The Only Guide to Alternative Investments You'll Ever Need : the Good, the Flawed, the Bad, and the Ugly

Description

The rewards of carefully chosen alternative investments can be great. But many investors don’t know enough about unfamiliar investments to make wise choices.   For that reason, financial advisers Larry Swedroe and Jared Kizer designed this book to bring investors up to speed on the twenty most popular alternative investments: Real estate, Inflation-protected securities, Commodities, International equities, Fixed annuities, Stable-value funds, High-yield (junk) bonds, Private equity (venture capital), Covered calls, Socially responsible mutual funds, Precious metals equities, Preferred stocks, Convertible bonds, Emerging market bonds, Hedge funds, Leveraged buyouts, Variable annuities, Equity-indexed annuities, Structured investment products, Leveraged funds   The authors describe how the investments work, the pros and cons of each, which to consider, which to avoid, and how to get started. Swedroe and Kizer evaluate each investment in terms of: Expected returns Volatility Distribution of returns Diversification potential Fees Trading and operating expenses Liquidity Tax efficiency Account location Role in an asset-allocation program  Any investor who is considering or just curious about investment opportunities outside the traditional world of stocks, bonds, and bank certificates of deposit would be well-advised to read this book. Content: The Only Guide to Alternative Investments You'll Ever Need Contents List of Tables Acknowledgments Introduction A Travel Guide to Alternative Investments Modern Portfolio Theory The Good, the Flawed, the Bad, and the Ugly Part 1 The Good 1 Real Estate 2 Inflation-Protected Securities 3 Commodities 4 International Equities 5 Fixed Annuities 6 Stable-Value Funds Part 2 The Flawed 7 High-Yield (Junk) Bonds 8 Private Equity (Venture Capital) 9 Covered Calls 10 Socially Responsible Mutual Funds 11 Precious Metals Equities 12 Preferred Stocks 13 Convertible Bonds. 14 Emerging Market BondsPart 3 The Bad 15 Hedge Funds 16 Leveraged Buyouts 17 Variable Annuities Part 4 The Ugly 18 Equity-Indexed Annuities 19 Structured Investment Products 20 Leveraged Funds Final Thoughts Notes Glossary Recommended Reading Sources of Data Index.