The core of this is keeping things simple and to the point; we capture the information we need from you then use our expertise to work out the most effective way of helping you achieve your goals. Some elements of financial planning are necessarily complex but the process itself shouldn’t be.

This approach helps to address those important questions:

  • Will my financial position enable me to achieve my lifetime dreams?
  • Will I be able to live the life I want to lead when I retire?
  • Are my business / family financial assets working as hard for me as possible?
  • Does my investment portfolio reflect my preferred level of risk?
  • Will my family be financially secure if I fall ill or die?

We also use clever software to help us give you a clear view of your future financial position. The video below explains this process clearly:

Team

Shane Brennan MBA, ACII, QFA, SIA, RPA

Director and co-founder
After nearly 40 years in the industry, Shane has a broad range of experience and qualifications. He is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute, a Qualified Financial Advisor, and a Specialist Investment Advisor. In addition to this, Shane is a Retirement Planning Advisor and holds an Honours MBA.

Mark Haskins MSc, FLIA, QFA, CFP®, RPA

Director and co-founder
A Certified Financial Planner and Qualified Financial Advisor, Mark has over 30 years’ experience in financial services. He also has a master’s degree in Financial Planning, is a Retirement Planning Advisor and is a Fellow of the Life Insurance Association.

Carol Bradford QFA, RPA

Financial Consultant
Carol is a Financial Consultant with over 25 years’ experience working in the financial services industry. Carol works closely with clients providing advice and guidance on all financial objectives. The advice encompasses pensions, investments, savings plans, and protection benefits, with a keen focus on retirement planning.
Carol is both a Qualified Financial Advisor (QFA) and Retirement Planning Adviser (RPA).

Kate Duffy QFA, RPA

Operations Manager
Kate is our operations manager, who is responsible for the smooth functioning of operations and continuous process enhancement across the company. Kate also
works closely with the directors to devise and implement strategic plans to advance the overall goals of the company.

Kate is a Qualified Financial Advisor (QFA) and Retirement Planning Advisor (RPA), with over 7 years’ experience in financial services. Kate also holds an Honours Degree in Commerce International from UCD.

Lauren Gannon QFA

Life & Pensions Administrator
Lauren has worked in CFS since 2019 as a Life & Pensions Administrator. Lauren is a Qualified Financial Advisor (QFA) and looks after both retail and corporate clients. Lauren also holds a BSc (Hons) in Education & Training from DCU.

Sinead O’Donovan QFA

Life & Pensions Administrator
Sinead has worked in CFS since January 2023 as a Life & Pensions Administrator. Sinead is a Qualified Financial Advisor (QFA) and looks after both retail and corporate clients. Beforejoining us in CFS, Sinead spent the previous 8 years working in financial services.
Sinead also holds a degree in Law from UCD.

Our Services

Pensions

While pensions can sometimes seem daunting and complicated, our job is to simplify this journey for you. With the right advice, pensions are plain sailing.

A pension is an incredibly tax efficient way to save for your retirement. We can work with you to identify your pension needs, review your options, and then help you choose a pension that fits your circumstances.

If you’re an employer, we can help you to plan, establish and administer a pension plan for you and your employees. We have many years’ experience of reviewing company needs, advising on employer obligations and helping build and implement successful and rewarding company pension schemes.

Employer Brochure

investments

Investments

The investment world is a big and sometimes confusing place.

We’re guided by a few simple principles, which help to make the most of your investments:

  1. Diversification – a well-diversified portfolio reduces risk.
  2. A long-term view – the longer you’re invested, the more time there is for the ups and downs of markets to balance out and you can benefit from potential growth over time.
  3. Volatility – there’s no such thing as a risk-free While volatility can feel uncomfortable, it’s a normal part of investing.
  4. Market timing is futile.
  5. Risk – understanding your attitude to risk is a key consideration.

At CFS we can help you define your investment goals, determine a balance of risk and reward you’re happy with, and then talk you through your investment options.

We place great value on liquidity of assets, regular reviews, and a well-diversified portfolio.

live-cover

Life & Illness Cover

Protect your life, your lifestyle, and your loved ones. We’ll show you how affordable and worthwhile peace of mind can be.

How financially prepared are you for illness, serious injury or even death? Who would pay the bills, the mortgage and everything else that your income covers? If you’re a business owner, how would the business survive?

No matter how hard it is to think about unexpected serious illness, injury or death, planning ahead will give you enormous peace of mind now, and ease the financial burden if the worst does happen later.

At CFS we can talk you through the various forms of protection you need to provide peace of mind and financial security for you and your loved ones. Our extensive knowledge of the life assurance market allows us to quickly select the most appropriate products and solutions for you.

