Yieldstreet Review: Is this Investment Platform Legit?

Fancy adding some top-notch artistic splodges to your portfolio?

Here’s a breakdown of how to invest with Yieldstreet:

1. Sign up: To begin investing through Yieldstreet, you’ll need to create an account on the platform. The process is simple and can be completed entirely online.

2. Browse investment opportunities: Once you log in, you can browse investment opportunities on the platform—including real estate, art, legal settlements, and more.

3. Invest: If you find an investment that matches your goals and risk tolerance, you’re ready to put down some money. The investment amount can vary, but many come with a minimum of $10,000.

4. Monitor your investments: If you’re coughing up thousands, you’ll want to keep tabs on your assets. Luckily, Yieldstreet will give you regular updates on the performance of your investments and you can track the progress through your Yieldstreet account.

5. Cash out: Yieldstreet investments typically have a fixed term, ranging from several months to several years. Once the investment term is over, you can cash out your investments, receive your returns, and take a trip to Disneyland.

Yieldstreet is like a VIP club for investors. You’ll need to have accredited investor status (unless you opt for the Prism Fund) and a pretty penny to join.

Here’s what you need to qualify as an accredited investor:

• Have a net worth of at least a million (minus your primary residence).

• Or make $200,000 a year ($300,000 with your spouse) for the past two years and expect to keep it up.

Like with any investment, if you’re willing to take some risks for the chance at big rewards, Yieldstreet is the place for you.

They offer unique asset classes that you may not find on other platforms so you can diversify your portfolio and potentially earn big bucks.

Yieldstreet offers a variety of alternative investments to accredited investors:

At Yieldstreet, each investment opportunity is hand-picked and goes through the wringer before it’s approved for investors.

This includes:

• A full collateral review.

• An agreed term sheet and screenings.

• In-house due diligence and risk assessment.

• Third-party investigations and background checks.

• Credit Committee approval (Yieldstreet founders along with risk and legal teams).

Yieldstreet’s team of experts is there to swipe right on potential partners to keep the supply flowing.

In 2021, the company sourced a hefty $12 billion in transaction value across 1,000 investment opportunities from 500+ partners.

The company also says they also do their due diligence by not letting just any investment slip through the cracks—they claim less than 10% of investments make the cut to be distributed on the platform.

But think carefully before deciding on which investment type is right for you.

Ilan Levy-Mayer, Vice President of E-mini by Cannon Trading, says, “While evaluating investment opportunities, it’s important to consider associated fees such as transaction costs, management fees, or commissions, as they can affect overall returns. Liquidity should also be considered, especially in art and real estate investments, as it determines the ease of buying or selling an asset.”

Want to invest with Yieldstreet? Don’t forget about the fees:

While some fees can vary, Yieldstreet is crystal clear about its management fee, which covers the costs associated with managing and servicing the investment opportunity.

(Basically, while you’re busy raking in the dough, Yieldstreet will be working behind the scenes to make sure everything runs smoothly.)

Other charges are harder to track down and can vary depending on the investment type and amount. These extra costs could include origination fees and charges for wire transfers or third-party fees.

To stay on the safe side, don’t forget to carefully review each investment opportunity’s charges and fee structure before investing.

Use our free budget calculator to keep track of all your fees and expenses.

The Yieldstreet app brings you investment opportunities on the go. Here’s the scoop on what you need to know—

Investment opportunities

The Yieldstreet app gives you full access to their range of alternative investment opportunities, including real estate, legal finance, and art.

Browsing

You can filter investments by income, growth, and type to find opportunities that match up with your goals.

User-friendly interface

The app is designed with a simple interface that makes it easy for you to browse, review investment details, and make investments.

Account management

You can also use the app to manage your Yieldstreet accounts, including viewing your portfolio, tracking performance, and checking your investment and wallet balance.

Notifications

The app includes real-time notifications, such as updates on investment performance, payment processing, and investment opportunities.

Security

The Yieldstreet app is secured with bank-level security protocols, such as 256-bit SSL encryption and two-factor authentication, to ensure the security of users’ data.

And it seems that users are pretty happy with the Yieldstreet app—as it scored 4.7 on the Apple Store and 4.4 on Google Play.

Find out more about the top investment apps.

With all that cash being thrown at investments, it makes sense to have a wallet.

The Yieldstreet Wallet is a savings account held at Evolve Bank & Trust and FDIC-insured for your peace of mind.

The wallet comes with a 3.25% APY—which is on par with the APY for some of the top savings accounts.

Ultimately, the wallet acts as a handy way to fund your investments through Yieldstreet, including IRAs.

And if you’re familiar with the world of investing, you’ve probably got an eye on the crypto market—something that hasn’t escaped Yieldstreet’s attention.

You can deposit your Bitcoin or Ethereum by creating a crypto wallet and using the wallet’s address to transfer your funds. A custodian will securely store the currency, so you can rest easy knowing it’s in good hands.

And the best part? You can use your crypto to invest in Yieldstreet’s alternative asset classes, like real estate and art.

They also offer opportunities to get exposure to digital assets through third-party funds.

