Eddie Hobbs facts for kids

Eddie Hobbs, born on November 10, 1962, is an Irish expert in money matters, a writer, and a former TV presenter and politician. He is known for helping people understand their finances and for speaking up for consumers. He also hosts a show called Counterpoint online.

Before he became involved in politics, Eddie Hobbs was famous for presenting shows on RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster. These shows included Give or Take Club, Rip-Off Republic, Show Me the Money, and 30 Things to do with your SSIA. He also helped start a political party called Renua and was its president for a time.

Eddie Hobbs's Career in Finance

Eddie Hobbs started his career in finance in 1979. He worked for a company called Zurich Life for many years. In 1991, he left to create his own financial planning company called TIPS.

Helping Homeowners with Mortgages

In 1993, Eddie Hobbs wrote a report about "endowment mortgages." These were special home loans. His report showed problems with these loans. Because of his work, sales of these loans dropped quickly in Ireland.

Standing Up for Savers

Eddie Hobbs also found that many Irish savers were losing money. He discovered that many people either lost all their savings or got back less than they put in. He complained to the Competition Authority, saying that rules in the insurance industry were unfair. His complaint was successful. This led to new laws in 2000 that made sure companies told customers about all costs and fees. This helped consumers a lot.

He also worked as a volunteer director for The Consumers Association of Ireland for many years. He has special training in accounting and financial planning.

Protecting Savings Schemes

When the Irish government started a savings plan called SSIA, Eddie Hobbs helped create a "Savermark" standard. This standard made sure banks linked interest rates to the European Central Bank's rates. This helped protect people's savings. He also spoke out against insurance companies that he felt were not following these fair pricing rules.

Eddie Hobbs's Television Work

Eddie Hobbs became a well-known TV presenter. He used his shows to help people understand money and consumer issues.

Rip-Off Republic and Consumer Rights

In 2005, he presented Rip-Off Republic on RTÉ. This show looked at why things like land and taxes seemed too high in Ireland. He encouraged people to send nappies to a government department to protest a law that stopped shops from giving discounts on groceries. Thousands of nappies were sent, and the law was changed!

Show Me the Money and Property Advice

Before Rip-Off Republic, he presented Show Me the Money. On this show, he helped different people, like farmers and hairdressers, manage their money better. This show won two awards.

He also presented 30 Things to do with your SSIA. In this show, he gave fun ideas for what people could do with their savings. He famously advised people not to invest their savings in Irish property, especially if they had to borrow money. He warned that property prices might go down, and they did start to fall in 2007.

Other TV Appearances

Eddie Hobbs also co-presented The Consumer Show on RTÉ from 2010 to 2012. He left the show because he felt he couldn't express his views freely. He often spoke in debates about Ireland's economy. He also presented a history show called My Civil War.

Other Projects by Eddie Hobbs

Eddie Hobbs has done many other things besides TV and finance.

As a Writer

In 2004, he released his first book, Short Hands Long Pockets. The money from this book helped The Jack & Jill Children's Foundation, a charity he supports. His second book, LOOT!, came out in 2006. Both books were very popular. In 2009, he released his third book, Debt Busters.

He also started writing a historical fiction novel called The First Heresy, which was published in 2022.

As a Journalist

From 2007 to 2010, he was an editor for a magazine called You & Your Money. He also wrote weekly articles for several newspapers. In 2009, he released an eBook called Energise, with all profits going to The Jack & Jill Foundation. He often shares his thoughts on social, economic, and financial topics in the media.

He also campaigned against the government taking money from private pension savings. He encouraged people to challenge this, which led to a new law.

In 2012, he wrote an article for The Wall Street Journal where he criticized the Irish government's economic policies.

He also helped launch a fund in 2007 called Brendan Investments Plc. This fund invested in European property. He left the company in 2015 when he became president of Renua. The company later closed after facing losses.

In Politics

Alongside Lucinda Creighton, Eddie Hobbs helped start the political party Renua.

In 2015, Eddie Hobbs helped start a new political party called Renua. He appeared on a TV show to explain what the party stood for. He was the party's president from its start in March 2015 until June 2016.

He left Renua in June 2016 after the party did not win any seats in the general election. He felt the party should have focused more on liberal democratic ideas instead of social issues. He also wanted the party to use a "Social Progress Index" instead of just GDP to measure how well the country was doing. This idea was later adopted by some business groups and even included in the government's plan.

In 2022, Eddie Hobbs described his political views as "Radical centrist". This means he holds views that are often seen as being in the middle, not too far left or right.

Awards and Positions Held

Eddie Hobbs has received several honors and held important positions.

Honors and Board Roles

In 2005, he was made an Honorary Patron of the Trinity College Dublin University Philosophical Society.

The Irish Government appointed him as a Director of the National Consumer Agency (NCA) in 2007. He resigned from the NCA in 2009 due to concerns about a loan given to another board member and disagreements with the Minister for Enterprise.

In 2011, he became an honorary life member of the University College Dublin Law Society for his work as a consumer advocate.

Advocacy for Natural Resources

In 2013, Eddie Hobbs helped create Own Our Oil. This group wanted to change how Ireland's oil and gas licenses were handled. They believed that a large tax should be placed on these sales to benefit the Irish people.

During the Irish Water controversy, he called for changes to the Irish Constitution. He wanted to make sure that natural resources like water belong to the Irish people, not just the State. This would make it harder for the government to sell off these resources in the future.