2025–2026 Research-Driven Playbook

Turn Latin America’s volatility into your edge.

We synthesize macro data, public markets, Medellín real estate, and residency law into one simple question: how do you actually deploy capital in 2025? Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, and Argentina are no longer just stories – they’re specific, modelable trades. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Public markets
COLCAP, B3 & IPC Deep value banks, energy, and mining – plus ETF routes for “one click” access. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
Medellín yields
7–12% gross cap rates Targeted Airbnb-legal buildings in Laureles, El Poblado & Envigado – with real cap rate ranges and legal traps flagged. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
Visa arbitrage
$115k–$200k entry points Compare Colombia, Panama, Mexico, Costa Rica, Uruguay on cost, tax regime, and path to passport. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Regional snapshot

From Mexico to Patagonia

Live 2025 data
Brazil: liquidity engine Mexico: nearshoring Andes: copper & lithium
Equities
Historic discounts

B3, IPC & COLCAP trade below DM peers on P/E and P/B – with double-digit dividend yields in banks and energy. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

Real estate
7–12% cap rates

Medellín and Bogotá multi-family assets earn hard-currency yields on peso pricing – if you clear the new STR rules. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

Mobility
Visa arbitrage

Compare Colombia, Panama, Mexico, Costa Rica & Uruguay on thresholds, tax systems and timelines to citizenship. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}

Coming to the blog

View roadmap ?
  • “ILF vs EWZ vs EWW: picking your Latin ETF core holding.”
  • “Medellín cap rate map: Poblado, Laureles & Envigado compared.”
  • “Visa math: Colombia vs Panama vs Mexico for long-term tax planning.”

The 2025 Latin America thesis in one screen

Developed markets are expensive. Latin America isn’t. You’re looking at undervalued banks and utilities, structurally undersupplied green metals, and cities like Medellín where digital nomads and retirees quietly underpin rental demand.

This site exists to compress the noise into a few concrete moves: which ETFs, which cities, which visas.

1 Public markets: Old economy, new pricing

Brazil, Mexico and Colombia are still dominated by energy, materials and banks – but they’re trading at historically low multiples with high cash yields.

  • • B3 (Brazil) as your liquidity engine – Petrobras, Vale, Itaú, WEG. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}
  • • IPC (Mexico) for nearshoring via Walmex, América Móvil, industrial FIBRAs. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}
  • • COLCAP (Colombia) for deep-value banks and utilities with double-digit yields.
See ETF & stock routes ?

2 Real assets: Medellín & friends

“Digital nomad gold rush” is over. The landlords who survive 2025 are the ones who understand zoning, RNT registration, and the 70% bylaw rule.

  • • Laureles: value-add buildings + 7–10% cap rates targeting slow-mads.
  • • El Poblado: blue-chip inventory with 8–11% short-term yields in legal buildings.
  • • Envigado & Bogotá: quieter long-term cash-flow plays with corporate tenants.
Open the Medellín real estate guide ?

3 Visas, tax & jurisdiction arbitrage

“Digital nomad” is now a tax residency category, not a vibe. We track income thresholds, day-count rules and tax systems so you don’t accidentally move your whole balance sheet.

  • • Colombia: low visa thresholds, high worldwide tax risk after 183 days.
  • • Panama & Costa Rica: territorial taxation and investor visas for wealth planners.
  • • Uruguay: 10-year foreign income holiday for serious capital.
Compare residency routes ?

Medellín: innovation district + yield machine

The city is now legally classified as a “Special District of Science, Technology, and Innovation,” with Ruta N pulling in startups and developers while digital nomads quietly push up furnished rents.

Startup spine

Ruta N & Medellín tech

Home base for Rappi operations, Habi, Frubana and dozens of fintechs – all in US-friendly time zones at 30–40% of US dev cost.

Yield profile

7–12% cap rates

Airbnb-legal Poblado buildings: 8–11%+. Laureles slow-mad stock: 7–10% with better neighborhood feel. Envigado: quieter, long-term families.

Rules & risk

RNT + 70% vote

You only buy where short-term use is already written into the bylaws and an active RNT exists. No “we’ll convince the building later” fantasies.

We treat Medellín as a case study: real buildings, real yields, real legal constraints, not Instagram drone shots.

