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7 Top Alternative Investment Platforms in 2024

These platforms let you invest outside traditional assets and can help diversify and potentially boost your portfolio’s returns.

Growth in the alternative asset class has accelerated rapidly in recent years, and these assets are expected to make up 18—24% of the global investable market by 2025.(1)

Learn what constitutes an alternative asset, and see some of the top alternative investment platforms if you want to diversify your portfolio with this burgeoning asset class.

What is an alternative investment?

An alternative investment, or alt, is an investment in any asset class other than conventional categories, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds and cash. These can include but aren’t limited to:

Basically, if it isn’t stocks, bonds or any other traditional asset and you can invest in it, it’s an alternative asset.

7 alternative investment platforms

  1. Invest in wine and whiskey: Vinovest
  2. Invest in a variety of alternative assets: Yieldstreet
  3. Invest in expert-run alternative asset funds: SoFi Invest®
  4. Invest in fractional shares of rental homes: Ark7
  5. Invest in private real estate, private credit and venture capital: Fundrise
  6. Invest in art: Masterworks
  7. Invest in event contracts: Kalshi

1. Invest in wine and whiskey

Vinovest

3.3
★★★★★

Finder score

Go to site Read review
Available asset typesWine, Whiskey
Minimum Investment $1,000
Annual FeeManagement fee starts at 2.5% annually
Signup bonusN/A

2. Invest in a variety of alternative assets

Yieldstreet

3.5
★★★★★

Finder score

Go to site Read review
Available asset typesReal estate, Art, Other
Minimum Investment $10,000
Annual Fee1–4%
Signup bonusN/A

3. Invest in expert-run alternative asset funds

Finder Award SoFi Alt Assets

4.3
★★★★★

Finder score

Go to site Read review
Available asset typesStocks, Options, Mutual funds, ETFs
Minimum Investment $500
Annual FeeManagement fees vary by fund
Signup bonusGet up to $1,000 in stock
when you fund a new account within 30 days
INVESTMENTS ARE NOT FDIC INSURED • ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE

Other fees, such as exchange fees, may apply. Please view our fee disclosure to view a full listing of fees.

Investing in alternative investments and/or strategies may not be suitable for all investors and involves unique risks, including the risk of loss. An investor should consider their individual circumstances and any investment information, such as a prospectus, prior to investing. Interval Funds are illiquid instruments, the ability to trade on your timeline may be restricted. Brokerage and Active investing products offered through SoFi Securities LLC, Member FINRA(www.finra.org) /SIPC(www.sipc.org).

There are limitations with fractional shares to consider before investing. During market hours fractional share orders are transmitted immediately in the order received. There may be system delays from receipt of your order until execution and market conditions may adversely impact execution prices. Outside of market hours orders are received on a not held basis and will be aggregated for each security then executed in the morning trade window of the next business day at market open. Share will be delivered at an average price received for executing the securities through a single batched order. Fractional shares may not be transferred to another firm. Fractional shares will be sold when a transfer or closure request is initiated. Please consider that selling securities is a taxable event.

Options involve risks, including substantial risk of loss and the possibility an investor may lose the entire investment Before trading options please review the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options

Advisory services are offered by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser.

Utilizing a margin loan is generally considered more appropriate for experienced investors as there are additional costs and risks associated. It is possible to lose more than your initial investment when using margin. Please see https://www.sofi.com/wealth/assets/documents/brokerage-margin-disclosure-statement.pdf for detailed disclosure information

Probability of Member receiving $1,000 is a probability of 0.028%

Terms and conditions apply. Roll over a minimum of $20K to receive the 1% match offer. Matches on contributions are made up to the annual limits.

For full promotion terms please visit: https://www.sofi.com/acatoffer. SoFi does not accept cryptocurrencies and has limitations on some mutual funds and OTC stocks. Brokerage and Active Investing Products offered by SoFi Securities, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC.

4. Invest in fractional shares of rental homes

Ark7 Real Estate Investing

Go to site
Available asset typesReal estate
Minimum Investment $20
Annual Fee8-15% monthly asset management fee
Signup bonusN/A

5. Invest in private real estate, private credit and venture capital

Fundrise

3.7
★★★★★

Finder score

Read review
Available asset typesReal estate, Private credit, Venture capital
Minimum Investment $10
Annual Fee0.15% and 0.85–1.85%
Signup bonusN/A

6. Invest in art

Masterworks

3.6
★★★★★

Finder score

Read review
Available asset typesArt
Minimum Investment $5,000
Annual Fee1.5%
Signup bonusN/A

7. Invest in event contracts

Kalshi

Read review
Available asset typesEvent contracts
Minimum Investment $0
Annual Fee$0
Signup bonusN/A
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What Matt thinks about real estate investing

REITs are a great way to diversify a portfolio outside traditional investments and can be attractive for their competitive dividends and long-term capital appreciation. REITs let anyone invest in large-scale, income-producing real estate, and they've been a favorite among investors looking for a steady stream of income for decades.

