How reliable is the water supply in Puerto Vallarta? Are there water disruptions?
Armando Contreras - Galvan Real Estate and Services
The water supply in the main towns in the Puerto Vallarta area is almost always perfect.
However, in some of the smaller towns where the holding tanks are not as large, the water supply can run low during peak visitor weeks such as Christmas, New Years and Semana Santa (Easter).
Relative to the safety of drinking the water in the Puerto Vallarta area, I always recommend buying bottled water to drink. The water here is fine for cooking, making coffee and things...
The water supply in the main towns in the Puerto Vallarta area is almost always perfect.
However, in some of the smaller towns where the holding tanks are not as large, the water supply can run low during peak visitor weeks such as Christmas, New Years and Semana Santa (Easter).
Relative to the safety of drinking the water in the Puerto Vallarta area, I always recommend buying bottled water to drink. The water here is fine for cooking, making coffee and things like that, but bottled is best for drinking.
(SEAPAL Water company in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, pictured.)
What's the best strategy for asset protection and wealth preservation offshore?
Jay Butler - Asset Protection Services of America
I generally recommend that Americans try and stay on-shore whenever reasonably possible because if you have a business with an international presence, offshore properties producing income, or wish to move more than $10,000 in cash per year offshore, such activities will invariably need to be reported on your annual income tax return and can raise suspicion with the IRS.
The benefit however to moving your business, investments, or larger quantities of money offshore is that it can place...
I generally recommend that Americans try and stay on-shore whenever reasonably possible because if you have a business with an international presence, offshore properties producing income, or wish to move more than $10,000 in cash per year offshore, such activities will invariably need to be reported on your annual income tax return and can raise suspicion with the IRS.
The benefit however to moving your business, investments, or larger quantities of money offshore is that it can place assets outside the reach of judgment creditors. And if such assets have not been moved offshore in an illegal manner (by not violating the badges of fraud for example), assets in a foreign jurisdiction are extremely difficult for the U.S. government to gain authorization to seize.
With the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) having been enacted on January 1st of this year, you may want to have a competent international tax advisor assist you with some of these strategies from a tax perspective. Outbound wire transfers which exceed an aggregate of $50,000 during the calendar year are now subject to a 30% withholdings tax. You may be surprised when you send a $100,000 offshore to purchase a piece of real property and only $70,000 arrives.
If you are considering moving a (relatively) larger portion of your estate offshore, then you may want to consider making use of an irrevocable offshore trust or foundation. The $5 Million lifetime gift-tax allowance previously available during calendar years 2011 and 2012 has been extended through 2013. By taking advantage of IRS form 709, you may be able to gift upwards of 80-90% of your estate into a safe, zero-tax jurisdiction for the benefit of your children and future generations.
Overall, the best strategies for asset protection and wealth preservation offshore should be simple to understand and execute. If you cannot readily wrap your head around your structure, you may want to consider revising your current strategy.
When I move to Nicaragua, should I use a regular phone line, a cell phone, Skype, Magicjack, or something else?
Mike Quinn - Farmstay El Portón Verde
One way to get free calls to the USA and Canada from Nicaragua is to setup Google Hangouts. It's best to do this while you are in the USA or Canada.
You get to choose the area code of your new number in the States or Canada, and you can receive and make phone calls for free. We use this at the Farmstay to offer free calling service for our visitors and find it to be a great benefit, especially as this is part of our "soft- landing service."...
One way to get free calls to the USA and Canada from Nicaragua is to setup Google Hangouts. It's best to do this while you are in the USA or Canada.
You get to choose the area code of your new number in the States or Canada, and you can receive and make phone calls for free. We use this at the Farmstay to offer free calling service for our visitors and find it to be a great benefit, especially as this is part of our "soft- landing service." Calling home after being picked up from the airport by someone who speaks your language and is able to help with any questions or to plan the rest of your vacation is a big plus (or so I've been told!).
The expats here in Ambergris Caye are a very diverse group. There are expats here who are former CEOs and there are also expats here who are living on a disability pension.
Even though it is a diverse group but they all have the same thing in common in that they all like the sense of community. They like the feeling that they are in a place that is totally different than North America but at the same time having enough familiarity to it and you don’t...
The expats here in Ambergris Caye are a very diverse group. There are expats here who are former CEOs and there are also expats here who are living on a disability pension.
Even though it is a diverse group but they all have the same thing in common in that they all like the sense of community. They like the feeling that they are in a place that is totally different than North America but at the same time having enough familiarity to it and you don’t feel like they are completely in a foreign land.
Generally, expats who live here are those that would enjoy being outdoors, people who enjoy sunshine and warmth, people who enjoy being near the sea, people who enjoy good friends, good music, and good company. The expats here are just so diverse that it’s hard to believe that someone would not fit in. Generally, a cynical person who isn’t very trusting or accepting in meeting new people would have a much harder time living here than people who are just willing to go with the flow and see what life gives them as opposed to trying to change everything around them.
(Kareem Abdul Jabbar has visited Belize looking for a vacation home, pictured.)
How’s the kayaking, rafting, or canoeing in Portugal?
Juan Matias - BLUE Boutique Hostel & SUITES
We have three or four beautiful rivers that cross Portugal. Further south from Lisbon we have the Guadiana River, where I have rafted. Up north we have Mondego River and further north close to Porto we have Douro River, which is where the Porto Wine comes from. And this area Douro; the Douro River and the cliffs surrounding the Douro River, is where they plant the grapes to produce the world famous Porto Wine or “Port Wine” as you call it in America. We do not have the...
