Following the Asian financial crisis and dot-com collapse, high net-worth individuals are more wary of investing. As a consequence increasing numbers are turning to more non-traditional forms of rebuilding their portfolios, and having fun while they do so.

We're all heard the one about the man who bought several cases of wine at an average price of $100 per bottle, kept them for a few years then sold them off making a tiny profit of $250 on each bottle. Sounds far-fetched? It's not. In fact, stories like this are commonplace today. Wine can be big business, even for a teetotaller.

And its business of the Australian Wine Index. They offer a service of field that was previously restricted to old money and a firmly entrenched sense of dynasty. A pipe of port was 'put down' for a newly born offspring and left for 21 years to mature.

Today's investor pays more attention to the probable profit of his investment in a lot less time than that, then in the pleasures of drinking the stuff. Although that can always be seen as the way to go should the going gets tough.Hold the thought that every bottle someone somewhere consumes, your bottle is getting rarer ie more valuable.

Dealing specifically in Australian fine wine, AWI caters, mainly to the Asia Pacific region, including Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Australia and Thailand. Services range from fine wine selecting and advice to determining the capital growth potential of fine wines.

Firstly they locate the wines; this involves keeping abreast of wine news, movements in the markets, special vintages and a nose-to-the-ground approach to understanding the market. Its takes considerable resources to gather this together and specialized knowledge. They determine wines that are best suited to your needs and demands, they purchase the wines on your behalf and provide cellaring in climate-controlled conditions to ensure your investment doesn't deteriorate.

Most importantly, they provide capital growth advice and give advice and give updates on the performance of your wine, ie the supply of that wine diminishing? And they give advice on the best time to sell your wine (especially good for those who are interested in capital growth gains from fine wines). They have in-place exit strategies through an international network of dealers, importers, traders and auction houses.

The past decade has seen fine wines collections prove to be hugely profitable, jumping in value over almost every other commodity in Europe and Australian including property, bonds, gold and shares.

The storage of wine is one of the most important details of collecting wine. In an ideal situation, wines will be held in bond in a climate controlled facility within a customs licensed premise (no customs duty or GST unless the wine is consumed in country). AWI keeps storage at Cougar Express Logistics in Singapore .

The wines recommended by AWI are rated by internationally renowned professionals. Picking the right wines to complement your portfolio is tougher than looking for a suitable stock.

"Ninety-five percent of wines are produced to be consumed," says Justin Alexander, managing director of Australian Wine Index. There are thousands of wine labels from around the world to choose from but no quarterly earnings report, analysts' estimates or live prices to indicate quality and value. As a result, you need more than a class in wine tasting to figure out what wines really have investments legs. You need to buy vintages that not only taste great and have good ageing potential, but which have a good reputation and are in high demand. There are wine brokers that research, recommend starting off with an even mix of well-established labels.

Wines isn't just something you drink anymore, but something you invest in. With the emergence of the Australian Wine Index, you can buy and sell crates of wine as much like you trade shares. You buy the wine through AWI, it is stored for you in a temperature-controlled cellar, and we assist with the resale some time later. You may not even get to hold the bottle in your hand it is merely a business transaction; an avenue to make money."

To wine purists, this might sound like the beginning of the end, but the reality is certain investing in wine is making people reach. It may seem like taking the fun out of collecting, but then again, you always have the option to consume the wines that are not showing the greatest return.

Even though the company does offer buy and sell recommendations, its experts call themselves portfolio managers, not sommeliers.

Unlike other form of investment, wine collecting is a personal voyage. One very common approach to investing in and enjoying wine is to accumulate and sell one half of a collection to finance the other half which is used for enjoyment.

In Australia it is possible to buy at the cellar door of some of the smaller boutique wineries. Similarly in Europe except for certain top chateaux in Bordeaux and Burgundy where an introduction is necessary but all sales go through a negociant.

An exciting alternative investment, the luxury motor yacht may not give the expected return for your money of other types of investment, but it can certainly beat them hands down for popularity as a symbol of success and a pleasure way of having your cake and eating it!

Three new craft has just been released in a versatile range, ideal for fishing, diving and general leisure use, they are the Sunseeker 75 yacht, the Portofino 53 offshore cruiser boat and the open-decked Sportsfisher 37 which brings together the practical aspects of open-deck cruising and stylish elegance.

The Sportsfisher 37 has a revolutionary twin-stepped hull configured to be effective at speeds of more than 38 knots and still be stable at slower cruising speeds. A new hull design and variable transom configurations offer the best performance across both stern drive and outdoor options. Well equipped with a double helm seat in the teak finished cockpit, the Sportfisher 37 has a compact and efficient gallery and comfortably stylish saloon. It is the prefect craft as a platform for scuba diving, deep sea fishing or cruising for a day or more as it comes with either double or twin berths. The Sunseeker 75 yacht has a superb double berth master stateroom with fully equipped en suite facilities including en suite shower room and walk-in wardrobe. The award winning design offers air conditioning throughout, flat screen TV plus a surround sound DVD/CD system, radio and a CD player. Owners may specify a choice of interior furnishings and a drive system.

