~Announcing a new joint venture and a new paid service~

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Welcome to a very special issue of Alternative Assets. I hope you enjoyed last week's issue on Trading NFTs with NBA Top Shot.

Today I'm announcing something very special: A new website, a joint venture with the excellent alt investment newsletter Fractional, and finally a brand new paid service that we are calling Alternative Assets Insider.

Let’s dive in!

Joining forces with Wyatt Cavalier

If you're a reader of Alternative Assets, you may be familiar with Wyatt Cavalier.

Wyatt is someone I've given a few shoutouts to in recent months. His Substack newsletter, Fractional (along with his recently launched paid service Fractional Arbitrage) contains some of the sharpest writing and most forward-thinking analysis of fractional investment opportunities on the entire Internet. Full stop.

Wyatt has been an avid reader of Alternative Assets since the beginning. He has inspired past issues, provided excellent ideas & feedback, and sparked thought-provoking conversations. Last December he began doing Twitter teardowns of upcoming Rally & Collectable IPOs, which immediately caught my eye. He came out swinging with Fractional a few weeks later; a proof-of-concept paid newsletter that quickly showed people are willing to pay for his deep-dive analysis.

We realized that we were not only big fans of each other's work, but were actually starting to complement each other quite nicely. I had just released my first paid package, Traffic Advantage, which used proprietary metrics to analyze deals in the website investing space. I knew I wanted to expand this offering to Ecommerce and Micro SaaS businesses. It turned out that, with his background in finance and intelligence analysis (along with his killer new paid newsletter) Wyatt was essentially doing the same type of analysis for an entirely different class of alts. It felt like a perfect match.

We also realized that, despite the quickly growing interest from both casual lurkers and serious investors, there is a lot of confusion and noise.

Although assets are vetted by their respective platforms, that does not mean you shouldn't research what you’re investing in. Regardless of the forum through which you invest, you always need to take the time to understand the risk/return profile of your investments.

People want to get involved in these exciting new worlds, but find it difficult to navigate intelligently. It's tough to know not only who to trust, but why to trust them. We were seeing some bad info, some charlatans, and a near-total lack of the deep, rich, valuable analysis that we both love performing.

In short, we saw an opportunity to cut through the noise like a knife, use our expertise to our advantage, and deliver real value.

So today, Wyatt and I are happy to announce that we have joined forces! 🎉

We are merging our newsletters and audiences into one, and have created a new paid service that encompasses services we both already provide, and a whole lot more. More on that in a sec.

To add fuel to the fire, we've also partnered with the supremely intelligent and talented Jakob Greenfeld (founder of Newsletter Spy, Gum Spy, and Product Explorer, to name just a few) to build our robust backend data pipeline.

We're calling our new service Alternative Assets Insider.

What's it all about? Read on...!

What is Alternative Assets Insider?

​Insider is a special paid newsletter for investors looking for a serious edge.

You get full access to our deep research, data insights, and recommendations on nine alternative asset classes.

You’ll also get access to our Private Facebook group, where we discuss & debate deals, opportunities and upcoming alt IPOs.

Features:

• Deal analysis. In-depth research and deep quantitative analysis on hundreds of investible items. We analyze deals so you don’t have to.
• Asset valuations. We analyze as many data sources as possible to triangulate an asset's Inferred Value.
• Honest research and insights. Our investment research helps you evaluate alt asset IPOs and other opportunities. Includes full access to past issues on 500+ assets.
• Benchmarks & trends. Category benchmarks and deep analysis of new alternative investing trends.
• Outlook and risks. Just like you, we’re professionals striving to deliver returns. Our recommendations cut through noise like a knife.
• Scores and recommendations. We combine a quantitative verdict with rich qualitative analysis to create our proprietary Insider Score.
• Private Facebook group. We know this space well, but we don't pretend to know it all. Discuss & debate in our private Facebook group.
• Unlimited updates. We deliver insights straight to your inbox. Follow as many assets as you'd like for one price.​

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Which asset classes does Insider cover?

We are covering nine alternative asset classes to start. As an Insider, you can get updates on as many as you want.

​1) Sports Cards

This is where much of the action is right now. Sports trading cards are the fastest-growing fractional asset class in this space. What started as a hobby is now an obsession for sports fans, collectors, and investors. The introduction of fractional investing into blue-chip cards through platforms such as Rally and Collectable has been phenomenal. These sites allow investors to buy fractions of cards and other assets that would be financially out of reach for basically every retail investor, such as rookie cards of Mickey Mantle, Mike Trout, and Tom Brady. Investors can participate in the risk/return profile of investment-grade cards through much smaller investment amounts than it would take to actually purchase the card outright.

​2) Sports Memorabilia​

Sports memorabilia is another one of the fastest-growing and most talked about alternative assets. While trading cards offer visual & historic value, the chance to own actual jerseys, gloves, and other tangible items physically used by athletes makes this asset class incredibly valuable.

​3) Comics​

Riding the coattails of the sports cards boom, comics have seen an explosion of popularity and value over the last few years. The ongoing and immensely popular cinematic releases of your favorite characters continues to fuel the fire.

​4) Books​

Rare books are one of the most loved but least-understood alternative investment classes. Previously only available to those with deep inside knowledge (and even deeper pockets) you can now invest in your favorite first editions. Wyatt actually has book valuations in his background, specializes in banned editions, and has even developed a proprietary formula for valuing old books.

​5) Cultural Assets​

Ever considered investing in a dinosaur skeleton, vintage Apple computer, or an autographed guitar used by Eddie Van Halen? Lucky for everyone, there are now a wide range of blue chip cultural items available to retail investors.

With some cultural items, there’s a fair amount of guessing. Triangulating the value of a triceratops skull is…rather difficult, to say the least. But we’re putting in the effort and sharing our understanding with you. We’re guessing intelligently.

​6) Websites​

With higher profit margins than ecommerce and requiring lower maintenance than micro SaaS, content websites offer an extremely alluring passive income opportunity.

While you can make outsized returns with websites vs, say, real estate or stocks, it’s not exactly easy. But with platforms like Flippa and Empire Flippers leading the way, this space is likely to produce great alternative investment opportunities for years to come.

​7) Ecommerce​

The world is experiencing a massive shift towards ecommerce, and interest in buying ecomm businesses has accelerated along with it. Platforms like Flippa and Shopify Exchange let you buy a cash-flowing business with ease.

Running an ecommerce store is never completely passive — there’s always some maintenance required. But between dropshipping and Amazon FBA, management is much easier than it used to be.

​8) Micro SaaS​

Software continues to eat the world, and interest in buying micro SaaS businesses has accelerated along with it. Platforms like Flippa and MicroAcquire let you buy a cash-flowing SaaS business with ease.

While SaaS businesses enjoy recurring revenue, this is not a passive investment — there’s always maintenance required. But with virtual assistants and on-demand developers, management is easier than ever.

​9) Social Media Accounts​

Social media accounts are certainly alternative assets. Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok accounts have fans, followers, and eyeballs. Digital traffic. And traffic means revenue.

While platforms such as Fameswap and Trustiu serve the market, pricing confusion and information asymmetry means many people don’t know how they should price their accounts. You can find crazy-good deals.

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Insider FAQs

What does Insider give me?

Insider is a special paid newsletter for alternative asset investors looking for a serious edge.

While all subscribers can get updates on different asset classes, only Insiders get the full scoop. Full deal analysis. Asset valuations. Benchmarks. Trends. Outlooks & risks. Scores and recommendations.

You’ll also get access to our Private Facebook group, where we discuss & debate deals, opportunities & IPOs.

How often will I receive updates?

It depends on the asset type.

For assets with frequent drops or IPOs, such as sports cards and websites, we send 3 updates per month. On the other hand, video game and cultural asset opportunities aren’t as frequent, so we update less often.

Generally, for most topics, we send 2-3 updates per month.

How many asset classes can I follow?

You can follow as many asset classes as you’d like.

