‘My Dad says: Work for nothing and you’ll never be out of work’
IAN Dempsey is presenter of the Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show on Today FM. He’s been with the station since 1998 but was previously the presenter of The Den on RTE with co-presenters Zig and Zag, among other things. What is the most important lesson about money your career in radio and TV has taught has taught you? My Dad always says: “Work for nothing and you’ll never be out of work” which I presume means don’t undersell yourself and don’t work for nothing. I hope that’s what he meant anyway. What’s the most expensive thing about raising children? The wanting to get them everything even when you don’t have the cash handy but you find it somewhere anyway and worry about it later — it all builds up. Are you better off than your parents? Not sure, really. My parents have never troubled us with details of their ‘cashpile’. But having said that I know they made major sacrifices to get us through those troublesome formative years. Apart from property, what’s the most expensive thing you have ever bought? A car (no names, no scandal) which cost an embarrassing amount of money and was so big that everytime I parked it at the local supermarket it always ended up getting dented. What was your worst job? Apart from summer jobs I’ve only ever had one job — as a broadcaster on radio and TV which I have loved every second of. Well, except maybe presenting a TV quiz show called Talkabout, which was absolute hell. How bad? Check it out on YouTube. What was your biggest financial mistake? Getting caught up with fellow Irishmen and women on the overseas property rollercoaster in 2007. Don’t get me wrong, we love our Portuguese villa — but it’s worth about half what we paid for it and it’s a real pain sitting in Ireland on a cold November evening getting bills for swimming-pool maintenance and gardening. What was your best financial killing? Padraig Harrington’s 80/1 at this year’s Portugal Masters. I thought I had him each-way but it turns out I only put him on to win so I was lucky that he went all the way. Android or iPhone? I am king of the Apple sheep herd — iPhone, iPhone 3, iPhone 4, iPhone 6, iPhone 7. I’ve been tempted but faithful. Do you know how much is in your current account? Yes. Have you ever made an insurance claim? No. Have you ever switched utility provider? Only from Vodafone to O2 (now Three) many years ago. Itunes or Spotify? Apple Music (I suppose that means iTunes) — I needed it to play my playlist on iTunes through the Sonos speaker system. I’ve also got a family Spotify account but you can’t play your iTunes music through that. What was the last thing you bought online? An iPhone from Three a few weeks ago — it was a very simple and efficient transaction. Do you have a mortgage? Is it fixed, variable or tracker? Fixed, but all mortgages are a bit customised these days, aren’t they? Would you buy Irish property now? I’ve no need to buy but if I was loaded I’d imagine now would be a good time to buy a chain of hotels or a row of shops at a good price. I think I’d definitely buy locally in Ireland and not in a remote foreign country. Cash or card? I’ve become more of a card person these days. I think bank apps are a great way of keeping track of how much (or little) you have. Do you ever haggle? I’m new to the art of haggling but I think I shocked my wife Ger recently when I halved the price of some goods in a souk in Dubai — we walked away very happy with our purchases but I’m sure the girl selling didn’t lose out at all. Believe it or not, the most impressive haggler I’ve seen in action is my friend Mary Davis (ceo of Special Olympics International) who would laugh in the face of my 50pc saving — she’s more of an 80-20 girl! A force to be reckoned with.