The Only Guide to Alternative Investments You'll Ever Need

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.