At Gladstone Morgan we feel that an alternative investment is for the more professional investor. The term is a relatively loose one and includes tangible assets such as Art, Wine, Antiques, Coins or Stamps and some financial assets such as commodities, private equity, hedge funds, venture capital, film production and financial derivatives. Gladstone Morgan does not market promote these items directly however, through our network of contacts we work with a range of companies, each one a leading specialist in their field.

Alternative investments are sometimes used as a tool to reduce overall investment risk through diversification. Some of the characteristics of alternative investment may include:

• Low correlation with traditional financial investments such as stocks and shares
• Alternative investments may be relatively illiquid
• It may be difficult to determine the current market value of the asset
• There may be limited historical risk and return data
• A high degree of investment analysis may be required before buying
• Cost of purchase and sale may be relatively high