— Matt Miczulski, Editor, Investments.

How to invest in alternative assets

It’s now easier than ever to invest in alternative assets, and new markets emerge regularly. Technological advancements have spurred not only the popularity of alts but also the accessibility, giving everyday investors access to new markets and potentially profitable investment opportunities that used to be out of reach.

Retirement-focused investors can consider self-directed individual retirement accounts (IRAs) as a way to invest in alternative assets. These IRAs are specifically designed to accommodate assets not typically permitted by most traditional IRA custodians.

But perhaps the easiest way to invest in alts nowadays is through any of the numerous online platforms that connect investors with these types of assets.

Advantages of alternative investments

Alternative investments can be particularly advantageous because of their low correlation to stocks and bonds, especially in markets where these conventional investments are underperforming. That’s what Terri Spath, certified financial analyst, certified financial planner and founder of investment advisory firm Zuma Wealth said about the benefits of adding alts to a portfolio.

“The biggest benefit of alternative investments comes from their low correlation to stocks and to bonds,” Spath said. “With stocks bleeding the profits from portfolios and bonds like dead money thanks to inflation and interest rates, alternatives are where we are putting a lot of client money.”

While alternative assets can help reduce a portfolio’s market risk, they can also give investors exposure to potentially lucrative investments.

“Alternative investments are often attractive from both a risk perspective and a return perspective,” says Robert R. Johnson, a professor of finance in the Heider College of Business at Creighton University. “From a risk standpoint, alternative investments are often viewed as good diversification vehicles … Alternative investments are also often attractive from solely a return standpoint, because the returns from asset classes such as venture capital and hedge funds can … be greater than the returns from the more traditional classes.”

Here are some of the main advantages of alternative investments.

  • Diversification. With their low correlation to conventional investments, alternative assets can help diversify your portfolio, reduce market risk and maximize your overall returns.
  • Potential for bigger returns. Though they may be riskier, returns from alternative investments such as venture capital and hedge funds can also be greater than the returns from the more traditional asset classes.
  • Interesting and exciting investment opportunities. From vintage cars and real estate to investing in crypto or the next big startup, alternative investments can add some flair to a portfolio for investors who want more than stocks and bonds.

Risks of alternative investments

Alternative investments are generally more complex than traditional investments. They can also have higher fees associated with them and many aren’t regulated by the SEC, which means investors need to spend more time doing their homework and understanding the potential risks involved.

They’re also known for being relatively illiquid compared to traditional investments, which means investors should expect to have their money tied up for a longer period.

“One of the biggest problems with many alternative investments is a lack of liquidity,” says Johnson. “Other assets, like commercial and residential real estate have significant transaction costs and can be converted into cash over a longer period and with greater price uncertainty. This is an aspect of many alternative investments that the purveyors of those investments often times gloss over.”

So while alternative assets provide investors with a great diversification tool and the potential for a higher return, investors need to be aware of the unique risks associated with these investments.
These are some of the biggest risks of investing in alternative assets.

  • Lack of regulation. Many alternative assets aren’t regulated by the SEC, which means they don’t have the same safeguards as traditional investments. This can lead to an increase in fraud, especially if the investment is complex.
  • May be highly illiquid. Some alternative assets lack a secondary trading market or tend to be illiquid because of their complexity and difficulty in valuing them. Others have lock-up periods that prohibit investors from accessing their money, should they need to sell. With some alternatives, it could be years before you can sell out and liquidate the asset.
  • Can be highly volatile with large variations in returns. There are no guarantees in any investment, but alternative assets can be especially volatile and produce large variations to the returns.

Bottom line

Because of their low correlation to traditional assets, alternative investment can be a diversification option for investors. But consider your time commitment and your tolerance for risk before jumping in. Investors should always understand what they’re investing in and the associated risks. This is especially true with alternative assets due to their increased complexity and lack of federal regulations.

Frequently asked questions

What is an alternative investment platform?

An alternative investment platform is any investment platform that offers access to alternative assets.

What are four examples of alternative investments?

Four examples of alternative investments include real estate, artwork, precious metals and investment-grade wine.

What is the best alternative to the stock market?

The best alternatives to the stock market may be assets that do well when stocks underperform. This can include bonds, which tend to move in the opposite direction of stocks, and real estate, which has no correlation to the stock market.

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Written by

Editor, Investments

Matt Miczulski is an investments editor at Finder. With over 450 bylines, Matt dissects and reviews brokers and investing platforms to expose perks and pain points, explores investment products and concepts and covers market news, making investing more accessible and helping readers to make informed financial decisions. Before joining Finder in 2021, Matt covered everything from finance news and banking to debt and travel for FinanceBuzz. His expertise and analysis on investing and other financial topics has been featured on CBS, MSN, Best Company and Consolidated Credit, among others. Matt holds a BA in history from William Paterson University. See full bio

Matt's expertise
Matt has written 208 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Trading and investing
  • Broker and trading platform reviews
  • Money management

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