Wealth Magic

Tony Byrne is the founder and Financial Planning Director of Wealth And Tax Management a firm of independent financial planners based in Milton Keynes.  The company was formed in 1986.
He has a range of business interests including a serviced apartments business which is also based in Milton Keynes.  He is also a property investor.

Tony is a Certified Financial Planner, CFP, qualified accountant and tax specialist. He is a former Chairman of the Institute of Financial Planning (Northern Home Counties Branch). 

Over 900 CFP professionals in the UK are part of this global community of 126,000 from 23 territories. CFP certification is an advanced qualification which tests a candidate’s ability to apply their detailed knowledge and skills in order to produce an effective financial plan.

His expertise is highly renowned in the financial services profession. He is a previous winner of the Financial Times Money Management Group Pension Planner of the Year award.  For over 8 years, Tony has regularly written articles for the “IFA View” column for Money Marketing and he is widely quoted in the financial press on a regular basis.
Tony has written a number of articles and financial guides which are all available as free downloads from his company’s website at www.wealthandtax.co.uk.  His 97 Money Gems e-booklet and this book can be purchased at www.wealthmagic.co.uk.

He is absolutely passionate about financial planning and its importance in the 21st century.  He strongly believes that the role of the financial planner will become the pre-eminent profession because of changing demographics, an increasingly aged population, the gradual erosion of the welfare state, increasing complexity and greater individual affluence.

Why write a book called Wealth Magic?

Well, I’ve wanted to write a book for more years than I can remember.  I’ve also had an absolute fascination about the magic of money ever since I first formed Wealth And Tax Management 25 years ago in 1986. 
At school I was a linguist and studied French, German and English to “A” level. This was when I realised I had a passion for communication.  I was also good at Maths at school which explains my interest in finance and anything numbers-related.

My career firstly as an accountant and subsequently as a personal taxation specialist led me to taking an interest in personal financial planning.  From the very start I loved the creativity of personal finance, the ability to make money and save money quite literally magically, really gave me a buzz of excitement.  That same buzz remains with me today.  I still get very excited by creative financial planning.  I can’t explain why.  I guess it’s no different to the artist who loves painting, the cyclist who loves cycling or the rock climber who loves mountain climbing.  It’s my passion.

The reason for writing this book is because I have a genuine interest in helping people achieve early financial independence so that they can really enjoy their lives.  I’ve advised many clients over the years and helped lots of them reach their goals of early financial independence and happiness.  I’ve seen what a great quality of life many of them lead, doing what they like doing without any money worries.

We have a peculiar attitude to money in the UK.  I sometimes hear people saying things like “I don’t want to be rich”, “Money is the root of all evil”, “Money doesn’t interest me.”  Well, for me it isn’t about having lots of money per se.  It’s more about having enough money to be able to do what you want to do, when you want to do it and without worrying about the consequences.

I firmly believe that anyone can achieve early financial independence no matter what their background or financial position.  I believe the starting point is having the right mental attitude, a willingness to learn and the ability to take action.

The 21st century is going to bring with it unprecedented challenges and opportunities.  It will be an age of increasing entrepreneurism, decreasing bureaucracy, increasing complexity, greater individual affluence, the decline of the welfare state and welfare dependency and a growth in personal independence, especially financial independence.
This is what has driven me to write this book.  I firmly believe that if you study it carefully you too can achieve early financial independence and really enjoy your life.

Happy reading!