A series of books by Martha Harris Myron is to be published on The Royal Gazette website, with the first segment up online today.

The Bermuda Islander Fundamental Financial Planning Primer Series launches today with Step 1 of the first book, The Dawn of New Beginnings: Your Personal Back-to-Basics Financial Review to Dramatically Improve Your Lifestyle.

This is the first book of eight on financial matters specific to Bermuda by Ms Harris Myron, who has been The Royal Gazette’s personal finance columnist for more than two decades.

Steps 1 to 18 of the unique 341-page book will be published weekly on The Royal Gazette website.

Each of the eight books encompasses aspects of all domestic financial matters: personal finance, banking savings and debt, investments, money, risk and relationships, pre- and post-retirement and pensions, career branding, work and employment benefits, international and domestic taxation, estate and legacy planning, “Pondstraddler” cross-border planning, and Bermuda’s extraordinary economy.

Bermudian Ms Harris Myron said: “These books are the culmination of my more than 30 years of international and local financial planning.

“Maths and finance, in general, are not easy for most of us, yet whether formally or informally learnt, understanding our finance world is a cornerstone toward achieving financial success.

“Bermuda is a unique environment. Coming home to Bermuda in 1998, I realised that we very much needed finance, legal, economic information that is specific to our jurisdiction and it became my mission to write these books.”

The books will feature succinct video-audio interviews and podcasts with Bermuda finance and related-industry luminaries.

They also include a sidebar focus on the island’s 400 years of survivalist marine history.

Ms Harris Myron said: “Each of the books emphasises Bermuda’s financial environment along with composite illustrations, local influencer interviews, commentary, maritime heritage snippets, illustrations and links to reference resources to make finance a bit more interesting while incentivising individual participation.

“Additionally, our unique maritime heritage is interspersed throughout each book – reminding us of the incredible feats of our forebears: tenacity, courage, commitment and motivated survival.

“Imagine! Possibly the smallest settlement on earth at the time, 400 years ago, surviving a shipwreck, building ships from local cedar and wreck salvage that then sailed to Jamestown, Virginia to rescue the remaining settlers from starvation.

“The sea is how we survived and how we have thrived. It is with us always.”

The island’s remarkable historical path to becoming a thriving international business centre included the success of the Bermuda sloop, the fastest boat in the world in the 17th century, the birth of a tourism industry heralded by steam and then oil-driven transport and then the building of an international financial-services industry.

Ms Harris Myron added that today “Bermuda’s international re/insurance business is the third largest risk management centre in the world, along with being a host country for major maritime ship registries.

“I hope everyone enjoys this first book and that it will help people on their road to financial security.”

To view Step 1 of the book, click here. Ms Harris Myron welcomes feedback at martha@pondstraddler.com