We have three or four beautiful rivers that cross Portugal. Further south from Lisbon we have the Guadiana River, where I have rafted. Up north we have Mondego River and further north close to Porto we have Douro River, which is where the Porto Wine comes from. And this area Douro; the Douro River and the cliffs surrounding the Douro River, is where they plant the grapes to produce the world famous Porto Wine or “Port Wine” as you call it in America. We do not have the very extreme classes of river rafting but we do have some mild intermediate class areas. People raft here in Portugal in the winter and spring. You can go in summer but the rivers are very low and it becomes a bit boring for people looking for some excitement.
We have sea kayaking in Portugal. I provide an excursion for my clients that is basically just a beautiful tour around our coastline around Cascais (near Lisbon) in a kayak. There are two levels of sea kayaking. You have the sea kayaking just to wonder around and you have the surf sea kayaking, which is on waves, which is for another level of expertise. You have to have a lot of experience to do that. But for the first timer, you have to do the traditional sea kayak and you’re only allowed to go when the sea is really, really calm. Portugal is close by the Atlantic Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean is quite rough. So 80% throughout the year we have waves in Portugal. The only two months of the year with light waves are July and August. You can go out throughout the year but then you have to go to protected bays, of which there are many throughout the country. The Algarve is the perfect place to do this because the Algarve gets the Mediterranean Sea so it doesn’t get as rough as it gets on the west coast, which faces the Atlantic. The southern coast is much more calmer than it is in the west coast.
(Sea kayaking provided by Blue Hostel and Suites, Cascais, Portugal, pictured.)
Coronado is very much an international area, and since the 1940s Panama has had a treaty with the Italians that allow them to come any time they want without almost any paperwork. As a result, we have an abundance of Italian-owned Italian restaurants run by Italians with real Italian food. I bet we have 6 Italian restaurants just in the Coronado area alone.
We also have all the Panamanian restaurants that serve all versions of chicken, rice, and beans. Then you toss in a French...
Coronado is very much an international area, and since the 1940s Panama has had a treaty with the Italians that allow them to come any time they want without almost any paperwork. As a result, we have an abundance of Italian-owned Italian restaurants run by Italians with real Italian food. I bet we have 6 Italian restaurants just in the Coronado area alone.
We also have all the Panamanian restaurants that serve all versions of chicken, rice, and beans. Then you toss in a French restaurant, a sandwich place, and all the other variations of our food just in the Coronado area. We have tons of exciting food. We have a restaurant that’s been here for 30 years doing gourmet Panamanian food.
There is a huge mix of great food opportunities in Coronado. We have a restaurant from Spain that does real Spanish food. We can thank this international crowd for liking all these different types of food because they’re here in Coronado in abundance.
(Luna Rosa restaurant in Coronado, Panama owned by Anthony Bruno a native and part resident of Florence Italy, picutred.)
An emerging personal finance trend has seen retirees and people in pre-retirement making investments in foreign real estate, especially in emerging markets. The potential benefits are very enticing; these regions are seeing growth and appreciation rates that exceed those in domestic markets, and there’s built-in potential for generating income by renting the property to vacationers. Best of all, you can live there yourself during the cold-weather months and say goodbye to winter for the...
We were looking forward to visiting Puebla again, so as one of our few extravagances while returning to Lake Chapala as quickly as possible, we booked two nights at the hotel in Puebla we had enjoyed so much. Staying there an extra night would also make it possible for us to see a bit of the city.
Starting in Cordoba, Puebla is less than three hours by car, but what a breathtakingly scenic three hours it is! Even before leaving Cordoba, we could see towering snowcapped...
Before we moved to Panama, we spent 18 months to 2 years researching where in the world we wanted to relocate to, Panama was not even on our radar!
We, like most people who relocate, had a long list of criteria, This list included things like: The county must have a growing economy (we were coming here to work and sadly couldn't afford to retire yet!), a good infrastructure, good education (we have school age children), good healthcare, good weather, including safe...
The water supply in the main towns in the Puerto Vallarta area is almost always perfect.
You get to choose the area code of your new number in the States or Canada, and you can receive and make phone calls for free. We use this at the Farmstay to offer free calling service for our visitors and find it to be a great benefit, especially as this is part of our "soft- landing service."...
The expats here in Ambergris Caye are a very diverse group. There are expats here who are former CEOs and there are also expats here who are living on a disability pension. 
We have three or four beautiful rivers that cross Portugal. Further south from Lisbon we have the Guadiana River, where I have rafted. Up north we have Mondego River and further north close to Porto we have Douro River, which is where the Porto Wine comes from. And this area Douro; the Douro River and the cliffs surrounding the Douro River, is where they plant the grapes to produce the world famous Porto Wine or “Port Wine” as you call it in America. We do not have the...
Coronado is very much an international area, and since the 1940s Panama has had a treaty with the Italians that allow them to come any time they want without almost any paperwork. As a result, we have an abundance of Italian-owned Italian restaurants run by Italians with real Italian food. I bet we have 6 Italian restaurants just in the Coronado area alone.
An emerging personal finance trend has seen retirees and people in pre-retirement making investments in foreign real estate, especially in emerging markets. The potential benefits are very enticing; these regions are seeing growth and appreciation rates that exceed those in domestic markets, and there’s built-in potential for generating income by renting the property to vacationers. Best of all, you can live there yourself during the cold-weather months and say goodbye to winter for the....jpg)
We were looking forward to visiting Puebla again, so as one of our few extravagances while returning to Lake Chapala as quickly as possible, we booked two nights