A good directory of hedge funds is the best resource for investigating hedge funds. Hedge funds lists and the Internet are best sources of information on hedge funds, which are not publicly disclosed. A good database provides information on management, with names and contact info, but also the fund's assets, its portfolio and where it is investing. A very good database provides a fund's marketing strategies. Directories for hedge funds are a business expense even for individual investors who might be turned off by the price.

Hedge funds directories should be judged on their usefulness to your investments. They can cost from $750 to $8,000. Hedge funds are profitable but risky and information is a form of strategy. Hedge fund portals are can interface directly with investor from blogs, Internet communities, and from hedge funds. Portals are usually free and some are blogs.

1. Hedge fund directories are a strategy for investing in hedge funds. The risk of hedge funds is their non-regulation: meaning they don't have to disclose information about their funds.

2. Hedge fund directories and hedge fund portals are the best means of getting information on a hedge fund.

3. Before investing in a database, make sure the hedge fund directory info is what you want and need. Do not pay for generic information but do pay for a valuable resource.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Invest in a good hedge fund directory

It cannot be stressed enough that the more information you have on a hedge fund the better your investment strategy will be. A good directory should list the fund's names and contact information, its assets, its investing, and its allocation of investments.

I recommend: Barclay Hedge's reputation is highly regarded in investment circles. It updates its database twice a year and breaks down fund information into 162 separate categories. It is expensive, though. The Hedge Fund Cheat Sheet from the Hedge Fund Marketing Alliance is a good resource for beginning investors in hedge funds and also provides a hedge funds companies list free of charge.

Use hedge fund portals and free information from the Internet

Investment bloggers provide a lot of information on hedge funds -- not the same kind of info you would find from a directory -- but up-to-date investment info. If you are new to investing in hedge funds, free directories are a good place to begin learning. A hedge fund portal can give you answers to your questions.

I recommend: HedgeCo.Net is an on-line investment community. You have to register but it is free. It also contains info for new investors. InvestmentSeek.com has links for directories, brokers and a list of hedge funds. It is also linked to financial news sources.

Invest in your investigations of hedge funds lists

Hedge funds give good returns at high risks. Reducing those risks means educating yourself on hedge funds. Get information on hedge fund directories before you buy one.

I recommend: Columbia University provides a website of databases and Internet resources designed to help investors find their ways through information highway of investments. The Columbia Business Library is another good resource. If you are local you can use the Barclay Directory for free. See if your local library or near-by college library gets hedge fund directories. Kaufman Foundation is partnered with University of Illinois and is another vehicle for accessing information for free.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  For individual investors using your public library or a near-by college's library is a good way to get information for free. Most libraries allow you to request directories, books, and so on which they don't have on hand but will get for you.