Just submit your investment request, and Yieldstreet will take care of the rest. They’ll even convert your crypto to USD through a trusted third party.

Check out the top crypto apps if you’re keen to grow your portfolio.

If you’ve got a Yieldstreet Wallet, you’re in luck—you get hold of the self-directed IRA that comes with “checkbook control”.

With this account, you can buy and sell alternative assets and add private markets to your retirement portfolio.

All you need to do is choose between a traditional (tax-deferred) or Roth (tax-free) account then transfer or rollover funds from your retirement plan provider.

The cost of this account varies depending on your deposit rate.

If you’re in the under $100,000 club, you’ll pay a cool $299 per year. But if you’re living it large with $100,000 or more, you’ll be dishing out $399 a year.

Heading to retirement? Use our free tool to find out if you’re financially prepared.

Yieldstreet isn’t a publicly traded company—it’s a privately held corporation held by Yieldstreet Inc.

So don’t go looking for their stock on the market. It’s not there. This means you won’t be able to find, buy, or sell Yieldstreet stock.

But don’t worry, Yieldstreet is still open for business for accredited investors, who meet certain criteria set forth by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Think of it like an exclusive club hidden from the general public—you have to meet the requirements to get in. But once you do, the investment world is your oyster.

Check out the best stock trading apps if you’re eager to start trading.

Investing with Masterworks gives you access to shares in art investments, along with the potential for high returns and diversification.

But there are plenty of drawbacks to think about—such as limited liquidity as the term time stretches to ten years.

You’ll also find a hard time tracking down the returns and Masterworks takes a 20% commission after artwork is sold.

So, is Masterworks legit?

While Masterworks doesn’t provide IRR data, historical data shows that blue-chip artwork has outperformed the S&P 500 over the long term.

Investing in tangible assets like artwork can be a unique way to diversify your portfolio—especially for art lovers.

But don’t go all in just yet. Forking over fees can be a real drag, and the fees associated with investing with Masterworks are no exception—annual charges are set at 1.5%, and the company takes 20% worth of commissions. For more information, check out our in-depth Masterworks review.

When it comes to art investments, Ilan Levy-Mayer has the following advice, “Factors like the artist’s reputation, historical significance, and market demand play key roles in determining the investment potential. Assessing the authenticity, provenance, and condition of the artwork is crucial. Stay updated on art market trends, attend auctions, and seek expert advice to further enhance investment prospects.”

Fundrise is one of the leading real estate investment platforms out there.

The platform provides you with access to a portfolio of private real estate investments that can help diversify your portfolios.

Investing with Fundrise will give you returns of around 5.29%, depending on the investment plan. Not bad—but not the best out there.

However, you might let that slide when you find out that the minimum investment is only $10—hardly breaking the bank.

There’s a recommended hold period of 5 years—so you won’t be able to get your hands on your returns for a while. Then there are the fees to think about, with an annual 0.85% flat management fee and a 0.15% advisory fee.

Investing with Fundrise can be an easy way to diversify your portfolio. Just make sure you’re aware of the potential drawbacks, and don’t forget to read the fine print.

Crowdstreet is one of the big dogs of investment platforms with a flair for exclusivity.

You’ll have to be an accredited investor to get your foot in the door. Then you’ll need at least $25,000 to make an investment.

Yes, CrowdStreet isn’t accessible for all of us mere mortals—but if you do get signed up, you can expect impressive returns of 19.2%.

Investment opportunities include real estate, offices, and industrial properties.

Sounds like a nice deal—but keep in mind that the investment is relatively illiquid (3–10 years), so you can’t just cash out whenever you want. Plus, there’s a 1–2% annual management fee and a 1% transaction fee when selling shares.

Crowdstreet is perfect for those who are no strangers to the investment world. Just watch out for extra fees and do your due diligence before handing over the sizeable minimum investment amount.

Find out more with our up-to-date CrowdStreet review, and read through our Yieldstreet vs Crowdstreet comparison for an in-depth analysis of both.

As for a PeerStreet review, don’t let the name fool you—PeerStreet isn’t classed as a peer-to-peer lending platform as it doesn’t lend directly to borrowers.

The company is essentially a real estate investment platform that’s all about buying loans from private lenders who have already done the heavy lifting and made the deal.

Most of the loans on the platform are commercial real estate improvement or development loans.

PeerStreet is pretty transparent about its fees and usually takes 1% on each loan it put up for investment. The company also has a servicing charge between 0.25%–1.00%, as well as originator and referral fees.

That being said, PeerStreet offers the potential for solid returns—with average annualized returns ranging from 7%–12%, depending on the specific investment opportunity.

Crowdstreet 4.1	Yieldstreet 4.3	Fundrise 4.3
Trading fee $0	Trading fee $0 0% to 2.5% management fee. Flat annual fee from $100–$150 in the first year and $30–$70 every following year.	Trading fee $0
Minimum $25,000	Account minimum $2,500	Account minimum $10
Promotion None	Promotion None No sign-up bonus, but you can earn $100 per referral.	Promotion $10 Invest $10 and earn $10 worth of shares in the Fundrise Real Estate Interval Fund.
Learn more	Learn more	Learn more