Medellín by the numbers

2024–2025 data
Homicide rate
~12 per 100,000 Down dramatically vs. the 90s – but theft & “honey trap” crimes are where risk lives now.
Digital nomad budget
$1.6k–$2.0k / month High-comfort life with fiber internet, co-working, and top-tier hospitals like Pablo Tobón Uribe & San Vicente.
Digital nomad visa income
˜ $1,000+/month Only 3× minimum wage required – but 183+ days means full worldwide taxation. Day-count management is part of the play.
View safety & healthcare briefing ?

Country snapshots: where the trades actually are

Brazil • B3

Liquidity engine of the South

Nearly $800B in market cap, anchored by Petrobras, Vale, and Itaú – a value investor’s playground with big dividends and currency risk you get paid to take.

  • • Trade: EWZ core + selective WEG / Localiza / Raia Drogasil overweights.
  • • Risk: fiscal slippage, BRL volatility, state intervention in Petrobras.
Brazil deep dive ?

Mexico • BMV

Nearshoring, with tariff asterisks

Manufacturing export engine tethered to the US. Walmex, América Móvil, Grupo México and industrial FIBRAs are where the nearshoring story is real, not just a headline.

  • • Trade: EWW + industrial FIBRAs; pick land-banked logistics players.
  • • Risk: USMCA politics, energy policy uncertainty, MXN swings.
Mexico deep dive ?

Colombia • COLCAP

Political discount, real cash flow

The market prices in worst-case Petro forever; the legislature and courts say otherwise. Banks and utilities throw off serious dividends while reforms stall out.

  • • Trade: GXG/ICOL + ISA, GEB, Bancolombia, Grupo Argos.
  • • Risk: FX shocks, reform surprises, low liquidity in smaller names.
Colombia deep dive ?

Chile • IPSA

Copper & lithium, wrapped in politics

SQM’s brine, copper majors, and conservative banks sit on top of constitutional dramas. Green-transition supply crunch keeps a floor under the story.

  • • Trade: ECH + SQM overweight for EV metals exposure.
  • • Risk: royalty regime tweaks, China demand wobble.
Chile deep dive ?

Argentina • MERVAL / ARGT

Binary, high-beta turnaround

Milei’s deregulation push turns locals’ inflation hedge into a speculative rocket. YPF + Vaca Muerta and MercadoLibre via ARGT are the core expression.

  • • Trade: ARGT for MELI-led tech exposure plus selective YPF risk.
  • • Risk: currency crises, social unrest, reform failure.
Argentina deep dive ?

One region, five playbooks for residency

“Move south and figure it out later” is how you end up accidentally tax resident in the wrong country. We translate government PDFs into a comparison table you can actually use.

Think of it as a second layer on top of your portfolio: where your ETFs live, where your real estate cash flows, and where you personally file.

Open the residency & tax matrix ?
Residency quick compare 2025 thresholds

Colombia – M Investor

˜ $115k–$125k USD in real estate, 3-year visa, path to permanent residency after 5 years. Worldwide tax once you’re resident.

Best for: people who actually want to be in Bogotá/Medellín and can manage tax planning.

Panama – Friendly / QI

$200k–$300k+ in real estate or financial assets; immediate or fast permanent residency; strictly territorial tax on foreign income.

Best for: asset-protection, dollar earners who don’t want foreign income taxed locally.

Mexico – Temporary Res.

˜ $4.2k/month income or ~$70k+ savings; no dedicated nomad visa; full worldwide tax for residents.

Best for: people who want CDMX/shore lifestyle and already clear higher solvency bars.

Costa Rica & Uruguay

Costa Rica: $2.5k/mo rentista income + territorial tax. Uruguay: ~$500k property plus 60 days for 10-year foreign income holiday.

Best for: long-term planners who want stability + tax efficiency more than “cheap.”

From the LatinAmericanInvesting.com blog

View all posts ?

Macro • ETFs

ILF vs EWZ vs EWW: which ETF should be your LatAm core?

How to decide between the one-click regional basket and concentrated Brazil/Mexico exposure, using your risk tolerance and time horizon instead of marketing copy.

Read post ?

Real estate • Medellín

The 70% rule: the law that makes or breaks your Medellín Airbnb play

A plain-language walk-through of Colombian Horizontal Property Law, RNT registration, and why you only buy in buildings where short-term use is already baked into the bylaws.

Read post ?

Mobility • Tax

183 days that change everything: digital nomad visas & tax traps

Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and Uruguay all love your income – but they don’t all tax it the same way. This piece is your “don’t accidentally become tax resident” checklist.

Read post ?