Private-market assets are all the rage, but are they worth the bragging rights?

PRIVATE bankers espoused the value of alternative investments when interest rates were ultra-low some years ago. They continue to push alternatives today when rates have climbed steadily and substantially.

But are alternatives – such as hedge funds, private equity and private debt – all they are cut out to be? How appropriate are they for individuals who qualify as accredited, but whose total portfolio may be far less than US$10 million?

Under Singapore’s rules, those who have net financial assets of at least S$1 million or income of at least S$300,000 in the last 12 months qualify as accredited investors.