The Power of Alternative Investments
Private markets can help boost returns, reduce volatility, and diversify your investment portfolio.
Private Market Portfolio
Traditional Portfolio
$10K
$2.3M
$167k
Year 0
Year 40
What are Alternative Investments?
Alternative investments (also called private market investments) are all assets that fall outside the traditional categories of stocks, bonds, or cash. These investments are different because they aren’t available to everyday retail investors on public exchanges. Instead, they have been historically only accessible to wealthy individuals or institutional investors.
Private Credit
Loans to businesses or individuals outside traditional banks
Net annualized returns
9%
10 year
Private Equity
Investing directly in private companies or startups
15.3%
Net annualized returns
20 year
Real Estate
Investing in existing properties and new development projects
Net annualized returns
10.4%
10 year
Venture Capital
Funding early-stage companies with high growth potential
23.5%
Net annualized returns
25 year
Why the Wealthy Invest in Alternatives
Higher Returns
The wealthy choose alternative investments because they have historically offered higher returns than traditional investments.
Portfolio Diversification
These investments help spread risk by diversifying their portfolios beyond just stocks and bonds.
Greater Efficiency
Private markets have historically offered greater return for each unit of risk, similar to better miles-per-gallon with a car.
The 2024 J.P. Morgan Private Bank survey reported that 45% of the average portfolio allocation among the globe’s wealthiest families is directed towards alternative investments.
Historical Performance
Over the last 20 years, private markets have consistently outperformed the traditional portfolio of stocks and bonds. While the 60/40 (Stocks/Bonds) portfolio has averaged 7.3% annually, alternatives have consistently seen returns between 11-17% per year.
4-6X
Higher 40 year returns
Greater Efficiency
Private markets provide downside risk mitigation given their lower volatility relative to public markets. For example, private equity has an expected return that is 44% higher than U.S. equities, but with 45% less risk as measured by the standard deviation of return. Similarly, private credit has an expected return that is 54% higher than high yield—bonds with 61% less risk.
How much should I allocate to private markets?
Investment managers like BlackRock recommend supplementing your portfolio of stocks and bonds with up to 20% private market alternatives, while J.P Morgan reported in a 2024 survey that the wealthiest families in the word allocate 45% of their portfolios to alternative investments.