The Sovereign Capitalist

We break down two major Canadian corporate tax advantages—the small business deduction (up to $500,000 of active income when passive income is under $50,000) and the capital dividend account (CDA)—and explain what counts as active vs. passive income for a Canadian-controlled private corporation. We review why Ottawa changed corporate tax rules in 2018, how passive income is taxed at roughly 50%, a...

Tax Litigator Dov Whitman, Jose Atencio and George Roth on What to Do (and Not Do) When the Brown Envelope Arrives. This episode features Montreal tax litigator Dov Whitman discussing how we should respond when we receive a CRA audit letter and why many people make costly mistakes by either overcomplying (giving more than requested and triggering deeper scrutiny) or undercomplying (ignoring or sen...

7 Non‑Negotiable Traits of Sovereign Capital In this episode, we (Jose, George Roth, and Wayne Durksen of Austaris) explain why capital must be preserved, protected, and available for acquisition without being put at risk, and we outline the seven non‑negotiable traits of “sovereign capital”: measurable monetary value, acquisitive purpose, preservation (not surrendered or liquidated), protection f...

9 Guaranteed Features of a Special “Savings Account” Banks Can’t Offer (Participating Whole Life & Infinite Banking) Jose Atencio and George Roth expand their discussion on banking by presenting a “special savings account” with nine features that banks can’t offer:  Lifetime deposits without contribution limits. Guaranteed tax-free annual growth that can’t go down or be zero. Long-term net int...

Debanking in Canada (2025): Who Really Owns Your Money, and How to Take Back Control We discuss “debanking” (or “de-risking”) in Canada, where banks close customer accounts for perceived financial, legal, regulatory, or reputational risk, potentially cutting people off from essential activities. We argue bank deposits are legally loans to banks, making depositors unsecured creditors, and cite the...