The Lesperance Letter

The Lesperance Letter contains opinion pieces by our founder and principal David Lesperance on the issues of wealth preservation, international tax planning and more…

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Myth Four: Second citizenship is ‘unpatriotic’ or ‘dodgy’

There is a pervasive idea shared by many in the US that obtaining second citizenship is unpatriotic. Indeed it's a view perpetuated by numerous media outlets. It can prove to be a real stumbling block for some of my clients. Even when a second citizenship makes solid...

Do I need a Backup Plan?.. Now is not the time to relax

Do I need a Backup Plan? This is the question I often hear from potential clients. In response I often use the wildfire analogy. Why do I use a wildfire? Over the past decade every summer the news reports are full of dramaticimages of uncontrolled bush and forest...

Webinar: How Wealth Taxes would Affect Americans and Why They Don’t Work

In this special edition of NTU's Fiscal Friday series, tax expert David Lesperance joins NTU Executive Vice President Brandon Arnold for a discussion of wealth taxes: what the proposals are, how they have failed internationally, and why the United States would be wise...

Tax Structures for Canadian & Foreign Investors | Live Webinar by Quantum Business Law

Our Founder David Lesperance recently spoke in a webinar organised by Quantum Business Law on the subject of Tax Structures for Canadian and Foreign Investors - view the webinar below!

Myth Three: Other Countries use Citizenship-based taxation… In other words – another citizenship automatically means tax liability in that country.

The United States has a Citizenship-Based Taxation system. This means that they deem individuals as “US Persons for Tax Purposes” using a variety of factors. These include physical presence, resident alien status and citizenship. Moreover, US taxpayers are subject to...

US Renunciation Myth #2: Lineage citizenships can be acquired quickly and easily.

So how easy is it to get a lineage citizenship? In the second of our blogs on the myths of US renunciation, we investigate just how easy it is to get a lineage citizenship... (spoiler alert - it might not be as speedy as you would hope!) “Remember, remember always,...

The Arrest of Arthur Hayes… If You Are Going to Stick Your Neck Out, Better Have a Backup Plan

The arrest of Arthur Hayes in April this year tells a familiar story. He is charged with violating the Bank Secrecy Act and conspiring to violate it by failing to put sufficient anti-money-laundering safeguards in place. In the April 2021 issue of Vanity Fair,...

US Renunciation Myth #1: The US does not allow dual citizenship

Does the US allow Dual Citizenship? The simple (and short) answer is YES! In actual fact, the US has allowed dual citizenship since Lyndon Johnson was in the White House; (if you're interested as to how and why this came about read all about it here!) So why do some...

New Blog Series: Debunking the Six Most Common Myths about Second Citizenships and Residences

In my three decades of helping wealthy Americans obtain second Citizenships and Residences, I've never cease to be surprised at how few of them, or their advisors, understand the numerous advantages of acquiring that second passport, or fixing an alternative country...

The debate that could have been: Senator Elizabeth Warren vs Billionaire Leon Cooperman

One of my favourite pastimes is reading counterfactual histories…also known as “What If” scenarios. This week one potentially epic “What If” tax policy battle was looming. Senator Elizabeth Warren invited the outspoken billionaire investor, Leon Cooperman, to speak...