Life Changing Money with Barbara Schreihans

Building Wealth Intentionally: Real Estate, Tax Savings & Financial Freedom

Episode Notes

What does building wealth look like when the ultimate goal isn’t simply to have more, but to create a life you actually have time to enjoy?

Tonia Burns went from growing up in poverty and experiencing homelessness to becoming a successful corporate executive, business owner, and real estate investor. In this episode, she shares how that journey shaped her drive to build wealth differently, and why leaving corporate opened the door to new opportunities in real estate, tax strategy, and financial freedom.

Tonia also breaks down how she started investing in properties, learned to evaluate deals for cash flow, used strategies like cost segregation, and eventually qualified as a real estate professional. Along the way, she went from consistently owing taxes to receiving $35,000 back.

But her biggest shift was realizing that more isn’t always better. Instead of chasing an arbitrary goal of owning more properties, Tonia now focuses on building wealth intentionally with the goal of creating more time for family, health, travel, and the life she actually wants.

Tune in to hear:

Tonia’s journey from childhood poverty and homelessness to corporate success
How she worked her way into leadership at a young age
Why earning a great W-2 income still wasn’t enough for the life she wanted
Making the transition from corporate executive to business owner
How entrepreneurship opened up new tax-planning opportunities
Why Tonia decided to start investing in real estate
Learning to evaluate deals based on actual cash flow
Using cost segregation as part of her tax strategy
How she went from paying taxes every year to receiving $35,000 back
Qualifying as a real estate professional after leaving corporate
Why documentation matters when implementing tax strategies
Building a real estate portfolio around your actual lifestyle
Why Tonia abandoned her goal of owning eight or nine properties
The difference between an impressive goal and an intentional one
Creating wealth that gives you more time for family, health, travel, and yourself
Why you don’t have to “do all the things” to become successful

Connect with Tonia:

https://www.instagram.com/tonia_b3/

How To Get Involved:

Life-Changing Money is a podcast all about money. We share stories of how money has impacted and radically changed the lives of others—and how it can do the same for you.

Your host, Barbara Schreihans (pronounced ShREE-hands) is the founder and CEO of Your Tax Coach, and the creator of the Write Off Your Life Course. She is a top tax strategist, business coach, and expert in helping business owners and high-net-worth individuals save millions in taxes while increasing profits.

When she’s not leading her team, coaching clients, or dreaming up new goals for her company, you can find her drinking coffee, hanging out with her family, and traveling the world.

Grab a cup of coffee and become inspired as we hear from those who have overcome and are overcoming their self-limiting beliefs and money mindsets!

Do you have a burning question that you’d love to hear answered on a future show?

Please email it to: podcast@yourtaxcoach.biz

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