Insights

Pension Fund Threshold Changes – October 2024

Pension Fund Threshold Changes On the 18th September 2024, the Department of Finance released recommendations following an independent revie
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Auto Enrolment – Guidance for Employers

Auto Enrolment – Guidance for Employers As there has been lots of media coverage on the Irish Government’s proposed Auto Enrolment (AE) sche
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Recent Market Volatility – May 2020

What strange and challenging times we are all living in. As Covid-19 continues to restrict all of us in Ireland and around the world, everyo
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Dublin Broker of the Year!

22nd March 2019 - LPI Dublin Broker of the Year We were absolutely delighted to win the prestigious LPI Dublin Broker of the Year award at l
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Updated Privacy Statement

As the whole world no doubt knows, today is the day that the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) come into force. Accordingly, we hav
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Updated Terms of Business

Following recent regulatory changes, we have updated our terms of business, effective immediately. You can view these updated terms here.
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Budget 2017

In recent years it seems that most of the budget is leaked in advance, and this year was no exception.  For your convenience, we have highli
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Retirement Options Changes for Defined Benefit Members

From 22 June 2016, Revenue practice for retirement options on the treatment of Personal Retirement Bonds (PRB's) for former members of Defin
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BREXIT – Further Update (Friday 1st July)

Good afternoon, The old saying "a week is a long time in politics" was never more true! It's certainly been an eventful few days in the UK,
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Brexit – Initial Update

BREXIT – Initial Market Update (Friday PM) Good afternoon, As the song goes "breaking up is hard to do", but that hasn't stopped the UK from
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Justin Prendergast RIP

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the sudden passing of our wonderful friend and colleague Justin Prendergast. Justin passed aw
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Update on Greece – 30th June 2015

With Greece set to default on its IMF debt today, the following update sets out what we may expect over the coming days. Background Greece a
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Pension Fund Thresholds – July 2015 Deadline

The 2013 Finance Act reduced the Standard Pension Fund Threshold for individuals to €2 million, effective from 1st January 2014. While the m
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Updated Terms of Business

Following a regular review of our compliance procedures, we are updating our terms of business document to reflect the following  changes: A
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CFS Fee Schedule

Our updated schedule of fees is now available by clicking here.
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Finance Bill 2014 – Changes to ARF’s & AMRF’s

The Finance Bill was published on 23rd October 2014, and included a number of proposed changes to the treatment of Approved Minimum Retireme
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Budget 2015 – Summary

As the 2015 budget proceeds through the Dail this evening, the main points are outlined below. From a pensions perspective, the Minister has
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Market Review – Q2 2014

June continued the positive momentum with equities and bonds once again making gains. In June, the MSCI World Equity Index increased by 1.5%
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Updated Terms of Business

Following a recent review of our compliance procedures, we are updating our terms of business document to include the following  changes: A
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Markets Review – Q4 2013

December saw markets finish the year on a positive note with equities increasing further to record another stellar year. Markets had taken a
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Market Review – Q2 2013

Global equities fell for the first month in eight after the Federal Reserve reiterated it was mulling tighter monetary policy. Chairman Ben
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Finance Act 2013 – Implications for Pensions

Two important changes to pensions were passed into law in the Finance Act last week. Each are covered below. 1. Access to AVC’s Members of o
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Market Update – Q1 2013

The first quarter of the year turned out to be very strong for equity markets in particular. The strong returns were driven by a combination
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Cessation of the Eligible Liabilities Bank Guarantee Scheme

Yesterday the Irish Government announced the cessation of the Eligible Liabilities Guarantee (ELG) Scheme, effective from 28th March 2013. T
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Irish Bank Deposit Guarantee Schemes

Please click here for a summary of the two bank deposit guarantee schemes. The ELG will cease on 28th March 2013.
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Deposit Rates – 18th December 2012

Updated deposit rates are now available here. Rates are subject to change at short notice, so please contact us should you wish to confirm a
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Budget 2013 – Summary

The 2013 budget was read to the Dail yesterday afternoon, with no great surprises this year. Total spending cuts of €2BN were announced, as
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Deposit Rates – 24 September 2012

Updated deposit rates are now available here. As these rates are subject to change at short notice, pease contact us should you wish to conf
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Where now for Europe?

July 2012 - Kleinworth Benson Investors have just produced a well balanced article about the ongoing Eurozone crisis. With their permission,
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Market Update – Q2 2012

Equity markets rallied in June with all equity markets exhibiting positive returns. In a very eventful month the markets were mostly range b
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Deposit Rates – 5th March 2012

Updated deposit rates are now available here. As these rates are subject to change at short notice, please contact us should you wish to con
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Pension Levy Update

Pension Fund Levy – Further Update Despite fierce opposition and much criticism, the Finance Bill (No.2) 2011 was passed into law on 22nd Ju
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Deposit Rates – 20th June 2011

Updated deposit rates are now available here. As these rates are subject to change at short notice, please contact us should you wish to con
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Extension of Eligible Liabilities Guarantee Scheme

1st June 2011 - the NTMA has today confirmed the extension of the Eligible Liabilities Guarantee Scheme until 31st December 2011. A copy of
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Pension Levy

