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Colin’s Daily SOS — September 27

The alternative-investment industrial complex

Today’s episode looks at the growing popularity of alternative investments among younger and retail investors—from crypto and collectibles to sports betting, private credit, racehorses, trading cards, and domain names.

In this episode

• The rise of alternative investments: Morning Brew reports that alternatives make up nearly 20% of millennials’ portfolios, compared with 11% for Gen X and 6% for boomers. The category offers potential diversification and upside, but also higher risks, lower transparency, and potential illiquidity.
• Sports betting and Gen Z: Bank of America and Betterment survey findings show that some younger investors view sports wagering as an investment tool, despite the sportsbook’s built-in edge.
• Private credit: The US private-credit market grew from about $500 billion in 2020 to $1.3 trillion in December 2024. Concerns include limited withdrawals, exposure to vulnerable software companies, and the lack of a major downturn test.
• Historical investing fads: Morning Brew revisits speculative booms involving tulips, railway shares, collectibles, Bitcoin, and NFTs.
• Racehorses and trading cards: Fractional horse ownership and professional card grading show how alternative markets combine financial value with entertainment, community, and authentication.
• Domain-name investing: AI-related domains are surging, while the .ai domain has become a significant source of revenue for Anguilla.

Deeper reading

• Kids these days are so alt(ernative investments)
• Gen Z sees sports betting as an investment
• Private credit faces highly public questions
• Investing fads that didn’t pay off (and some that did)

These links point to Morning Brew articles and were not opened for this episode; the discussion is based on the newsletter summaries provided for today’s show.

Newsletters featured

• Morning Brew

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This episode is AI-narrated. Colin's Daily SOS is a spin-off from STARTUP or SHUTUP!