US investors are deeply concerned about the status of their retirement savings. Recent studies have indicated that American workers are not saving enough for retirement. A new study by HSBC indicates that Americans are in good company. Worldwide, indications point to an entire generation of people who do not have sufficient retirement savings.

Currently, a very small percentage of working individuals are well prepared for retirement. At the opposite end of the spectrum are a large number of people who are categorically unprepared for retirement. These people will always struggle to get by and may never be able to exit the workforce. For the people in between, the picture is not so clear, but there remains a significant chance that this group will also be unprepared for retirement.

The HSBC study indicates that the single biggest risk for coming up short in retirement is relying on a single source of retirement income. Worldwide, different groups prefer different investment vehicles for retirement savings, but the real risk is not so tightly tied to the retirement savings vehicle as it is to the diversity of income sources.

If you’re looking for a way to diversify your retirement savings, the purchase of real estate in emerging economies offers the potential for significant gains. Right now, Mexico is one of the hottest emerging economies and Puerto Vallarta is one of the hottest real estate markets within Mexico. There is no better time to invest in real estate here. Currently, property values are rising at a rate of about 10 percent per year. This condition has been present for the past ten years and experts believe that double-digit growth here will continue for at least the next five years.

It’s never a bad idea to diversify your retirement savings, as long as you can find a safe, reliable investment vehicle. Right now, Puerto Vallarta real estate seems to be the best offer on the table in term of value, stability, and growth potential.

Photo Credit: Jorge Vicente

Prominent real estate investors have stopped looking inside the United States for investment-quality real estate deals. Instead, market gurus like Sam Zell are looking in the Mexico real estate market for properties with real money-making potential. The Mexico real estate market is on fire these days because there are so many exciting things happening in the Mexico economy, especially in the “tourist cities.”

The Federal government is making massive investments in infrastructure in an effort to diversify the Mexican economy and establish it as an economic power in Latin America. Mexico is trying to become a worldwide trading power. To do that, Mexico must build new infrastructure, replace existing infrastructure and tap into new worldwide markets.

As part of its plan to finance this effort, Mexico is trying to increase the number of tourist dollars it takes in and is also trying to attract retirees from the US, Canada, Europe and Asia with its low cost of living and high quality of life.

These infrastructure investments – new interstate highways, bridges and tunnels; airports and marine terminals; universities; water treatment facilities that will deliver clean drinking water to 95% of the country’s population; and telecommunications and data infrastructure combined with federal policies that encourage foreign investment in Mexico are pushing interest in Mexico real estate and driving its price up. “Fly-in” areas that are easily accessible by airport – like Puerto Vallarta – are in especially high demand.

If you plan to take advantage of the double-digit growth in residential real estate in Puerto Vallarta, you’ll want to be sure to choose the best possible investment property because the old real estate maxim still applies: location, location, location! Few places in Mexico can offer you everything that Puerto Vallarta does and investors in Puerto Vallarta real estate will be well positioned to take advantage of the coming changes here.

Photo Credit: Josh Klute

Downturns happen, and when they do, they can be scary, especially when they affect your retirement savings. Many people want to know how they can protect their retirement when things aren’t so rosy. The simple answer is that a diversified portfolio contains investments that contain both bull market investments and bear market investments. This sound simplistic, but it’s a time-honored strategy.

So where do you find good bear market investments? Gold is always high on the list of bear market investments. Real estate is another good choice, as long as you pick the right market. Right now, US real estate holdings are suffering, but markets outside the US are doing much better.

The best opportunity to find high-performance bear market investments right now in the Western hemisphere lies in Mexico. The Mexico real estate market has been outperforming the US real estate market for several years, as the first baby boomers have begun to prepare for retirement.

Certain areas of Mexico are turning in a stellar investment performance when it comes to the value of real estate holdings. The Puerto Vallarta area is a prime example of this. Property values here have been on a double-digit appreciation path for the past ten years.

The news for property owners in Puerto Vallarta gets even better. While there are a significant number of condo projects being built right now, which could foster some concern about overbuilding, the population of Puerto Vallarta is expected to increase by nearly 75% in the next seven years. People who are looking for high-performing properties that provide solid returns aren’t looking at the condos. They’re looking north of the city, for prime waterfront building sites where they can build a custom home.

Select Mexico Properties has about 100 premium building sites in San Pancho that are being sold right now. These lots feature some of the most beautiful building sites in the Puerto Vallarta region. Visit the site and take a look at what’s being offered. You’ll see why these investment properties will make much better bear market investments that high-rise apartment-style condos will.

Photo Credit: Lonnie Bradley

Currently, about 50,000 US citizens own Puerto Vallarta real estate. Many of these people are retirees, however a growing proportion of owners are those looking to build a second home or investment property. Regardless of why they own Puerto Vallarta real estate, they’ve made an excellent choice in terms of location.

Puerto Vallarata is undergoing significant change and expansion. The Mexican Federal government has committed billions of pesos to the creation, improvement and expansion of infrastructure in Puerto Vallarta. Construction has begun on a new interstate highway system in Jalisco that will connect major cities and tourist destinations, including Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Tequila and Zacatecas.

Puerto Vallarta is also the recipient of a brand new airport terminal that can process more than 800,000 international visitors each year. Recently, the marine terminals were expanded as well and Puerto Vallarta’s water treatment plant produces water that meets US clean drinking water standards.

Combine all of this with the fact that Puerto Vallarta’s population is expected to nearly double by 2015, and the limits that the Mexican government places on foreign ownership of coastal properties, and you’ll understand why so many people from all over are anxious to invest in Puerto Vallarta real estate.

You’ll find many opportunities to purchase vacation properties, resort condos, and timeshares here, but you’ll be selling yourself short if you don’t consider the possibility of building a home on excellent residential Puerto Vallarta real estate. You’ll realize a much better gain by building a luxury property than you will by purchasing an existing structure.

If you’re interested in researching investment in Puerto Vallarta real estate, Select Mexico Properties is a great place to start. SMP has about 100 premium coastal residential building sites available for sale right now in the Riviera Nayarit, about 30 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta.

Many retirees from all over the world are coming to Mexico in search of retirement properties. If you’re looking for an excellent place to build a second home in Mexico, consider Puerto Vallarta.

A Puerto Vallarta home can be designed with all of the conveniences you’re accustomed to; the design of your home is limited only by your imagination! Premium locations will provide beautiful views of both the mountains and the ocean.

At the same time, you can incorporate green building technologies, designs and materials into your new second home in Mexico. Solar technologies incorporated into a home’s design can be used to supplement the home’s electrical service, reducing the home’s operating costs and reducing its carbon footprint at the same time.

Innovative design techniques can work naturally to keep the home both well lit and cool at the same time. Your home can be oriented to take advantage of the ocean breezes, while window materials and designs can inhibit the build-up of heat inside the home. The latest green building materials can help the home maintain a comfortable internal temperature, while providing an attractive internal and external appearance.

Puerto Vallarta is so attractive because it’s so flexible when it comes to the design and construction of a green home. If you’re looking to build a custom home and don’t know where to start, Select Mexico Properties has some beautiful residential sites for sale. Once you see these parcels, you’ll understand why so many people are rushing to build a second home in Mexico.