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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With the Tax-The-Rich wildfire raging, it is long past time to fill your grab and go bag… with the insurance of alternative citizenship and residence

DURING THE LAST two weeks, the wealthiest man in the world – Elon Musk – has been named “the world’s richest freeloader.” Unedifying media bites include Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts branding Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2021 with this catchy...

Will Elizabeth Warren drive the world’s wealthiest man out the door?

SOME INFLUENTIAL US politicians are gunning for the richest man in the world – the pugnacious genius and boss of Tesla and Space X Elon Musk. Recently Senator Elizabeth Warren criticised Musk as “the world’s richest freeloader.” This despite the fact that Warren would...

Into the world of ‘Night and Fog’: Wealthy Unpersons of Modern China: and how not to become one

In the Northern Hemisphere, fog is the eternal curse of Winter. Coupled with a deep, black night, you can almost feel it creep into your brain and grip your senses. It lowers morale and shrivels the spirit. This is the time, long after the bars have closed and well...

China makes Crypto-Related Transactions Illegal

Chinese crypto holders are in free fall this week after the announcement by China’s central bank that all cryptocurrency-related transactions are illegal and must be banned. The bank has announced that Bitcoin, Tether and all other cryptocurrencies are not fiat...

How to Plan for Crisis in South Africa

In the first of our series of country-specific blogs, we look at how to plan for crisis in South Africa. In my 30 years as an international tax & immigration lawyer, I am very aware of the steady outflow of South Africans over that time. Indeed, I have advised...

New Blog Series: How to Plan for Crisis

How to plan for crisis - a cautionary tale... I just finished watching a very provocative British tv series titled “Years and Years” which drove home the need for all to think about important global as well as national issues and plan ahead accordingly. And those with...

Myth 5: Do my whole family need to expatriate to legally shelter wealth?

"Do my whole family need to expatriate?" Another fictitious hurdle that clients feel they have to vaunt over is the issue of their families' expatriation. There is a concern that in order to preserve current and future wealth all members of a family will need to...

Zero Prosecutions from CRA Audits: What Really Went Through Your Mind?

Taxation rarely makes the headlines for the right reasons - but that trend seems to have changed with the recent news that there have been zero prosecutions from CRA Audits in Canada. But let’s be honest here! How did you REALLY feel when you read or heard the...

John McAfee’s Tax Problems: A tragic story which could have been easily avoided. Don’t make the same mistake!

The antivirus software entrepreneur John McAfee was found dead in his cell in Spain last week from an apparent suicide. His death came hours after the country approved his extradition to the United States. John McAfee's tax problems had finally caught up with him. He...

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...