The 5 Best Investment Firms in Ireland
Investing is the best way to build a financial safety net for yourself and your family.
Investing provides you with the opportunity to exert more influence over your financial future. With today’s various platforms to invest in, it’s never been easier!
However, if you need more guidance on investing and prefer someone to manage your investments for you, then keep reading as we give you the best investment firms in Ireland!
How much do investment firms in Ireland cost?
You’ll need to make sure you know exactly what fees and charges you’ll have to pay and when they’ll be applied to your investment before you put any money into it.
Client fees are the sole source of revenue for fee-only firms. There are also situations when a fixed amount or an hourly rate is charged instead.
Both commissions and client fees are some ways fee-based companies earn money.
Here’s an estimated summary of common investment fees.
Now to expound a little bit further, the following is a list of popular fees and levies that you may encounter.
- Entry fee: Certain investments may require you to pay a one-time fee known as an “entry fee.” A portion of your investment is usually collected as an entry fee.
- Exit fee: A one-time fee may be imposed on you when you exit your investment. A portion of the fund’s value is often collected as an exit fee.
- Fund management expenses: It is common practise to charge a fee to cover the costs of managing a mutual fund and other services, such as keeping track of your investments, calculating their daily worth, and offering advice. These charges are often imposed on a yearly basis, regardless of the performance of the fund.
- Performance fee: If the investment returns a profit, the investor is paid a performance fee. Percentage of investment profit is the most popular method of calculating performance fees.
- Encashment fee: If you withdraw your investment before it has reached its full maturity date, you may be subject to an early withdrawal penalty.
- Commission: A financial advisor is paid or given a bonus if they sell a company’s goods. However, this is often included in the total cost of the service.
Top Investment Firms in Ireland
We reviewed the top Irish investment firms based on four criteria.
1. Irish Life Investment Managers
QUALITY | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
FEES | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
ETHICS | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
CUSTOMER SERVICE | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) |
One big player in the financial industry is Irish Life Investment Managers (ILIM). They have been providing financial solutions to customers for over 80 years.
As of March 2022, ILIM has been entrusted with over €101 billion in assets from many different types of assets and investment solutions. Their main ways to invest are through indexation, active fixed income, real estate, and alternative asset classes.
A founding member of Ireland’s Sustainable and Responsible Investment Forum, and a part of its Executive Committee, ILIM is also a phenomenal player in responsible investing.
In 1939, they supplied the official book of record and all of the back-office support for the Irish Life Assurance business, establishing their competence in asset management and service.
Many of their clients are large financial institutions such as insurance companies, pension funds, fiduciary managers, and sovereign wealth funds. Although, they also substantially work with individual or retail investors.
The amazing thing about ILIM is their financial solutions for retail (also known as individual or non-professional) clients, which include a range of pensions, investments, and life assurance. They even have a dedicated retail website here.
We like that in about 45-60 minutes, they can provide you with a financial assessment that can be done face-to-face, over the phone, or by video conferencing. You’ll receive a tailored assessment of any gaps in your financial wellbeing and suggestions on how to help safeguard you and your loved ones.
A consultation with their financial advisor is entirely free, and while you are not obligated to purchase an Irish Life Assurance product, let’s face it, you might experience a little pressure.
Pros
- Quick financial assessment
- Free consultation
- On-site or online meetings
- Caters to retail and institutional investors and companies
Cons
- Pressure on buying investment products
- Unresponsive customer service at times
Customer Reviews
Effective and efficient to deal with
“I dealt with Cian [Head of Financial Planning and Senior Investment Manager] regarding many business-related issues and at all times found him effective and efficient to deal with, always professional in his manner.” —Peter O’Neill, LinkedIn Recommendations
Finds a way to carve out a fresh insight
“Eoin [Fund Manager] is a person who is going to bring debate to your table, in a great way. He finds a way to carve out a fresh insight to issues that have helped give me an extra edge in the markets.” —Damien Davis, LinkedIn Recommendations
2. Cantor Fitzgerald
QUALITY | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
FEES | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) |
ETHICS | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
CUSTOMER SERVICE | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Cantor Fitzgerald is one of the world’s leading innovative financial services firms.
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. is known for their expertise in the fixed income and equity capital markets, investment banking, commercial real estate, and more.
For over 20 years, their Irish arm has been providing a wide variety of investment services, particularly specialising in stock trading, pensions & wealth planning, fund management, debt capital markets, and corporate financing. In the world of government bonds, they’re known as the go-to firm.
