To manage wealth well requires understanding and responding wisely to risk. This white paper seeks to help readers gain insight into the heart of risk. It focuses not on technical measures of risk (beta, volatility, variance, and the like) but rather how successful individuals tolerate and manage risk day-to-day.
The purpose of this article is to support the argument that alternative investments belong in high net worth portfolios, analyze what the appropriate allocation is for them, and summarize some of the challenges associated with actually implementing more alternatives within portfolios of different sizes.
Absolute return funds deserve a place in anyone's investment portfolio, according to a research paper from Liberty Gateway Investment Management Co. Rather than trying to fit these and other alternative investments into a traditional portfolio, Liberty recommends looking at traditional and alternative investments simultaneously to create the best possible portfolio at a given level of risk.
A long-term investor seeking immediate, low-cost diversification may want to seriously consider exchange funds as a strategy, according to a paper from Atlantic Trust Private Wealth Management. The paper considers the risks and benefits of exchange funds and recommends paying careful attention to the fund's issuer and structure.
Charities face a particular challenge in building and maintaining a balanced portfolio of investments that will provide a secure return. In its 12th Compendium of Investment for Charities, Sarasin & Partners provides assistance by exploring investment options and offering suggestions for how to plan a charity investment policy, put asset allocation into practice, implement an investment policy and monitor the results.
This paper investigates the case for global investing, to examine why it is that so many American investors underweight foreign stocks, and to suggest a sensible middle ground between true global investing and the current home country bias that infects most portfolios.
Deutsche Bank research suggests that microfinance is growing in attractiveness for private sector investors. The report, entitled "Microfinance: An emerging investment opportunity," represents the first formal research paper on microfinance investments produced by a major financial institution. The study suggests that microfinance will evolve into a niche investment product that will increasingly attract both retail and institutional investors.
Family offices have been increasing their allocations to private equity and this trend is likely to continue, according to a new study by the European Venture Capital and Private Equity Association and the IMD Business School of Lausanne. The average allocation to private equity by the offices interviewed was 12 per cent, with the highest commitment being close to 50 per cent. On the fund investment side, there is a strong preference for buy-out funds.
Investors can win bigger profits in commodity futures trading by keeping a close eye on inventory, according to a research paper available though Knowledge@Wharton. The research shows how to gauge inventory levels by looking at the relationship between prices of commodities on the futures market and in the cash market, where they are sold for immediate delivery.
ADRs, or American depository receipts, have given U.S. investors access to the common stocks of multinationals, but is an ADR-only account the best way to invest internationally? Fortigent examines that question in this white paper, concluding that high net worth investors also should consider limited partnerships and mutual funds with competitive fees.