Eddie Hobbs
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| Eddie Hobbs | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 October 1962 Cork, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation | Celebrity Financial Advisor |
Eddie Hobbs (born 11 October 1962) is an Irish celebrity Financial Advisor.
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[edit] Early career
Hobbs worked for Eagle star from 1979 to 1991 and left his position as Marketing Manager to set up a fee-based financial planning company TIPS. In 1995 Hobbs was made a non-executive director in the financial services firm Taylor Asset Management, which went bust when its founder Tony Taylor fled to the UK, following the theft of clients' funds in 1996 uncovered by an investigation led by Hobbs after he left the Taylor Group. Hobbs himself was never implicated in any wrongdoing and in 2007 he was exonerated by the Irish High Court and praised by the presiding judge for showing "efficiency and determination and for not standing idly" when he pursued Taylor's activities from 1995 to 1996. In 1993 he published "Endowment Mortgages The Hometruth" credited with crashing homeloan endowment sales accounting for 50% of mortgage sales in Ireland. In 1996 he submitted a complaint to The Competition Authority alleging that the Government supported Irish Insurance Federation Remuneration Agreement was offensive to competition law since 1991,had engendered a culture of consensus decision making, restricted competition and prevented costs and commission disclosure to consumers. The complaint was upheld in 1998 forcing the Government to introduce statutory commission and charges disclosure. The Life industry was forced to reissue its product range to comply with the Insurance Act 2000. Hobbs acted in a voluntery capacity as a director and Finance spokesperson for The Consumers association of Ireland from 1993 to 2006
[edit] Television career
He presented the RTÉ show Rip-Off Republic in 2005, a show preoccupied with artificially high development land prices, the perceived high personal taxes, corporate margins and cartels/monopolies in Ireland. Prior to this, Hobbs presented the television show Show Me the Money, where he helped various people, from farmers to hairdressers, to improve their finances. He has also presented a three-part programme, 30 Things to do with your SSIA, in which he gives a humorous list of ideas for spending the money held in a Special Savings Incentive Account. In Show Me the Money he repeatedly advised since 2004 that property prices in Ireland are only going one way - down - and strongly advised against residential investment property purchase in Ireland. In 2007 property prices started to reverse. An outspoken populist critic of the vested interests in Ireland, especially the producer groups who "control the country", Hobbs has often repeated that "There's one game in town: development." He speaks out against Jumbo mortgages and picks apart the arguments presented by the vested interests who wish to maintain the status quo, including public sector unions whom he describes as Ireland's strongest cartel.
During the run up to the 2007 Irish general election, Eddie and his colleague Matt Cooper presented a political programme called Polls Apart on Irish TV station TV3, in which they interview the main Irish Political Parties' leaders about what they intend to do after the election, if they were to be deemed elected into government.
[edit] Other Career Information
In 2004 he released Short Hands Long Pockets his first book as a fund raiser for The Jack & Jill Children's Foundation for whom he acts as patron. His second book LOOT! was published in 2006. Each book was a best seller.In March 2009, Eddie Hobbs released his third book, Debt Busters by Currach Press. Debt Busters is Eddie's timely response to the recession. In the book he explains clearly and practically how to manage your spending and the money you owe - even if you feel overwhelmed by your level of indebtedness - and come out the other side in leaner and fitter financial shape. Topics covered include: • the big economic shift: how Ireland and the world went from easy credit to credit crunch • how to manage your money and your debts through the recession • how to take on the banking system with an insider's skill when you're in distressed debt and unable to meet repayments • how the Irish legal system deals with distressed debt • the best tactics for coping practically and psychologically with the stress caused by unemployment and reduced financial circumstances • money-saving tips to beat the recession • where you can go for help
It has been reported that the printing of the 9 September 2005 issue of the Irish current affairs magazine Village was halted after communication with Eddie Hobbs concerning an article on him. The magazine issue was pulped and a revised edition issued by its editor Vincent Browne. In 2007 Village Magazine closed its doors for good.
Since 2007 he has acted a editorial director of monthly magazine You & Your Money owned and published by Ashville Publications and is Ireland's largest selling finance magazine. He writes a weekly column for The Daily Star Ireland's largest selling red top.In October 2009 he launched Energise - How to Survive and Prosper in the Coming Age of Scarity, High Inflation and Peak Oil as an E-Book from his website, all profits from which go to the Irish children's charity, The Jack & Jill Foundation.
[edit] Awards/Posts Held
Eddie Hobbs was awarded Honorary Patronage of TCD's University Philosophical Society in November 2005.
Awarded Umpa Lumpa of the year 2009.
He was appointed by the Irish Government as a Director of the National Consumer Agency in 2007 having served on its interim board since 2005 and resigned in 2009.