Using a worldwide network of analysts and financial experts, Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland can provide you with a global perspective that, in our opinion, is unmatched in the Irish market. Private and corporate companies as well as financial institutions, investment funds, credit unions, and charitable organisations are among their clientele.
Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland merged their experience and expertise with L&P Group, an international consultancy they acquired. The latter specialises in ethical investment management and stewardship services for religious congregations, charities, trusts, and endowments.
This is where Cantor Fitzgerald stands out: they are committed to offering responsible management and clear investment plans that fulfil your investing and fiduciary needs.
Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland has an open and transparent pricing system for their services. Their fees and commission rates are all laid out here.
While they also cater to individuals, their services are quite expensive for these types of investors. So, you may want to think twice if you’re a retail investor.
The firm operates as part of broker-dealers as well. Compensation-related conflicts of interest, such as revenue sharing from mutual funds and the marketing of proprietary investment products, may arise when firms are dual-registered as broker-dealers.
Increased prices may result from these conflicts, which can have a detrimental effect on customers.
Pros
- Wide variety of services
- Transparent fee structures
- Great choice for institutional investors and companies
Cons
- Higher costs due to broker-dealer conflicts
- Services might be considered expensive for individual investors
Customer Reviews
The process from start to finish was seamless
“Working with Cantor was a great option for Carlow Brewing Company, as they did a lot of the heavy lifting around managing the fundraising process. This allowed the company maintain focus on our day-to-day business – the process from start to finish was seamless and very efficient.” —Seamus O’Hara, Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland Testimonials
Excellent partner
“The team at Cantor Fitzgerald Corporate Finance has been an excellent partner for us at Carton House for the past number of years. Their knowledge and insight into the Dublin corporate finance world has proved an invaluable resource for our business.” —Conor Mallaghan, Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland Testimonials
3. PineBridge Investments
QUALITY | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
FEES | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) |
ETHICS | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
CUSTOMER SERVICE | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
Next on our list is worldwide asset management firm PineBridge Investments, which specialises on active, high-conviction investment.
They provide you with a wide range of financial planning services. They manage investment portfolios (stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds) and also assist in retirement, estate, and tax planning.
PineBridge Investments handled US$146 billion in global asset classes for sophisticated investors as of March 2022. As such, their services suit institutional investors who are able to trade enormous blocks of shares and have net assets measured in millions.
Teams from different fields, markets, and parts of the world get together regularly at their collaborative asset class investment forums. This gives them both a global and a local view, which helps them come up with the best ideas for investments.
The firm’s integrated approach to ESG investments and corporate responsibility is also based on their culture of collaboration. PineBridge Investments started using ESG principles in their daily operations and also signed UN’s Principles for Responsible Investment.
It’s no wonder that for the last two years in a row, they have been recognised as one of Pensions & Investments’ “Best Places to Work in Money Management”.
Like Cantor Fitzgerald, PineBridge Investments is affiliated with broker-dealers. As such, increased prices may arise due to the aforementioned compensation-related conflicts of interest.
Pros
- Broad range of financial services
- Established global and award-winning firm
- Great option for institutional investors and intermediaries
Cons
- Not the most suitable choice for individual investors
- Increased fees due to conflicts as broker-dealers
Customer Reviews
Unique insight into upcoming market trends
“Mick [now the CEO] has a unique insight into upcoming market trends and is a real leader in terms of the evolution of the banking business. His skills lie across a broad range of financial services sectors, asset management, insurances, wealth management to name but a few. As a result, he has an alternate perspective to the customer experience. His assessment and judgement in business, particularly in the area of people and high calibre individuals, is at the highest level.” —John Harty, LinkedIn Recommendations
Demonstrates professionalism at all times
“Mark Ryan [Performance Analyst] is an intelligent and hardworking expert in performance measurement for an investment management company. He has demonstrated a high level of skills in attribution systems. He demonstrates professionalism at all times. He learns quickly, and communicates well. In projects we have worked on together he has been thorough and extremely helpful.” —David LaDue, LinkedIn Recommendations
4. Mason Wealth Management
QUALITY | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
FEES | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) |
ETHICS | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) |
CUSTOMER SERVICE | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
Mason Wealth Management is a financial services company founded in 1998 that caters to individuals and business owners. They provide financial planning and tailored investment advice to assist customers in ensuring a financially secure retirement.
