Rising house values means your home is likely to have increased in value since you bought it, or since you last negotiated your mortgage rate. Armed with this information, use a mortgage comparison website or contact a broker to see if you are eligible for a better mortgage rate. A typical car loan is repaid over three to five years, whereas the mortgage term could be 20 years. “I have an account from which all my important direct debits go out – mortgage, car loan, insurances, things I have to pay and cannot miss,” says Bruen. If you missed the last newsletter on managing credit card spending by Siobhán Maguire, you can read it here

Source: The Irish Times January 10, 2026 11:32 UTC