U.S. Accredited Investors Rush to Alternative Investments

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The risk of asset bubbles bursting is all around us.  Valuations in public equity markets have not been higher since the peak of the internet bubble in 2000.  It seems that everyday there are new negative yielding sovereign bonds issued by national governments.  Rates on certificates of deposits are at all-time lows.  Real estate prices have ballooned all over the country, pricing out many would-be homebuyers as large firms like BlackRock have jumped into the residential real estate market. One of the best charts to quickly summarize the current state of affairs in the investment markets is the chart below, as compiled by Bloomberg and Deutsche Bank.

The chart above clearly lays out that 85% of all US high-yield “junk” bonds have a yield that is currently below the current rate of U.S. inflation. That is a big deal.  85% of the public bonds that are currently on the market are losing money when adjusting for inflation, meaning the public bond market should be effectively dead for most U.S. private investors. These investors are taking all the risk of investing in non-investment grade assets but are effectively losing money from the moment of “investment.”  

Globally, the amount of negative interest debt has increased to $18 trillion, the largest ever seen in the history of finance.  Ultra-low, even negative, central bank rates have had a huge effect on the value of public equity securities, resulting in one of the longest bull markets in the history of U.S. equity markets and one of the highest valuation multiples seen in recent history.

The chart below is an excellent depiction of how to graphically see the valuation of the S&P 500 index vs. the actual profits made by those same 500 firms.  You can see that from 2010 to the present corporate profits haven’t moved an inch, but the valuations of these same firms have increased more than four times over.  What has really changed – why the spike in stock prices?  This is the question every accredited investor should be asking themselves and the answer is likely to be: speculation, easy access to capital and a starvation for meaningful yields.

Investors in U.S. commercial real estate face a similar dilemma. Rising prices as a result of low inventory and low-cost financing is resulting in meaningless yields in the commercial real estate market.  According to this data from CBRE, investors in commercial real estate face the same battle as bond investors – their investments no longer keep up with inflation and a soaring consumer price index.

Accredited Investors are Turning to Alternative Investments

So where are sophisticated U.S. accredited investors placing capital these days to counteract these clearly negative public market trends?

The answer is alternative investments.

Never before has there been so much capital invested in alternative investments through institutions and high net worth investors.  At the end of last year, alternative investment managers’ combined assets under management reached an all-time high of $7.4 trillion and are forecasted to reach $17.2 trillion in 2025.  The ultra-rich have led the way, and on average have allocated 50% of their portfolios to alternative investments, with a majority of this allocation going towards private equity placements.  81% of Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals now use alternative investments as a key portion of their investment portfolio.

Why are Sophisticated Investors so Drastically Turning to Alternative Investments? 

We see five key reasons why accredited investors are finding alternative investments so attractive:

  1. Availability of Financial Returns:  We detailed above the lack of options in today’s public markets and in the real estate sector. 
  1. Strategic: Alternative assets offer diversification, typically have less correlation to the stock market than traditional investments and can be used as an effective hedge against increases in U.S. inflation rates.
  1. Changing Capital Allocation: A transition in investor preferences towards sustainable and impact-focused investments has recently occurred, to which public market options do not sufficiently cover this need.
  1. Regulatory Flexibility: Recent regulatory changes at the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) have made private placement opportunities more accessible to more investors.
  1. Unicorn and Large Exit Potentials: There has been a steady transition of investor preference into funding early-stage, private companies and a correlating increase in venture capital placements, again with a focus on earning higher long-term total returns.

In short, investors are looking for returns anywhere they can get them and alternative investments are delivering.  Even hedge funds, who typically only deal with highly-liquid public market investments, are delving into private market transactions.  These hedge funds are competing directly with private equity and venture capital funds by participating in early-stage company funding rounds.  According to Goldman Sachs, faster growing, private companies are conducting more equity funding rounds before their eventual IPOs. In 2006, the median number of pre-IPO funding rounds was one. In 2021, this number has grown to three. Companies are raising more money in the private markets as well. The median funding round has increased from $30 million in 2006 to $58 million in 2021.

How to Invest in Alternative Investments

Alternative investments are not limited to institutions and ultra-high-net-worth investors. 

We are seeing a tremendous amount of positive market changes that, for example, single and double-digit millionaires should be looking to take advantage of:

  1. Invest like the ultra-wealthy directly into portfolio companies: More and more successful private companies are raising money in the private placement markets.  An investor doesn’t need to place a million dollars into a private equity fund to participate in these deals as more opportunities continue to open directly to any U.S. accredited investor.  In our experience at Legacy Group, we are seeing accredited investors enter more deals than ever before with placement sizes of $50k to $250k – amounts that were typically not enough to participate when deal volume was less.  Whether you are investing in seed rounds like a venture capital fund or series D rounds like a later stage private equity strategy, the ability to invest directly into private, earlier stage companies should be at the top of your mind and should provide access to superior risk-adjusted return opportunities, especially in the impact investing space.
  1. Early-stage company crowdfunding raises are becoming more interesting: Before the changes the SEC made to the fundraising limitations in early 2021 increasing Reg CF offerings to $5m instead of their previous $1m annual limits, the crowdfunding methodology was largely underutilized and not really attractive to most companies raising capital.  With the new $5 million limit, accredited U.S. investors are getting access to many more deals.  Nowadays, we are seeing many more companies using crowdfunding as a way to jumpstart their capital-raising initiatives.  With the potential for further regulatory loosening on the way, this is an area of the investment world to watch.
  1. Look to potentially increase your exposure to alternative investments: In today’s world, we at Legacy Group think that alternative investments are the best way to prepare your portfolio for outsized returns.  As partners at Legacy Group, we commit nearly 100% of our capital to alternative investments in our own portfolio companies.  We can´t help but recommend that other accredited investors also take a hard look at their portfolio allocations and their exposure to alternatives.  We see annual IRR potential in the 20 – 35% range for most investors in our portfolio companies, and welcome additional accredited investors looking for alternative investment exposure alongside us.

To learn more about investing in alternative investments or available investment opportunities in our portfolio companies, contact us at investor.relations@legacy-group.co

About Legacy Group

Legacy Group is distinguished by a singular tradition of service to our portfolio partners; the mutual commitment to, and the seamless collaboration of, a true partnership; formidable financial and legal talent across multiple disciplines and jurisdictions; and shared professional values that focus on client needs.

We provide experience and investment to a wide range of private companies spanning many industries, including real estate, hospitality, tourism, agriculture and technology. Contact us to learn more and to discuss current investment opportunities available to you in our portfolio companies.

*This publication/newsletter is for informational purposes and does not contain or convey legal advice. The information herein should not be used or relied upon in regard to any particular facts or circumstances without first consulting a lawyer. Any views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of our clients.

Sources:

https://pitchbook.com/newsletter/lps-issue-a-climate-change-wake-up-call-for-private-equity

https://www.pionline.com/alternatives/assets-alternative-investments-set-record-2020

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/tech-and-telecom-law/startups-and-crowdfunding-limits-sec-rule-changes-explained

https://www-forbes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.forbes.com/sites/jacobwolinsky/2021/09/20/why-hedge-funds-are-increasingly-turning-to-the-private-markets-for-returns/amp/

https://www.fool.com/research/high-net-worth-alternative-investments/

https://www.currentmarketvaluation.com/models/price-earnings.php

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/23/as-inflation-fears-spike-cd-rates-hit-all-time-lows.html

https://slate.com/business/2021/06/blackrock-invitation-houses-investment-firms-real-estate.html

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Accredited investors are generally defined as individuals with annual income in excess of $200,000 ($300,000 with spouse) or over $1,000,000 (alone or with spouse) in net worth.

Jesus Reyes

Vice President, Capital Raising

Economist by trade, spent 15 years working for HSBC in a multitude of capacities in its Private Wealth, Credit Risk Management and Investment Banking divisions. Furthermore, Jesus worked for the bank in multiple countries. Prior to leaving HSBC, Jesus was the Global Account Owner of the bank’s relationship with the world’s largest accounting and consulting firms.


Upon leaving Wall Street, Jesus joined a boutique Medical Group in Beverly Hills, as CEO, with the primary goal of leading the team through a process of corporate transformation from a small enterprise to a corporation able to navigate the terrain of bringing in Private Investors and expand into new markets: New York, Orange County, Chicago and San Diego.


In addition to extensive professional experience, Jesus holds degrees in Economics (BA – St Mary’s University, and MA – Fordham University) and Finance (MS – University of Rochester).

DUSTIN BALDWIN

Vice President, Business Development

After multiple combat tours with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves and obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Real Estate from the University of Florida, Dustin took a position in corporate finance with Lockheed Martin, followed shortly by obtaining his Series 7 and 66 certifications as a Financial Advisor at Edward Jones. Looking for an opportunity to implement his leadership earned in the Marine Corps and entrepreneurial desire, Dustin decided to leave the corporate environment and joined a family-owned private prisoner transportation start-up, while also investing in real estate. Over the next several years, Dustin became a partner in the company, moved into the role of Executive Director and helped grow the company through strategic relationships, winning large government contracts, and helping foster several mergers, ultimately getting the business to a successful sale. After obtaining his MBA in Real Estate from Florida State University in 2020, Dustin continued to invest in real estate, taking a specific interest in land acquisition and development to create equity and cash flow opportunities. Additionally, he was involved with several start-ups and became one of the largest investors in The Green Coffee Company, a Legacy Group portfolio company. After getting boots-on-the-ground with his Green Coffee Company investment in Colombia, Dustin saw an opportunity to become more than just a passive shareholder and joined Legacy Group as the VP of Business Development in June 2022.

 

Dustin has earned a reputation for his genuine leadership style, adaptive problem-solving skills, ability to forge authentic relationships, and being a fast-moving action-taker across multiple industries. His fluidity and adaptive results-oriented mindset makes Dustin an excellent addition to Legacy Group as our VP of Business Development.

 

Dustin lives in St. Petersburg, Florida with his wife Jenny and their German Shepherd, Kimber. Going on 18-years in the USMC, Dustin will retire after 20 years and continue to focus on adding value to Legacy Group Stakeholders.