The Alternative Investment Almanac: Expert Insights on Building Personal Wealth in Non-Traditional Ways

by Denis Shapiro

If you've ever wondered if there is a way to diversify your personal investments in a way that shields them from the volatility of the stock market, The Alternative Investment Almanac is your answer.

Alternative investments are the missing link in today's well-rounded portfolio, but many investors don't know what they are-or how to get started. Mobile home parks, apartments buildings, and life insurance policies are just a few of the non-traditional asset classes covered in this book. Each chapter is packed with valuable, no-nonsense information offering a high level introduction to each investment, an honest look at the pros and cons you can expect, and interviews with experts in each space. There's an exciting world of investing waiting for you to explore. Step in and start growing your personal wealth today.

Genres: Nonfiction, Finance

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 14, 2021

Reviews

[Sarah Ehinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. This was a great introduction to a number of alternative investments. This book focuses on investments that require an accredited investor which requires a certain level of income, and assumes a fair degree of traditional investment already occurring. This is a great read for anyone, however, to get you thinking and learning more about how to follow your desired investment path. I found the lack of female network references within the book consistent with the lower percentage of women in the field, and possibly indicative of missing perspective, which represent missed opportunity for targeting investments in areas that may not be as on radar.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel sure this book will be a treasure trove to the right audience. I read it with curiosity, but not ambition. The author walks us through a variety of non-traditional investments, ranging from apartments and self-storage to certain kinds of life insurance policies I'd never even heard of. It was definitely eye-opening, but the reader looking for an actionable step-by-step guide will be disappointed--ideally, you would approach this book with a significant amount of financial savvy and capital already under your belt if you wanted to pursue anything discussed here. Still, very informative even for the layperson here.

Note: I received a free digital ARC of this book through Goodreads giveaways.

[Raghdan fawakhiri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but...

The alternative investments ideas in this book range between "the expected" (private real estate properties and funds,) and the "you must be kidding me" (life insurance as in investment.. took up 25% of the book!). In-between, some interesting ideas, though still within the real estate realm, such as self-storage facilities.
Within each chapters though there were many nuggets of wisdom and eye openers.
But to suggest that one should consider investing in ATMs is absurd(another 10% of the book. Wow!)
The book is written in a smooth and conversational style, which made it a quick and easy read (though I skipped few pages here and there, where the offerings felt ridiculous to me)
I won this book on GoodReads. Just a disclaimer.

[Rafael Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and easy read, chapters have podcast scripts at the end. Good introductory book to alternative investments, I.e mobile park homes, life insurance policies, atm funds, multi asset funds, and real estate in general. My main critique comes from the fact besides the author telling you to “network” he does not provide platforms to invest in these projects. Additionally, most of these investments are geared for accredited investors. Either way worth the read, I found the life insurance as a tool to invest to be creative and applicable in real life. Another book like this which provided the platforms to actually invest is the lifestyle investor by Justin Donald.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a finance person at all

I read this to try to understand investing. Honestly none seem as viable options for someone in my standing in life. I do not have a lot of money to invest so all of these seem quite out of reach.