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I do not know much about construction but my father is an engineer and one thing that I remember about the houses that he built on the coast of Puerto Vallarta is that they are all up to seismic standards and could withstand hurricanes.

 

For you to be able to build in Puerto Vallarta or in Riviera Nayarit (an area just northwest of Puerto Vallarta), you have to obtain a building permit from the government. You have to tell them what kind of house you are...

I do not know much about construction but my father is an engineer and one thing that I remember about the houses that he built on the coast of Puerto Vallarta is that they are all up to seismic standards and could withstand hurricanes.

 

For you to be able to build in Puerto Vallarta or in Riviera Nayarit (an area just northwest of Puerto Vallarta), you have to obtain a building permit from the government. You have to tell them what kind of house you are going to build and in which location. If your building plans are not to their requirements, then they will not give you a permit.

 

As you are building your house, the government comes to check.  If they see that you are not building as they required, they might close down your construction. The building standards have been this way ever since tourists started coming into Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit.

 

All of the houses here built to good standards so that they are made to stand forever. The only difference that you will see in the houses here are on the designs because that depends on the taste of the owner. The Mexican-style houses are still built to high construction standards.  

 

(Holiday villa in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, pictured.)

Yes there are rivers, lakes, and waterfalls here in Cayo.  Not too far from us is a Category 5 river where you can do white water rafting. Our tour guide does that trip for interested guests.  

 

We have one thousand foot waterfalls here in Cayo. We have the Pine Ridge where there are all kinds of smaller waterfalls with little swirling pools that you can sit in, all within an hour and a half away. There are rivers running right down through...

Yes there are rivers, lakes, and waterfalls here in Cayo.  Not too far from us is a Category 5 river where you can do white water rafting. Our tour guide does that trip for interested guests.  

 

We have one thousand foot waterfalls here in Cayo. We have the Pine Ridge where there are all kinds of smaller waterfalls with little swirling pools that you can sit in, all within an hour and a half away. There are rivers running right down through Cayo so you can canoe or raft right down beside the market in the middle of San Ignacio.  Not five miles from me is a small beautiful water falls that the locals call "the showers" where they bathe and wash clothes.  It has multiple pools and smaller falls and rapids to accommodate multiple families.  

 

Every year we have the La Ruta Maya canoe race on the Macal River. It is hilarious. It starts underneath the high water bridge and then everybody gathers at the low water bridge because when all the canoes take off they have to cross under the low water bridge without hitting any of the supports, which causes a lot of people turn over their canoes. There is a lot of action going on because a lot of people are falling, swimming, and getting back in their canoes and taking off again. La Ruta Maya is an exciting event. I would definitely recommend seeing it or even participating in it. 

 

Aside from the Category 5 rapids, all of the rivers in Cayo are safe and relaxing for canoeing and tubing. You can even tube or canoe through caves here. You would have a little light on your forehead and you would tube right into the opening of the cave. It is total darkness. You would see some skeletons sometimes and some vases and potteries left over from the Mayan civilization. These rivers are lazy rivers so it’s very safe. They call these cave tubing tours “Butt’s Up” because if you sit down all the way in your tube you could hit bottom.  The rivers are so shallow that sometimes you have to get up, take your tube, walk a little distance, and get back on the river. It also depends on the time of year and where you are. In December, there is a lot of water but then later on in the year, you’re going to get into lower water levels.

 

 We have dams on two of our rivers and it does muddy them up so they don’t look as green and clear. I don’t generally recommend swimming in the rivers but I do recommend the tubing because then you don’t have your ears and your nose in the water for the most part.

 

There are lakes above the dams in Cayo but people do not go to them that I know of because they are remote and difficult to get to.  We have some beautiful areas where you could just sit in a swirling pool near a small waterfall. Rio On Pools is probably one of the more famous one. We also have sinkholes, which is the same thing as the cenotes in Mexico that have clear blue water in them that are beautiful for swimming.  

 

(Volcanic rocks of Rio On Pools, Cayo, Belize, pictured.)

US persons (including entities) with an interest or signature authority over foreign financial accounts that have an aggregate balance exceeding $10,000 are required to file...

US persons (including entities) with an interest or signature authority over foreign financial accounts that have an aggregate balance exceeding $10,000 are required to file the FBAR (FinCen 114). The FBAR is separate requirement from your tax return, and failure to file the FBAR carries hefty penalties. With the implementation of FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act), foreign financial institutions are providing the IRS with the details of foreign financial accounts held by US persons. As a result, non-reporting is an increasingly risky proposition.

 

Foreign financial accounts include: bank accounts, brokerage accounts, mutual funds, annuities, life insurance policies with cash value, and indirect interests in financial accounts through a foreign entity (if >50% ownership).

In accordance to paragraph 6 of article 81º of the personal income tax code, if a non-habitual resident obtains income deriving from pensions in the United States, it is applied to the exemption method provided that the income is not considered obtained in Portugal.

 

In accordance to paragraph 1 of article20º of the Double Tax Treaty signed between Portugal and the United States, any pensions and other similar remuneration (other than pensions or...

In accordance to paragraph 6 of article 81º of the personal income tax code, if a non-habitual resident obtains income deriving from pensions in the United States, it is applied to the exemption method provided that the income is not considered obtained in Portugal.

 

In accordance to paragraph 1 of article20º of the Double Tax Treaty signed between Portugal and the United States, any pensions and other similar remuneration (other than pensions or remuneration to which Article 21º applies – Public or Governmental Service) derived and beneficially owned by a resident of a Contracting State (Portugal) in consideration of past employment shall be taxable only in that state (Portugal).

 

As such, pension income received by a Portuguese non habitual resident that is paid from the United States cannot be taxed in the United States and will be exempt from tax in Portugal.

 

However, there is an exception for the social security benefits and other public pensions related to Public or Governmental Functions that will still be exempt from tax in Portugal but may be taxed in the United States.

 

(Discoveries Monument commemorating important people in Portuguese history, Lisbon, Portugal, pictured.)