I've had the app for a long time. I rummaged around a bit and then dismissed it as a gimmick: SplintInvest and alternative investments.
With some time on the train, however, I took a closer look and was quite positively surprised. So here is my mini-analysis from the train:
What do I mean by "alternative investing"?
In this context, I would summarize it quite simply as follows: Investments in "real goods", with a limited number of units. For example:
- Scotch whisky 🥃
- Sneakers 👟
- Lego & works of art 🖼
- Watches, handbags or cars 🚗
With SplintInvest, you don't buy the whole barrel or the whole Rolex, but a small digital part of it (called a "splint" at SplintInvest) - from €50.
An exit example: 23.6% profit with a whisky investment in 2.2 years = approx. 10.1% p.a.
What are the real benefits of alternative investments?
Two randomly selected exits are already quite impressive:
- +23,6 % with "Jura 2013" whisky (after 2.2 years)
- +25,1 % with Loro Piana x New Balance sneakers - in just 5 months (!)
A gain of 25.1 % in less than half a year? You have to achieve that with ETFs...
And how does that compare with the stock market?
Here we see that whisky, wine and watches have in some cases outperformed the S&P 500 in recent years. better than the S&P 500 [But note the time span].
Sure, not equally strong every year - but in the long term really competitive.
Here is the performance from 2023, more recent figures could not be found:
What does it all cost?
Splint is transparent, but it's not free:
- 4-6 % fees on purchase (incl. storage & insurance)
- 2 % exit fee, for secondary trading another +2 %
- No subscription, no performance fees
(Important: The return shown is apparently after deduction of fees).
How to sell again?
Splint works with a "trading window":
Every few weeks the secondary market opens for 72h. You can then sell splints or buy new ones.
Currently: 436 assets in 10 categories with over 5,000 splints in circulation.
Is it worth it?
If you do it right - yes.
✔ Returns of 10-25 % p.a. are possible
✔ Entry from € 50
✔ Low correlation to the stock market
✔ Also "fun factor" - art & sneakers are more emotional than dividends
But:
❗ Liquidity is limited - you are dependent on the trading window
❗ Short-term flips are a matter of luck - many assets run for years
❗ Only a small portfolio share (5-10%) makes sense - no substitute for ETFs
Alternative investments via splint investing are not a "get rich quick" solution - but an exciting addition for anyone who wants to diversify their portfolio - or just a love affair if you can't (or don't want to) buy the Porsche quite yet, as $DRO (-1,17%) or $SOFI (-2,21%) not quite going off as desired 😉 This can only be achieved @Charmin with $NVDA (+0,72%) the lout.
I'll definitely have a look at the next Trading Window - and maybe take a sip of whisky, Pokemon cards or a Lego set with me (for performance reasons, of course 😉). The notifications are definitely switched on again.
If you're interested in the topic:
Let me know - I'll be happy to do a follow-up with figures, strategies or further exits.
I've also "briefly" added my referral code to the link tree for those interested. The train ride isn't completely free 😉 You can find information about it there, I don't need to go into it here.
Happy investing
GG
Here still NOT tested alternatives, according to ChatGPT:
- Timeless (DE)
- Investments in sneakers, watches, art & co. - very similar to Splint. Entry from 50 €, based in Berlin. Focus: pop culture assets.
- Convi (EU)
- Specialized in watch investments. Co-ownership model, also from € 50, long-term investment horizon. Based in Estonia.
- Collectable (USA)
- Focus on sports memorabilia (e.g. Jordan jerseys, baseball cards). US platform, strongly geared towards collector target group.
- Rally Rd. (USA)
- Fractional investing in cars, comics, sneakers, rare books. Cool app, but currently only accessible to US investors.
- Masterworks (USA)
- Investments in blue-chip art (e.g. Basquiat, Banksy). Entry at approx. 500-1,000 USD. Very focused, but with a strong track record.
- Mintus (UK)
- Similar to Masterworks, but British. Access to artworks via tokenization.
- Alts.co
- Newsletter + platform around alternative assets. Focus on analysis, no direct investment access, but great for knowledge & deals.
- Upcide (CH)
- Swiss platform for fractional real estate and tangible assets (still under construction / early stage).