For dedicated socializing, the Portofino 53 is one of the Offshore Cruiser range of boats with extended cruising potential. Providing space and comfort, style and impressive performance benefits.

Sunseeker International is Britain's leading marine builder of luxury motor yachts. Ever ready to sense market changes, banks and investments houses have also been quick to offer attractive alternatives to traditional investing methods.

DBS Bank is the largest bank in Singapore as measured by assets with dominant positions in consumer banking, treasury and markets, securities brokerage, and equity and debt fund raising. Beyond the anchor markets of Singapore and Hong Kong, DBS Bank serves corporate, institutional and retail customers through its operations in Thailand. The Philippines and Indonesia. DBS Bank has 253 branches, including its overseas offices.

Managing Director and Head of Private Banking at DBS Bank Hong Kong, Mr. KC Tew says, "We have to tailor every investment opportunity to suit each client. We have to understand the customer first before we can structure an ideal investment. It's a personal thing and each person is different."

He goes on to explain, "Basically there are three main types, the conservative person, the very aggressive client and the broad spectrum customer. It is our job to correctly interpret whom we are dealing with and how best to serve them. And we must respond quickly. Competition in the private banking sector is very intense.

"We have found increasing interest in Estate Planning and we are very strong on structuring Trusts. That seems to be getting a big response at the moment. And we consider the customer fully, many of our clients are Chinese language so we translate all of our documents into the Chinese language to help them understand better and participate more fully. After all it's their money."

His view is that mainlanders have a very conservative way of investing, that they like to play it safe. They may prefer to put their funds outside of China and they want a secure bond, a fixed deposit and a guaranteed fund type of investment. They also want to keep their assets confidential. Private investment companies and family trusts are thus very popular among them.

One popular form of making the most of your money, involves currency deposits where one currency is backed by another- it's a form of hedging your bets.

With degrees in Physics and Business Administration before he came into banking, Mr Tew's analytical and business approach is to know the client and keep well informed on what's going on in Asia and around the world. "Philippines clients like US dollar based investments, our local Hong Kong customers prefer US, UK or Euro bonds and] perhaps Australian shares. Its all a question of linking the client of what is suitable for them. Right now and for the next 18 months or so, Hedge Funds are very attractive. Some of them are not high risk and a few are principal-guaranteed.

"For best results, it is preferable to have complete cooperation between the client and the Private Banking relationship managers."

Ideally, Private Banking offers a comprehensive range of services to bring total flexibility in the day-to-day management of wealth. Financing services can be structured in terms of maturity, currency and on a fixed for floating rate basis, to customize a financing solution to match each portfolio. The flexibility and comprehensive nature of these services means they can help meet personal financial needs according to a preferred time horizon.

Investments in foreign exchange, equities, bonds and investment funds give the high net-worth individuals direct access to worldwide financial markets. With a bank's Trust Services solutions are tailor-made in financial, tax and estate planning, the range includes the establishment and administration of family trusts, in corporation and administration of private investment companies and arrangement of financial and tax advisory services.

Corporate Services may be ideal for high networth individuals in the formation and management of Hong Kong/Offshore companies. DBS Bank provides equity-linked investment products, including Equity-Linked Deposits (ELD) and Equity-Linked Notes (ELN) to help you tap the potential benefits of stocks and deposits and enhance your wealth even further. These products are structured investments that let you earn higher potential returns than a standard time deposit. Through these two products, you can effectively grasp investment returns in both bull or bear market in ELD, you have the opportunity to enjoy an enhanced deposit: rate for a fixed tenor which is linked to a stock chosen by yourself. The enhanced deposit rate is the premium for you to write a Put Option.

Be wary that clients assets received or held outside Hong Kong are subject to the law and regulations of the jurisdiction which may be different from the SFO and the rules made under it. Consequently, such client's assets may not enjoy the same protection as that conferred on clients assets received or held in Hong Kong.

Wealth Protection is the art of continuing to prosper when you are alive, and passing your wealth to your loved ones with a minimum of delay and expense after you leave them. Planning your estate may involve asset protection, succession planning and other considerations.

Some people choose to move their assets away from Hong Kong. A reason for this is to reduce exposure to Hong Kong estate duty. This may include opening offshore investment holding companies, acquiring investments or income through an overseas platform.

Of all wealth-protection tools, life insurance is the most common method of wealth protection, as the prospects of life insurance may be passed quickly and estate-duty-free to beneficiaries. It is a way to pay estate duties and provide for short-term-cash needs of the beneficiaries at the Private Banking sector of the Hang Seng Bank.

At the Private Banking sector of the Hang Seng, they have a wide range of products available, including equities, structured products, insurance and trusts to name a few.

They are geared to understand client concerns as part of comprehensive financial planning services. Private Banking is committed to offering sophisticated wealth protection solutions for both you and your future generations. They provide services for people who have successfully built their asset base and now want to place their wealth in the hands of experts who know how to nurture it.

Ultimately, they leave clients with more time to focus on other aspects of life - at their leisure."

These storage facilities provide Ideal climate controlled conditions Held in bond State of the art security Your own account with Cougar Express Logistics Wines are stored in your name (wines can only be removed with your express consent) One day notice for release of stored wine and delivery to your door (if within Singapore) Full online portfolio access