Why I wrote this book

I am an international tax lawyer.

Too often I find that people faced with the prospect of spending a lot of money for legal advice will instead simply do nothing, and hope for the best. Or they will follow the “do it yourself” route. This may be successful, but it is a daunting task to gather the necessary information to do a good job.

This book is designed to fill the gap between expensive bespoke legal advice and “do nothing.” I hope this book will provide the information you need so you can tackle the job yourself if you want to. But if you decide that you want to hire someone to help you, I hope this book will make you an informed buyer of professional services–you will be able to tell whether the accountant or lawyer you are talking to really knows this stuff.

Disclaimer/warning shot/pre-emptive strike

I’m a lawyer. But I’m not your lawyer just because you read this book.

This book is not legal or tax advice for you, and is not a substitute for professional advice. Each case is different, and if you have any questions at all I encourage you to seek assistance from someone who knows his or her stuff. Getting things wrong can mean enormous penalties. Don’t take action until you understand what you’re doing.

What else do you want to see?

Is there a topic related to RRSPs and U.S. tax law that you would like to see covered? Did you find a particular part of this book hard to understand? Please email your suggestions to me—things to add, sections to change, language to clarify.

I welcome ideas about how to make this book more readable and useful to you. I would also like to hear from you if you do remedial work on the U.S. side of your RRSP. Let me know what happens.