It's common for people to be put off by complicated financial terms when they think about taking out insurance or investment products. The new website of the Irish Insurance Federation is a very useful tool for making sense of the industry and has an easy to follow glossary of terms like "unit-linked" and "with-profits".

The information site www.iif.ie is a valuable resource for anyone involved in research, education or simply managing their own financial affairs. Insurance products are not sold on the site but contact information is supplied for all federation member companies.

According to federation vice-president Mr Don Gallagher, the core function of the website is to keep the public, media and decision-makers informed about the insurance industry in the Irish economy.