A concise, yet comprehensive, guidebook to understanding equity investments. This authoritative guide provides all the information that both the professional and individual investor will need to succeed in today’s equity market, including: • The role that equities play in a company's capital structure and in a portfolio • Determining and optimizing a company's weighted average cost of capital • The role of preferred stock within a company's capital structure • The various types of preferred stock • How new stocks are issued • The top ten equity strategies • Alternative ways to obtain equity exposures [box] The Investor’s Guidebook series presents investment vehicles and strategies from both the issuers’ and the investors’ perspectives. Starting with basic concepts and then building to state of the art pricing models, strategies, and tactics, these succinct handbooks will be useful for everyone from new hires through experienced professionals. Unlike most books, which are read once and sit on the shelf, professionals will refer to these books repeatedly throughout their careers. [end box] A concise, yet comprehensive, guidebook to understanding equity investments.

A concise, yet comprehensive, guidebook that addresses the practical aspects of investing in fixed income investments. The Investor’s Guidebook series presents investment vehicles and strategies from both the issuers’ and the investors’ perspectives. Starting with basic concepts and then building to state-of-the-art pricing models, strategies, and tactics, these succinct handbooks will be useful for everyone from new hires through experienced professionals. Unlike most books, which are read once and sit on the shelf, professionals will refer to these books repeatedly throughout their careers.

A concise yet comprehensive guidebook that addresses the practical aspects of investing in derivatives. Written for the professional market but accessible enough for individual investors, The Investor’s Guidebook to Derivatives includes all the information needed to succeed in today’s complex derivatives market, including: • What constitutes a “derivative instrument” • The difference between forward and forecast prices • Pricing and using forward contracts • Swaps: pricing and applications • Option vocabulary • Pricing options—a framework • Implementing directional and volatility strategies • Exotic options: pricing and applications • Options on natural occurrences: rain, snow, and wind The Investor’s Guidebook series presents investment vehicles and strategies from both the issuers’ and the investors’ perspectives. Starting with basic concepts and then building to state-of-the-art pricing models, strategies, and tactics, these succinct handbooks will be useful for everyone from new hires through experienced professionals. Unlike most books, which are read once and sit on the shelf, professionals will refer to these books repeatedly throughout their careers.

The conservative, thoughtful, thrifty investor’s guide to building a real-estate empire. Profitable real-estate investing opportunities exist everywhere as long as you know what to look for and understand how to make prudent deals that transform property into profits. David Crook, of The Wall Street Journal, shows how to make safe and sane investments that ensure a good night’s sleep as your real-estate portfolio grows, your properties appreciate and your income increases. The Wall Street Journal Complete Real-Estate Investing Guidebook offers the most authoritative information on: • Why real-estate investing is a great wealth-building alternative to stocks and bonds and why it’s crucial that you avoid get-rich schemes • How to get the financing and make the contacts to get started • How to start small and local, be hands-on and go step-by-step with a vacation home to rent out, a pure rental property or a small apartment building • How to find and value great properties, do the numbers and ensure you have that beautiful thing called cash flow • How the government blesses real-estate investors with tax breaks and loopholes, and how you can be one of the anointed • How to deal with the nuts-and-bolts of being a landlord and have a strife-free relationship with your tenants

This practical guide provides a comprehensive overview of professionally managed assets, or investments in which all portfolio decisions and rebalancing are delegated to a fund manager or third-party advice service. Savvy investors looking to achieve a better understanding of the nuances, benefits, and drawbacks of using these products will find the answers they are looking for in The Handbook of Professionally Managed Assets, no matter whether they would like to learn more about mutual funds or hedge funds. There is a considerable lack of knowledge among the investing public about how to properly construct a well-diversified portfolio of investments that includes a selection of professionally managed assets. As a long-standing financial planner, attorney, and educator, Keith Fevurly remedies this issue in The Handbook of Professionally Managed Assets by clearly presenting the major categories of professionally managed assets and revealing the best tactics for investing in these vehicles. Along the way, he reveals each asset's risks and rewards, and he also provides the in-depth knowledge and information investors need to confidently select the right assets for their portfolios. Filled with valuable insights for everyone from financial professionals to individual investors, The Handbook of Professionally Managed Assets stands alone in its ability to shed light on the many investment vehicles that fall under the larger umbrella of professionally managed assets. With topics as wide-ranging as mutual funds, closed-end funds, unit investment trusts, exchange traded funds, hedge funds, managed futures, and more, this invaluable resource will give you the information you need to build a prosperous financial future for yourself and your clients. What you’ll learnAmong other topics, The Handbook of Professionally Managed Assets will cover:Why financial advisors and sophisticated individual investors should use professionally managed assets as part of an overall investment strategy. Mutual funds, including the history of their growth in the financial industry and the differences between actively and passively managed mutual funds. The proper use of Unit Investment Trusts (UITs), particularly in the context of municipal bond trusts, which is the primary asset included in a UIT. Who invests in hedge funds, including whether or not you should decide to invest in hedge funds as a self-directed investor. Why managed futures are great assets to include in a risk-mitigating investment strategy for high-worth clients.Who this book is for Designed specifically for professional investment advisors and sophisticated individual investors, The Handbook of Professionally Managed Assets will answer the myriad of questions financial professionals have about everything from mutual funds to managed futures. Table of ContentsUnderstanding Professionally Managed Assets Why Professionally Managed Assets? The Growth of Mutual Funds Long-Term Investing in Mutual Funds Mutual Fund Performance Measures and Selection Criteria Closed-End Funds Unit Investment Trusts Exchange-Traded Funds Hedge Funds Managed Futures Private Equity Funds Limited Partnerships and Real Estate Investment Trusts Individually and Separately Managed Accounts Variable and Variable Universal Life Insurance Variable Annuities Summary of the Present and Future of Professionally Managed Assets Glossary

Traces the history of money and discusses stocks, bonds, mutual funds, futures, and options.

A step-by-step, comprehensive approach to private equity and private debt Private Capital Investing: The Handbook of Private Debt and Private Equity is a practical manual on investing in the two of the most common alternative asset classes (private equity and private debt) and provides a unique insight on how principal investors analyze investment opportunities. Unlike other textbooks available in the market, Private Capital Investing covers the various phases that principal investors follow when analyzing a private investment opportunity. The book combines academic rigor with the practical approach used by leading institutional investors. Chapters are filled with practical examples, Excel workbooks (downloadable from the book website), examples of legal clauses and contracts, and Q&A. Cases are referred at the end of every chapter to test the learning of the reader. Instructors will find referrals to both third-party cases or cases written by the author. • Covers analytical tools • Includes the most common methods used to structure a debt facility and a private equity transaction • Looks at the main legal aspects of a transaction • Walks readers through the different phases of a transaction from origination to closing Bridging the gap between academic study and practical application, Private Capital Investing enables the reader to be able to start working in private equity or private debt without the need for any further training. It is intended for undergraduates and MBA students, practitioners in the investment banking, consulting and private equity business with prior academic background in corporate finance and accounting.