Your Advocate in the Room
Most fund managers are delivering non-compliant data.
Many tax preparers are not questioning it.
I'm the only person in the room kicking the tires.
PFIC Help investigates across tax, securities, custody, and cross-border operations and maps failure points at the boundaries between systems.
Amy Short | Principal of Golden Visa Direct
My work sits at the intersection of U.S. tax law, securities law, and offshore fund structures. I didn't set out to be a forensic auditor; I arrived here by trying to do the right thing in a market that resisted it.
The Evolution of a Specialist
I moved to Portugal in 2016 and entered the Golden Visa space in 2019. My initial mission was constructive: I spent two years collaborating with a top-tier legal team to design a Cultural Golden Visa pathway that renovated historic landmarks while providing a real ROI for investors. When Portuguese authorities declined that specific structure, I pivoted toward the broader fund market.
As a FINRA-regulated placement agent (Series 7 and 63), I offered dozens of Portuguese funds a compliant path into the American market. The response was a universal point of failure: the funds wanted U.S. capital, but they refused to adopt U.S. regulatory constraints.
Uncovering the Structural Deficiencies
I realized then that the market wasn't just non-compliant; it was dangerous for Americans. I repositioned as an investor advocate, launching a YouTube channel and the Golden Visa Risk Substack to provide the education the industry was lacking.
In the course of auditing these funds, I have found that the "tax-compliant" claims are often hollow. I have discovered structural deficiencies in nearly every fund I examined—tax issues that ran deeper than the regulatory failures I was already flagging. Most managers are either unaware of these flaws, uninterested in remediating them, or both.
Why I Do This
Why stay in this niche? Because the risks are immense, the "experts" are silent, and American investors are positioned for breathtaking tax harm. I have the credentials, the historical context, and the forensic data to see what others miss. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I didn't use that knowledge to help.
Credentials and Background
Principal, Golden Visa Direct
FINRA Series 7 and 63 (MQP)
MS in Taxation candidate (2027)
Dual citizen: U.S. and Portugal
A Note on Independence
My work is independent. My client is you. I work exclusively for U.S. investors in offshore funds.
My practice is not aligned with any fund, fund manager, promoter, agent, custodian, or auditor operating in the Portuguese Golden Visa market or any other offshore fund market. I have no referral relationships with fund promoters. I do not, and have never, received compensation from any fund or fund service provider.
My analysis is funded entirely by investor engagements. My only obligation is to the investor who retains me.
This independence is the structural prerequisite for the work I do. A forensic diagnostic has no value if the analyst has a relationship with the entity being analyzed.
I’m here when you’re ready
U.S. investors deserve clarity, competence, care, and compliance.
You didn’t create this problem. Misleading marketing practices, fund structure, gaps in reporting, and the professional infrastructure around it created this problem. But under U.S. tax law, the consequences land on you unless you act. The window to mitigate them is limited.
I'm here when you're ready.