The Government last night announced a levy of 0.6% of the market value of private pension funds. This is intended to raise €470 million this
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Market Update – Q1 2011

Global equity markets were shaken by the civil unrest in Libya and the Middle East and the massive natural disaster that hit Japan during Ma
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Deposit Rates – 25th March 2011

Updated deposit rates are now available here. As these rates are subject to change at short notice, please contact us should you wish to con
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Markets Review – December 2010

December was another good month for global equities and brought an end to a very strong year of performance for global equity markets. The M
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Budget 2011 – Summary

Good evening - a quick summary of the budget is below. We will no doubt be writing more about this subject in the coming days and weeks! Inc
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EU/IMF Support Package

Eoin Fahy, Chief Economist with Kleinworth Benson Investors has produced an excellent summary of the recently announced EU/IMF support packa
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Deposit Rates – 10th November 2010

Updated deposit rates are now available here.  As these rates are subject to change at short notice, please contact us should you wish to co
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Deposit Rates – 25th August 2010

Updated deposit rates are now available here.  As these rates are subject to change at short notice, please contact us should you wish to co
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Market Review – H1 2010

The MSCI World Index fell 3.2% in June, bringing the 2010 return to date to +5.9%. As has been the case for some months, daily volatility wa
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Deposit Rates – 24 June 2010

Updated deposit rates are now available here. As these rates are subject to change at short notice, please contact us should you wish to con
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Deposit Rates – 9th April 2010

Updated deposit rates are now available here. As these rates are subject to change at short notice, please contact us should you wish to con
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Market Review – Q1 2010

World equities enjoyed a very strong end to the first quarter with the MSCI World Index gaining 7.2% in March (in Euro terms). The index fin
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Deposit Rates – 1st March 2010

Updated deposit rates are now available here. As these rates are subject to change at short notice, please contact us should you wish to con
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Deposit Rates – 15th January 2010

Updated deposit rates are now available here. As ever, these rates are subject to change without notice, so please contact us to confirm up
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Market Review – December 2009

Markets ended 2009 in a very positive vein gaining 6.6% (in Euro terms) in December. The MSCI World index returned 29% for the year as marke
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We’ve Moved!

We are pleased to advise our customers and business partners that we have completed our move to more spacious offices in Ranelagh. See our C
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Market Review – November 2009

November was a positive month for equity markets overall as the MSCI World Index rose by 2.3%. However, this figure masks the volatility dur
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Deposit Rates – 1st December 2009

Updated deposit rates are now available by following this link. These rates are subject to change without notice, so please contact us shoul
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Market Review – October 2009

Global markets posted their first negative monthly return since February. The MSCI World Index fell by 2.7% overall. The month was volatile
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Market Review – September 2009

Global equity markets posted their seventh successive positive monthly return in September as the global economic recovery maintained it's m
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Justin Prendergast – FLIA !!

Many congratulations to Justin on completing his Fellow of the Life Insurance Association Examinations. Done in style too, with 75% achieved
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Deposit Rates – 8th October 2009

Updated deposit rates are now available here. These rates are subject to change without notice, so please contact us should you require conf
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Market Review – August 2009

Global equity markets continued in their positive vein in August but with varying overall returns for regional markets. The MSCI World Index
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Market Review – July 2009

So much for sell in May & go away...... July was a very strong month for global equity markets, with the MSCI World Index up over 7% in
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Deposit Rates – 5th August 2009

Updated deposit rates are now available here. These rates are subject to change without notice, so please contact us should you require conf
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Deposit Rates – 16th July 2009

Updated deposit rates are now available here. These rates are subject to change without notice, so please contact us should you require conf
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Market Review – June 2009

As the stockmarket saying goes - 'Sell in May and go away.....' After the rallies of March, April & May, June was a quieter month for gl
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Protected: Pension Scheme Briefing – June 09

Thanks to those who attended today's pension briefing, which we hope you found informative. Click here for a copy of the presentation slides
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Deposit Rates – 10th June 2009

Following recent client feedback, we are now adding a facility to our website for visitors to research current deposit rates in the market.
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Market Review – May 2009


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Market Review – April 2009

April saw a continued rally in equity markets from their lows in early March 2009. The MSCI World Index rose by 11.5% as investor sentiment
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Market Review – March 2009

March 2009 was a positive month for equity markets with the MSCI World Index up 2.9%. All major regions posted positive returns, with Asia t
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Market Review – February 2009

February was another extremely weak month for equity markets. More astonishing losses were reported by the banking sector, which again recei
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DCU In The Community, Lecture Series – 4th March 2009

Many thanks to all who attended our Savings & Investment lecture in Dublin City University last night. Attached please find a copy of th
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Market Review – January 2009

January 2009 was the fifth successive negative month for stock markets, with the MSCI World Index falling by 1%. The month began with a shor
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Marathon Success

Many congratulations to Mark & Justin on their successful completion of the New York Marathon this November. Photographic evidence above
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