Dec 1, 2025
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In March and April 2025, U.S. stocks shed trillions in value across multiple sessions. Though markets eventually rebounded, investors fully exposed to equities faced a nerve-racking ride.
That’s the nature of the stock market — unpredictable swings that can sometimes erase months of gains in a single day.
No wonder financial advisors are turning to alternative assets to hedge against market volatility: 92% already include them in client portfolios, and 91% plan to increase allocations over the next two years, according to a survey of 500 advisors by CAIS and Mercer.
With the alternative asset sector projected to top $30 trillion by 2030, these strategies are proving to be a resilient path to long-term wealth.
Here are five alternative ways to invest beyond stocks and protect your portfolio.
Fundrise Flagship Fund
Buy real estate through Fundrise's $1 billion private fund
Diversify beyond stocks with real estate
For generations, real estate has proven to be one of the most reliable ways to grow wealth, offering a powerful mix of steady income, long-term appreciation and portfolio diversification.
In fact, a PwC survey found that over 50% of billionaires allocate between 21% and 40% of their wealth to real estate, regardless of how they made their fortunes.
But you don’t need billionaire status to take advantage of this asset class.
Private real estate funds allow investors to gain exposure to valuable property assets without the hassles of direct ownership.
The Fundrise Flagship Fund¹ is a $1 billion private real estate fund that lets you invest in an expertly crafted strategy without needing hundreds of thousands of dollars. You don’t need to be an accredited investor, and you can get started with as little as $10.
With 4,700+ single-family homes and 2,500+ residential units owned by the Fundrise Flagship Fund, you get exposure to institutional-style scale and diversification.
Industrial
215 Interchange
Las Vegas, NV
Build-for-rent
Pine Ridge
Fountain Inn, SC
Build-for-rent
Omnia
Richmond Hill, GA
These are a few examples of properties powering the Fundrise Flagship Fund. For a full list of the Fundrise Flagship Fund's portfolio properties see the Flagship Fund website.
After you place your first investment, the Fundrise Flagship Fund will work to find and add new assets to your portfolio over time and send you transparent updates along the way.
It only takes a few minutes to sign up now and become a real estate investor today.
Whether you're looking for long-term growth, consistent income — or both — real estate can play a key role in your financial future.
Fundrise Flagship Fund
Buy real estate through Fundrise's $1 billion private fund
More: 5 ways to invest in real estate in 2025
The rise and rise of gold
In times of uncertainty — whether driven by tariffs, inflation, or geopolitical tensions — investors often seek refuge in gold. Known for its resilience during market volatility, gold continues to prove its value.
Gold has surged past $4,000, rising more than 47% year-to-date in 2025 — marking its biggest yearly gain in more than 40 years. Silver has also skyrocketed, gaining over 79% year-to-date.
If you're bullish on gold, there's no need to visit a bullion dealer. One way to invest in gold that also provides significant tax advantages is to open a gold IRA with the help of Priority Gold.
Gold IRAs allow investors to hold physical gold or gold-related assets within a retirement account. This combines the tax advantages of an IRA with the protective benefits of gold, making it an attractive option for those who want to keep their retirement fund protected against economic uncertainties.
If you’d like to convert an existing IRA into a gold IRA, Priority Gold offers 100% free rollover, as well as free shipping, and free storage for up to five years. Qualifying purchases will also receive up to $10,000 in free silver.
To learn more about how Priority Gold can help you reduce inflation’s impact on your nest egg, download their free 2025 gold investor bundle.
Commodities: Take your portfolio to another level
When markets wobble or inflation starts eating into returns, traditional stocks and bonds may not be enough.
Commodities like oil, gold, and agricultural goods often move to a different rhythm — providing a potential hedge against volatility and real‑world risks.
In fact, global trade values increased by about $300 billion in the first half of 2025, according to United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). That jump reflects strong demand for real‑asset exposure and reinforces the case for commodities in a diversified portfolio.
Owning barrels of oil, bars of gold or farming equipment isn’t practical for most investors. But with platforms like SoFi Invest, now you can easily access commodity-linked investments across a range of funds without the hassle, risk or storage concerns.
You can also tap into foreign currencies, private credit, hedge funds, venture capital and real estate.
There are no commissions, no account minimums, and you can even receive up to $1,000 in free stock when you open and fund a new self-directed trading account.
Private equity pays
The stock market can often be driven by headlines and sentiment. Private market investing, on the other hand, rewards patience and strategic thinking — offering opportunities that are typically independent of daily market noise.
Traditionally, private equity has been reserved for institutions and ultra-wealthy investors. It focuses on companies that aren’t publicly traded, often during key growth stages or through strategic buyouts.
While these investments can offer higher return potential, they can also come with greater risk and longer investment horizons — making them better suited for those with a long-term outlook.
New platforms are changing that. Fundrise, for example, gives you access to private market opportunities once off-limits to most investors — including real estate, private credit and early-stage startups.
By combining these alternative assets into one professionally managed portfolio, Fundrise helps investors build diversification that goes beyond the stock market.
Trusted by more than two million investors and managing over $7 billion in real estate, Fundrise offers a straightforward way to tap into private markets — with the potential for quarterly dividends and long-term growth.
Getting started is simple: share a few details about your financial goals, and Fundrise will build a portfolio tailored to your strategy and risk tolerance.
An unexpected asset class
“It’s likely there’ll be a 10 to 20% drawdown in equity markets sometime in the next 12 to 24 months.”
That’s according to Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, speaking at the Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit in November 2025.
Meanwhile, the Shiller P/E has just soared past 40x, a level last seen in 1999, hinting that the decade ahead may bring below-average returns for those tied to the S&P 500.
With these warning signs, diversification isn’t just smart — it’s essential. Billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates continue to invest heavily in stocks, but they also carve out a portion of their portfolios for assets that behave differently from the market.
One standout example: post-war and contemporary art, which outpaced the S&P 500 by 15% from 1995 to 2025 while showing near-zero correlation to traditional equities.
Until recently, this world was off-limits. Now, with Masterworks, you can buy fractional shares in multimillion-dollar works by icons like Banksy, Picasso and Basquiat. While art can be illiquid and typically requires a long-term hold, it offers unique portfolio diversification.
Sold
Joan Mitchell
17.8% annualized net return
Sold
Yayoi Kusama
17.6% annualized net return
Sold
George Condo
21.5% annualized net return
Masterworks has sold 25 artworks so far, yielding net annualized returns like 14.6%, 17.6%, and 17.8%.*
Moneywise readers can get priority access to diversify with art: Skip the waitlist here
*Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Investing involves risk. See important Regulation A disclosures at Masterworks.com/cd
Phil is a writer at Moneywise, bringing a strong background in public relations, financial communications and copywriting. Educated in Cambridge, U.K., he has created content for several blue-chip companies, combining clarity with strategic insight.
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