Can I change my settings later?

Yep. This form lets you set preferences. You can unfollow assets from the link within any email.

How much does Insider cost?

We have three plans. All plans include a 7-day free trial.

• Monthly: $45/month
• Quarterly: $125/quarter ($41.67/month)
• Annual: $450/year ($37.50/month)
• Free: See below

How can I start for free?

Simple. Just set your preferences. We’ll send basic updates for each asset you follow.

Remember only Insiders get the full scoop. Full deal analysis. Asset valuations. Benchmarks. Trends. Outlooks & risks. Scores and recommendations.

You can upgrade or downgrade at any time.

What if I'm an existing Traffic Advantage or Fractional member?

Both Traffic Advantage and Fractional are being folded into Insider. We'd like to thank all of the early adopters who helped us get here.

All current paying members will be grandfathered in to their current pricing. You'll never have to pay more to get the same service you are getting now.

• Current Traffic Advantage members will remain on their current plan, and be added to the Websites newsletter. Essentially, you'll receive the same updates as usual, only under a different name.
• Current Fractional Arbitrage members will remain on their current plan, and be added to the Sports Cards, Sports Memorabilia, Books, Comics, and Cultural Assets newsletters.

Shoutouts & Thank-you's

Wyatt and I are really excited about this new joint venture! We wanted to give a special thanks to the following people for giving us ideas, advice, and support over the past couple of months:

• Ben Hoffman, Sateesh Kumar, Val Watkins, Michael Mazzara, and Soumitra Sengupta for providing feedback, testimonials, gifts, podcast guest intros, and more
• Alex from Odys, Mohit from Blackbook, Ryan & Richard from MoneyMade, and other sponsors of the newsletter. You help keep this party going.
• Ezra, Alex, and the whole gang from Collectable for the great partnership.
• Jakob Greenfeld, Dru Riley, Blake Ellison, Yaro Bigry, and the Trends/Newsletter Crew community members.
• All the early Traffic Advantage and Fractional members. You guys rule, and gave us the fuel to turn this into something greater than the sum of its parts.

Lastly, thank you every single one of you who reads this newsletter. We're excited to be on this journey with you, and to bring you even more great stuff.

Keep the comments coming, we love hearing from you!

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Other News

• Fine wine and fine art certainly go together! Vinovest has announced a partnership with Masterworks, whereby Vinovest customers are able to skip to the front of the line by signing up with a special link. Since launching in 2017, Masterworks allows unaccredited investors access to contemporary art, but due to high demand their waitlist has grown considerably. If you've been looking to bypass it, this link should work.
• Thras.io has raised another $750 million for scooping up mom & pop Amazon businesses, and grabbed a former Amazon CFO. This is honestly getting to be a comical amount of capital. Keep in mind they've now raised about five times what developing the Covid-19 vaccine cost. They are buying about $1.5 million dollars worth of Amazon stores per day (and raising the equivalent of $2 million per day!) But forget the dilutuion for a moment and focus on the platform risk here — Amazon could crack down on this party at any moment. I wouldn't put anything past them.
• FranShares is positioning themselves as the first stock market alternative to allow you to invest in the $750 billion franchise industry. Upon launch, they plan to allow people to invest in a diversified portfolio of franchises for as little as $500, with no fees. The site is a bit rough around the edges, but check these guys out. They are definitely onto something.

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That’s it for this special issue!

Help spread the word about Insider. Please forward to a friend, or smash that share button like The Hulk!

See you next time,

– Stefan & Wyatt

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Work with us!

As discussed above, we have nine alternative asset classes covered, but are looking to add more. We are currently seeking experts in wine, fine art, watches, and more. If you have a relevant background and want to join an awesome team, let us know.

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Sponsorship

Interested in sponsoring Alternative Assets? Let’s chat.

Each issue of Alternative Assets receives over 2,000 impressions. Due to high demand we've added a third ad slot. Three ad units are now available per issue.

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Feedback

• ​✅ Helpful, thanks!​
• ​❌ Not for me​

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