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

Introduction

The search for better performing assets usually leads investors to explore the broad category of alternative investments, which is a term generally used to describe investments outside of the familiar categories of equities; Treasury bonds; other high-quality, investment-grade debt; and bank instruments such as certificates of deposit. Greater numbers of people embark on this quest during periods when the performances of more familiar investments are lackluster. The 2000–2002 bear market in equities, for example, inspired many investors to investigate alternative investments. Similarly, the 2003 collapse of short-term interest rates to 1 percent and the 2005 drop in Treasury bond rates to below 4.2 percent led investors to look for higher-yielding fixed-income investments. And now, the huge federal budget and trade deficits and the impending crises in Social Security and Medicaid have sent investors searching for investments that will protect them from the risks of a falling U.S. dollar.

A Travel Guide to Alternative Investments

This book takes you on a "scenic tour" of the world of alternative investments. And like a good travel agent, it will provide you with recommendations on which tours to consider taking and which "tour operators" to hire or to avoid at all cost.

When Larry was growing up, his parents always took the kids on vacations. While there was always a main destination, some of his fondest memories were of the scenic "side tours" his dad would take the kids ...