Top 9 Tips to Selecting a Fund of Hedge Funds Database

Anyone who has the ability to successfullyHedge Fund of Fund of Hedge Fund Database
navigate the many channels of capital within theSample.
hedge fund industry is worth their weight in gold4. Ensure that the database is updated at least
(and that’s rising every day). There are twoonce a quarter, contact details and firm
major components of marketing and selling ainformation gets old very quickly.
hedge fund which each take constant attention5. Expect to pay $750-$8,000 for a high quality
and refining.hedge fund database, many cost around $2,800
1. Understand the DNA of the many distinctwhile others can cost up to $30,000/year. Be
distribution channels open to hedge funds forsure and know the trade-offs of buying a physical
raising capital anddatabase versus subscribing to one online. If you
2. Having an electronic hedge fund of fund ofdon't have a hard copy of the data in Excel or
hedge fund database of the right people to call onAccess format you may not be able to use it
within those channels.once a time-based subscription expires. For some
While some people develop their own databasesfirms this is fine, for others it would be a costly
from scratch this is often a long painful road withmistake.
many days spent leaving voicemails with firms6. Make sure the hedge fund database you use is
that have gone out of business, merged, switchedcompatible with your systems. Do you use
investment focus or charge too high of fees toSalesForce? Act? Goldmine? Excel? Word?(lord
work with. This has led to many hedge fundshelp you)
investing in fund hedge fund databases that are7. While you are kicking the tires of your potential
automatically updated with half a dozen pages ofnew hedge fund database make sure it has
information on fees, structure, managementcomplete information on a firm. You don’t
information, etc. This trend with hedge fundwant to call a firm asking if you can send over
databases goes along with the “outsourceyour PowerPoint presentation only to find out
everything that is not our core competence”they are really a competitor or a division within
model that many both emerging managers andanother firm you called that same day.
$1B+ players have taken.8. Don’t steal a database. This may sound
If you need a list of hedge fund of funds or areobvious, but it is common for employees to copy
thinking of purchasing a fund of hedge fundparts of a database for later use or use some
directory or database here are my top 9 tips:other un-ethical means of obtaining database
1. Take the time to call or at least email the firmdetails. Don’t, it is not worth it. Always take
who offers a fund of hedge fund database, thesethe high road and you can stand behind every
will sometimes be referred to as fund of hedgeaction you have ever taken.
fund or fof directories.9. This list only contains 9 tips instead of 10
2. Only work with well known, reputable firmsbecause this one is worth more than the rest
that specialize in providing hedge fund databasescombined. Ask hard questions when you are
or hedge fund of fund databases. Avoid smallbuying fund of hedge fund database. Ask how
shop fly-by-nighters at all costsoften your database details will be updated. Ask
3. Take the time to really get familiar with theexactly how many hedge funds are updating their
information provided within the database, ask forinformation. Some databases will say that they
a sampleof what the information will look like. Ithave details on 9,000 hedge funds while the
really is an investment that could save you literallyreality is that some of them haven't updated their
thousands of hours IF you pick the right hedgeinformation in 4 years...make sure all of the data is
fund database for your business model. See abeing updated at least once a year.