The Little Book Of Alternative Investments: Reaping Rewards By Daring To Be Different

Like a pair of trusty native guides, bestselling investment authors Ben Stein and Phil DeMuth clear a path through the alternative investments jungle. They identify the flora and fauna, stopping along the way to tell you which ones are safe to consume and which ones will consume you, if given half a chance. And they explain in plain English, not Wall Street Swahili, how each product or class of products works (or doesn't work), and how each can be used to help you reduce risk and boost returns.

Just as important, if not more so, Ben and Phil arm you with proven portfolio management strategies that take full advantage of the best of the best alternative products out there. No matter what your budget, level of experience, or tolerance for risk, you'll discover how to use everything from REITs and futures to hedge funds and hedge fund-like mutual funds to shield your money from the bubble-and-bust, hurly-burly of the markets and come out ahead, in all economic climates. Making the technical simple, the arcane accessible, and the dry laugh-out-loud funny, The Little Book of Alternative Investments is your guide to taming the alternative investments jungle and cultivating an investment portfolio that consistently delivers better-than-market risk-adjusted performance.

Ben Stein is a respected economist who is known to many as a movie and television personality, but has worked more in personal and corporate finance than anywhere else. He has written about finance for Barron's, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Fortune; was one of the chief busters of the junk-bond frauds of the 1980's; has been a longtime critic of corporate executives' self-dealing; and has cowritten eight finance books. Stein travels the country speaking about finance in both serious and humorous ways, and is a regular contributor to CBS's Sunday Morning, CNN, and Fox News. He was the winner of the 2009 Malcolm Forbes Award for Excellence in Financial Journalism.
Phil Demuth is Managing Director of Conservative Wealth Management LLC, a registered investment advisor to high-net-worth individuals, institutions, and foundations. He has cowritten seven books with Ben Stein and has also written for the Wall Street Journal, Barron's, Louis Rukgser's Mutual Funds newsletter, and the Journal of Financial Planning. His television appearances include Ludlow & Company, Glenn Beck, Squawk Box, Forbes on Fox, and Wall Street Week.