FAQ

YieldTalk is a community and resource site focused on investor education and information about equity crowdfunding and other alternative investment opportunities.

What is YieldTalk?

YieldTalk is a community and resource site focused on investor education and information about equity crowdfunding and other alternative investment opportunities. We’ve built a comprehensive database of 100+ (and growing) alternative investment platforms, so you can discover and explore dozens of options from one site. We also publish a blog to help you clarify and pursue your personal alternative investing goals with knowledge and confidence.

What isn’t YieldTalk?

YieldTalk is not an investment platform, and we’re also not professional financial advisers. All opinions expressed are solely for information and entertainment purposes. While our posts and topics will occasionally touch on things like general personal finance, mainstream investing, and overall macro-economic trends that might impact any kind of investment, our focus is on alternative investing for intelligent, adventurous individual investors.

What are alternative investments?

It’s perhaps easier to first define non-alternative (ie traditional mainstream) investment types, which are public-company stocks, bonds, and cash (that includes index funds and ETFs). Alternative investments include pretty much anything else: things like real estate, private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, P2P loans, litigation finance, performance royalties, oil drilling rights, and even cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

While traditional stock and bonds are appropriate for the bulk of most portfolios, wealthy individuals and institutions like university endowments have long allocated a portion of their money toward alternative investments. Now it’s becoming possible for individuals to do the same.

What are alternative investment platforms?

Regulatory changes enacted as part of the 2012 JOBS Act paved the way for a range of new kinds of online investment platforms to access those alternative investments, including many now open to all Americans (not just the 8% of households who qualify as “accredited investors”.) As the new regulatory landscape has combined with the same kinds of efficiency gains enabled by technology in other industries, dozens of new platforms have emerged to offer a wide range of alternative investments online, directly to individual investors, and with far lower minimum investments than previously possible.

In most cases you can browse and review investment opportunities, fund investments, monitor progress, and receive any proceeds from your investment entirely online.

What is investment crowdfunding?

The word “crowdfunding” is used to refer to many different things (including rewards-based campaigns like those on Kickstarter, or donation-based campaigns like those on GoFundMe). On YieldTalk we’re referring mostly to investment crowdfunding (which includes debt and equity), meaning that those participating in a campaign have some expectation of financial return (however small or risky). Investment crowdfunding includes things like companies raising money to launch products, real estate developers looking to finance a rehab project, and businesses willing to share some of their revenue in exchange for a loan.

What types of crowdfunding and alternative investment platforms does YieldTalk cover?

We look for platforms that offer online access to alternative investments directly to individual investors. Many of those can certainly be called “investment crowdfunding”, but some include other kinds of platforms such as P2P marketplaces.

Where is the information sourced?

Most of the information in our platform profiles and reviews come from the platforms themselves, either directly from their website, or via correspondence with platform representatives. While we do our best to keep up to date with the information we provide, this is a fast-moving ecosystem, and you should not rely solely on information we provide to make any decisions. We urge everyone to do their due diligence and review all relevant terms and conditions before investing.

Does YieldTalk offer advice on my personal investment decisions?

Nope! The information contained on YieldTalk.com is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute for professional financial, legal or tax advice. You should consult a professional before acting on any information you find here.

How is YieldTalk compensated?

This site includes display advertising, as well as affiliate links to help support our work, but those affiliate links are only for products that we personally recommend, like Personal Capital. Some of our affiliate links are to the investment platforms listed in our database – if you make an investment after following one of those links, we may receive compensation at no cost to you. All opinions expressed about the platforms are our own. You can find a full list of the platforms we’ve invested our own money in over on our blog, and there are also a lot of other great choices listed in our database that might be right for your particular needs.

How do I add or update my platform on YieldTalk?

If you’re with an investment crowdfunding or online alternative investment platform, and would like to have us consider adding your platform to our database, please fill out this form.

Can I adverstise on YieldTalk?

If we think your company is a good fit, then we offer several ways to reach our audience. You can learn more on our Advertise With Us page.

Want to learn more but aren’t sure where to start? You can explore 168 crowdfunding investment platforms in our database and learn more about the nuts and bolts of crowdfunding and alternative investing on our blog. Did you know you can use a self-directed retirement account to invest in many alternative investments? Rocket Dollar makes it easy, and when you sign up using that link you'll be helping to support YieldTalk.

EquityMultiple

Outstanding

EquityMultiple stands out among real estate crowdfunding investment platforms because their main investors and senior leadership come from institutional real estate finance, rather than being VC-funded. Seed funding for the company was provided by Mission Capital (later acquired by Marcus & Millichap) and their co-founders and board of advisors come from the New York real estate finance and law community. They offer fewer investments than some other platforms, but that’s a deliberate choice to take a more curatorial approach to dealflow. Overall, EquityMultiple is a solid choice for accredited investors looking for a hands-off way to invest in commercial real estate.

"Gain exclusive access to high-yield commercial real estate deals"

First National Realty Partners

Excellent

First National Realty Partners (FNRP) is a commercial real estate private equity firm that focuses on grocery-anchored commercial shopping centers, offering both investments in individual properties and an Opportunity Fund across all of their offerings.

"First National Realty Partners (FNRP) is a rapidly growing commercial real estate private equity firm that owns and operates real estate throughout the United States. FNRP focuses on expanding its portfolio by acquiring market-dominant, well-located commercial assets well below replacement cost. "

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