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Art, stamps, antiques, wine & commodities

INVESTMENT GUIDE: There are some exciting areas to invest your money including wine, books, art and more
May 23, 2008

If shares, funds, property and bonds don't excite you, then fear not. There are plenty of other places in which to invest your hard-earned cash. From books and toys to gold and fine wine, this part of investing offers something for everyone. In recent years, it's been a very profitable area in which to invest. The combination of cheap credit in the west and new money coming in from the east has driven up prices in a wide range of asset classes. Of course, such good performance cannot last forever, but there will still be profits available for those prepared to do their homework.

Before parting with your money though, there are some things that every investor must know. So our guide starts with five golden rules that everyone should follow.

Next, we move on to the investments themselves, starting with art, then moving on to stamps and coins, and then wine.

Finally, we take a look at some of the commodities that have become increasingly popular in recent years. Gold has attracted plenty of interest, so we look at whether now is the right time to buy and at how to go about buying it. We then take a similar look at other types of commodities. Finally, we explain how a new range of funds called exchange traded commodities (ETCs) can provide a cheap, easy way into the sector.

Click on the links below for detailed guides on alternative investments: