Investing in art

bostonerimus

joebob said:

wmb194 said:

Why do you need to diversify? Why don't you think you can find enough diversification in mainstream and less esoteric investments?

I don't need to diversify, i was just exploring other avenues.

joebob said:

I have been thinking of dipping my toes into buying artwork as a way of diversifying my investments. A long way off yet from actually buying yet still doing research. Anyone on here invested and care to share their thoughts or tips etc.

What investments/classes do you already have? 

    Shares mainly and some premium bonds

Don't buy into the hype around "alternative investments". Stick with stocks, bonds, saving accounts and real estate. 

daveyjp

Unless you are the one who finds that long lost piece at a car boot the transaction costs for buying and selling artwork (as anything decent will end up in an auction) are eyewatering.  

mscott084

You can look into other alternative assets such as forestry and renewable projects if you want to diversify away from the stock market.

ColdIron

mscott084 said:

You can look into other alternative assets such as forestry and renewable projects if you want to diversify away from the stock market.

Forestry and renewables, the home of many a scam. I would be very very wary of putting any of my cash into these

Even those that are not outright scams have a very high chance of failure

Brie

My parents did a lot of research, were well versed in the art world, everything pointed to certain artists/trends being likely to hold or increase in value.  Almost everything is worth less now than when purchased, some wouldn't even find a market at all.  But it's all lovely stuff and my brothers and I are having a fun argument about who's going to get what, including things my parents painted.  

mscott084

ColdIron said:

mscott084 said:

You can look into other alternative assets such as forestry and renewable projects if you want to diversify away from the stock market.

Forestry and renewables, the home of many a scam. I would be very very wary of putting any of my cash into these

Even those that are not outright scams have a very high chance of failure

Why do you think it has a very high chance of failure? I'm currently looking into Ripple Energy, for example, and seems that it might be a good option as you directly benefit from lower electricity prices.

Billxx

Art is not an investment, it does not return an income.  It's a gamble.

km1500

Recommend you watch the film 'the price of everything'

wmb194

 mscott084 said:

ColdIron said:

mscott084 said:

You can look into other alternative assets such as forestry and renewable projects if you want to diversify away from the stock market.

Forestry and renewables, the home of many a scam. I would be very very wary of putting any of my cash into these

Even those that are not outright scams have a very high chance of failure

Why do you think it has a very high chance of failure? I'm currently looking into Ripple Energy, for example, and seems that it might be a good option as you directly benefit from lower electricity prices.

Why bother with some weird micro company when you can invest in any number of established, stockmarket listed renewables companies? E.g., Greencoat UK Wind (UKW), Bluefield Solar (BSIF), Foesight Solar (FSFL) and The Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG). They pay regular dividends plus if you want your money* back you can simply sell your shares. No weird co-op setups involved.

*Plus or minus.

ColdIron

Indeed

The term 'renewables' spans a wide spectrum, but coupled with 'Forestry' raises red flags for me

Try the search function above with 'forestry investment'