passion investments

CNBC Talks Alternative Investing

Does three make it a trend? The focus on passion investments continues to grow. Over the weekend we saw them as a focus in WSJ magazine and CNBC has also launched a whole section dedicated to what they term "alternative investing." The section has helpful tips on buying antiques, investing in wine, art and more. CNBC defines "alternative investing" as including precious metals, commodities, green and social investing as well as collecting and real estate. While there is a lot of opportunity involved there is also a lot of risk in some categories. The Alternative Investing editor cautions that potential investors do their homework to avoid overpaying or falling prey to fraud.

The stories reveal some interesting details about the world of passion investing. Did you know that Enron items are highly collectible? Or that Eric Clapton's guitar "Brownie" once sold for $959,500? Or that there is a tea that costs $1,000 a gram? The section just goes to prove that there's more than one way to make a fortune.

Tags: EnronInternet, Eric Clapton - Music Artist, passion investing, passion investments

WSJ Offers Advice On Passion Investing

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Shopping

Recently we wrote about the return of passion investing. We aren't the only ones with interest in these sorts of investments. This weekend the Wall Street Journal published the October issue WSJ, its luxury lifestyle magazine. The magazine features a guide on how to acquire luxury goods.

The "How to Buy" article looks at passion investments across several broad categories including rare wines, estate jewelry and investment handbags. Expanding beyond passion investments, the article also why now is a buyer's market for helicopters and how to get the safest facelift should you be in the market for a little nip/tuck (be sure to tip your nurse). The article seems like just another sign that the rich are ready to open up their wallets and put the recession behind them.

Tags: passion investing, passion investments, shopping mall, wsj

A Thing Of Beauty Is A Joy Forever... And A Good Investment?: The Return Of Passion Investing

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) —

John Keats may have been correct -- as he was with a lot of things, but he would never have imagined actually owning the beauty of nature, the thing of beauty subject he was pontificating about in the poem Endymion, or the Beauty Is Truth, Truth Beauty Grecian Urn. In both cases, he admired both nature and the Urn, but never sought to actually OWN them. That's what those 19th century Romantics did – they admired, often from afar. And often, more afar the better. But here we are in the 21st century, when those who have fiscal resources can both admire and possess them -- right now! Enter the world of passion investing.

I have written previously in Luxist concerning the changing definitions of luxury, and how in the course of a year or so, statistics show that the UHNWs and HNWs have shifted their mindset, and thus the paradigm, from conspicuous to conscious, from megalolmaniacal to mindful. This change appears to one consequence of the complex economic culture most of us have experienced since mid 2008. Luxury has evolved now into more than just a major credit card spend with an object purchase. The spend has to have the propensity to make us FEEL a certain way. It has become more about the meaningfulness and the mindfulness of the spend, with the deeper significance of having well-curated, purposeful, inspirational, authentic emotions evoked also by the object purchased.

Tags: American Express Business Insights, art collecters, art collecting, art collection, art collector, Capgemini and Merrill Lynch World Wealth reports, changing definitions of luxury, emotional assets, Harrison Group, luxury investing, luxury investments, Luxury Summit 2010, passion investing, passion investments, The Fine Art Fund, Unity Marketing