Their expertise lies in creating strategies to help you achieve your financial objectives. They focus on giving first-rate financial advice and implementing methods to encourage you to invest responsibly for your future.
As a company that deals with investments, Mason Wealth Management also takes and sends orders for a wide range of financial products on behalf of investors. They also act as agents or brokers for deposits.
Mason Wealth Management is notable for how they value forming long-lasting relationships with their clients. We like that they work closely with clients and conduct frequent reviews of their plans to verify that progress is being made.
Mason Wealth Management has flat hourly rates ranging from €100 (staff) to €200 (directors); so, the initial payment might be intimidating if your first appointment with them will take hours. Fees may also be in the form of a percentage of a transaction value as well.
With financial and retirement planning as their forte, they have set-up fees for insurance policies. Even if you withdraw from an insurance policy during the cooling period, these set-up charges are non-refundable.
Pros
- Great start for newbie investors
- Excellent customer service
- Choice between fees and commissions
Cons
- Expensive flat hourly rates
- Non-refundable product set-up fees
Customer Reviews
They show genuine understanding and care
We have had a fantastic experience with Mason Wealth Management. They show genuine understanding and care for us as their client, not just the wealth that we are investing with them. We constantly feel we are being given the advice that is best for us and the command that the firm shows of our portfolio and its active management is both impressive and very reassuring. I’d recommend them to any personal investor.” —Paul Varian, Google Reviews
Immense value from a consultation
“As we’re about to start a family, we felt the need to chat to a professional for some advice on how to best manage our finances (pensions, investments, mortgage, savings etc.) The insight and advice we got from Les [Director] was far beyond what we could have hoped for! We came away with clear actions we can take today that will enable us to maintain the lifestyle we want now, as well as prepare for the lifestyle we want in retirement and everything in between. No matter what life stage you’re at I’ve no doubt you’d get immense value from a consultation with Mason Wealth Management.” —Michaela Simpson, Google Reviews
5. Investwise
QUALITY | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
FEES | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
ETHICS | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
CUSTOMER SERVICE | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
Investwise was established in 1988 and is known for their Holistic Financial Planning service. This is something they take great pride in providing to their customers.
With analytics, modelling technology, and a credentialed team, they provide financial planning services that will take into account every facet of your life. This includes your short, medium, and long-term financial goals.
They ensure that their strategy continues on track and any changes are accounted for by providing regular assistance.
Investwise is particular with how they design your asset roadmap and overall financial plan, and it’s what we like about them. They outline their services, steps, principles, and fees with great accuracy and transparency.
Speaking of fees, you’d enjoy package deals with their charging structures. They have specific renumeration models if you have long-term plans, you’re a young client, or you just want straight-up advice.
Although Investwise is a fee-based firm, they like to set fixed fees up front and avoid commissions. Investors with a smaller portfolio and a desire for less hands-on management may benefit by commissioned services.
They’re quite proud with their branding that they avoid commissions, so you may want to insist on a commission-based structure if you firmly believe it suits your goals and needs.
We also like that Investwise frequently contributes to news sites and responds to inquiries about financial topics. They have also conducted seminars and made a number of TV and radio appearances.
Pros
- Good choice for beginners
- No product set-up fees
- Transparent and specific charging structures
- Multi-account, group scheme, and group protection discounts
- Exceptional customer service
Cons
- Avoids commissions
- Fee structures may be a little inflexible
Customer Reviews
They are willing to answer any query
“I have been using the services of Investwise for four years. I find them efficient, very helpful, and patient. They are willing to answer any query no matter how trivial it may be. They have a very detailed knowledge of all aspects of the markets. Most importantly they are measured in their approach to advising on investments and clearly assess their clients attitude to risk and what is appropriate for you, and/or your family, and your circumstances in life.” —Mary Henry, Google Reviews
A key strategic partner
“I’ve had an exceptional year’s advice from Investwise. Over several years I have learnt to trust Dave [Managing Director] as he has shown interest in learning about, and in responding to, my needs. His clear-minded and balanced advice, given in my best interests, has helped me better plan my financial position and make better life choices. I consider him a key strategic partner and he has earned this place.” —Brian McIntyre, Investwise Testimonials
FAQs About Investment Firms in Ireland
You got excited by all these investment firms and the opportunities they provide, didn’t you? We hope our guide to the best investment firms in Ireland can help kickstart your investment journey!