Alternative assets are more than just “good to have.” They are essential if you want to build wealth reliably and have a truly diverse portfolio.
Saying alternative investments are essential is all well and good, but if you’re new to investing in alternative assets, it can feel overwhelming. The market has so many options, and each investment comes with its regulations, fees, and risk. Keeping track of all of it can feel like juggling one too many balls. An alternative investment platform makes these investments more accessible and more efficient, allowing you to access high-return investments with ease.
This post will cover eight of our favorite alternative investment platforms. We’ll explore each in detail, examining what the platform does, how to use it effectively, and what type of investor may be most interested in it.
What Are Alternative Investment Platforms?
You want to build wealth using an alternative investment platform. First, let’s establish what an alternative investment is. Alternative investments are any investments that aren’t stocks, bonds, or cash. Real estate, cryptocurrency, startups, and collectibles all fall under the alternative investment umbrella.
In that same vein, an alternative investment platform is a platform or tool designed to help investors coordinate the purchase and sale of alternative investments. The benefit of using an alternative investment platform is that these tools allow you to diversify your portfolio and easily access assets that generally grow at a higher rate than the stock market.
Related Read: Buying Property with Friends: 4 Steps to Build Massive Wealth
Tribevest loves alternative investments: Our origin story involves three brothers purchasing a vacation home together! Not only that, but we know our way around alternative investment platforms. Tribevest’s group investment and alignment tool is the perfect companion to any platform on this list.
Single-Family Rental Investment Platforms
Doorvest
Doorvest’s alternative investment platform allows investors to purchase and own residential rental properties, earn passive income, and diversify their portfolios.
With Doorvest, you start by identifying your ideal investment property and your investing goals. You will then submit a deposit and reserve your income property through the platform. Doorvest includes a 10% service fee, meaning you don’t need to worry about the day-to-day management of your rental property to start earning passive income.
Doorvest requires a minimum investment of $45,000. However, you do not need to be accredited to invest with Doorvest.
Roofstock
Roofstock is an alternative investment platform specializing in residential investment properties. Using Roofstock, you can purchase investment properties in markets outside of your state or country of residence.
Roofstock has three options. Roofstock Marketplace is an online marketplace that allows buyers and sellers of investment properties to connect. Roofstock One provides a solution for investors looking to purchase fractional shares of managed investment properties. Roofstock Platform Services is a full-service solution designed for investors looking to scale their portfolios.
Non-accredited investors looking to break into investment property ownership can use Roofstock to start reaching their real estate investment goals.
Real Estate Syndication Investment Platforms
Fundrise
Fundrise is an investment platform designed for real estate investing. This platform offers investors the opportunity to invest in real estate assets with lower expenses and fewer associated fees.
Fundrise is a great option for investors new to real estate investing, as the platform coordinates with developers and operators, putting together diverse portfolios for investors to own. Using this platform, you can choose the right portfolio strategy for you. Then, you can keep an eye on your assets, watching trends and adjusting your strategy as needed.
You don’t need to be an accredited investor to invest with Fundrise. Any US citizen or permanent resident over the age of 18 can invest using this platform.
Realty Mogul
Realty Mogul offers investors the chance to invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs). All the properties managed by Realty Mogul are professionally managed and vetted through extensive due diligence processes.
The properties included in Realty Mogul’s portfolios range from multi-family residential properties to commercial office spaces and more. Select your desired risk level and investment goals to begin investing. You can also choose to invest in buildings in specific locations if desired.
You can invest using Realty Mogul whether or not you are an accredited investor.
Business Venture Investment Platforms
WeFunder
Investing in start-ups might feel unattainable, but with WeFunder, you can invest in founders of start-ups and small businesses with an entry cost of as little as $100. Using WeFunder, you can invest in small businesses you believe in, even if you don’t have tens of thousands of dollars to invest.
WeFunder allows you to browse start-ups and small businesses by category, enabling you to sort participating businesses to see retail companies, restaurants, technology companies, or other categories. You can also find a specific business to invest in, or join as a business looking to raise funds.
Republic
The Republic platform offers a list of fully-vetted businesses for investors to select from. Each business listed on Republic has a different minimum buy-in for investors. Some businesses have a buy-in in the thousands, but there are many opportunities for investments with a buy-in as low as $100.
We’ve listed Republic in the start-ups category for the purposes of this post, but you can also use Republic to invest in cryptocurrency, real estate, and more. There are many opportunities for investments through the Republic platform that don’t require you to be an accredited investor, but some of the opportunities listed on the site do have net worth or income requirements to invest.
Vacation and Short-Term Rental Investment Platforms
Vacasa
Vacasa is a platform you can use to find or list short-term and vacation rentals. Known as a “turnkey solution” platform, Vacasa helps you manage your rental properties for maximum return on your investment. Unlike the other platforms listed in this post, Vacasa isn’t designed as a platform to purchase your vacation or short-term rental property through.
Vacasa provides you with local staff capable of caring for your rental property to help you bring in more passive income from your rental property without having to put in the time and effort usually associated with managing a rental property.
Cryptocurrency Investment Platforms
Coinbase
Coinbase is one of the most well-known cryptocurrency investment platforms currently on the market. You can use Coinbase to purchase, sell, and manage your crypto assets all in a single dashboard.
You can also use Coinbase as a crypto wallet to purchase assets like NFTs. The Coinbase platform also provides you with free educational resources to help you level-up your knowledge and expertise on the subject of cryptocurrency.
If you’re new to crypto and looking for somewhere to start, Coinbase is a great option to help you ease into the world of cryptocurrency investing.
Pre-IPO Investment Platforms
EquityZen
EquityZen is an alternative investment platform that enables you to invest in pre-IPO stocks. A Pre-IPO stock stands for Pre-Initial Public Offering. Essentially, it means that you can invest in a large block of shares before stock is publicly traded.
New companies are staying privately traded for longer and longer. If you want to access investments before they’re stabilized—in other words, while there is still the chance for explosive growth—you need to invest while they are still private. EquityZen provides advice to guide investors through the process.
Investors who are used to trading in publicly traded stocks but are curious about branching into pre-IPO investments may find EquityZen useful and helpful.
Tribevest: The Perfect Alternative Investment Platform Companion Tool
Alternative investments are a great way to diversify your investment portfolio. An alternative investment platform can help you organize and structure your investment efforts, taking some of the nitty-gritty details off your plate and allowing you to focus your energy on choosing great investment opportunities and building wealth.
These aren’t the only platforms available to investors looking for alternative investment platforms, but they are a great place to get started. You can also find alternative investment platforms to help you invest in all types of alternative assets from collectibles to fine wine and more.
To access some of the alternative investments you want, you may need more capital than you have in your bank account. That’s where Tribevest and group investing comes into the picture. Our platform helps you safely and easily pool funds with friends and family to afford assets that would otherwise be out of reach. Start a Tribe today to see how using Tribevest with the alternative investment platform of your choice can take your portfolio to the next level.
