Kiva Plug

I just made a loan to someone in Bolivia using a revolutionary new website called Kiva (www.kiva.org).

You can go to Kiva's website and lend to someone across the globe who needs a loan for their business - like raising goats, selling vegetables at market or making bricks. Each loan has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent - and you get updates letting you know how the entrepreneur is going.

The best part is, when the entrepreneur pays back their loan you get your money back - and Kiva's loans are managed by microfinance institutions on the ground who have a lot of experience doing this, so you can trust that your money is being handled responsibly.

I just made a loan to an entrepreneur named Celestino in Bolivia. They still need another $750.00 to complete their loan request of $1,200.00 (you can loan as little as $25.00!). Help me get this entrepreneur off the ground by clicking on the link below to make a loan to Celestino too:

http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=169377

It's finally easy to actually do something about poverty - using Kiva I know exactly who my money is loaned to and what they're using it for. And most of all, I know that I'm helping them build a
sustainable business that will provide income to feed, clothe, house and educate their family long after my loan is paid back.

Join me in changing the world - one loan at a time.

My Golden Globe

My first gold purchase, 18k, 12g. I saw it while shopping for my nieces at Christmas and it got stuck in my mind.

I told the jeweller's wife I would plug the boutique, so here it is: B&S Gold and Antique, Linnégatan 3, Goteborg, Sweden. (website coming) +46(0)311 259 97

The custom made pieces from Russia are awesome, (I was only allowed to see them because of this plug) and the antique collection is marvellous. The prices range from affordable to exorbitant and the collectors (husband and wife) have a classic taste which is never out of style.

Their collection includes pieces with: hidden latches, clasps and secret repositories, quite like some quasi-modern Steampunk pieces I have seen recently.

My little Earth is meticulously cast in gold, with all coastlines intact and the name of each continent etched in place.

Hedge Funds Care 12th Annual New York Benefit

New York - Hedge Funds Care is holding its 12th Annual New York "Open Your Heart to the Children" benefit on Thursday, February 25, 2010 at Cipriani 42nd Street.

A committee will award Michael E. Novogratz, President of Fortress Investment Group, with a Hedge Funds Care Award, among others. The first founder's award will be presented to Lee Daniels, director of Precious. Michelle Caruso-Cabrera of CNBC will serve as master of ceremonies for this year's event.

The New York benefit is one of the key charity events in the hedge fund industry, gathering over 1,000 industry leaders and raising over $1,000,000 for child abuse programs in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. This year's event will feature an elegant cocktail reception, in lieu of a seated dinner.

Event co-chairs include Dean C. Backer, managing director of Goldman Sachs and Richard H. Baker, president of the Managed Funds Association.

Silk Road Awarded Hedge Fund “Oscar”

HedgeCo News - Silk Invest's Luxembourg SICAV hedge fund, the Silk Road Income Fund, has been awarded the 2009 ‘golden bull’ prize for innovation at the ‘Finanzen Nacht’ ceremony in Munich. Hailed by the German press as the “Oscar of the financial world”, the award is sponsored by Euro, Germany’s leading finance publication. The gala evening was attended by over 500 delegates.

The Silk Road Income Fund was launched in October 2009. It gives investors exposure to a range of frontier fixed income markets, previously inaccessible to mainstream European investors in the shape of a UCITS compliant fund.

The award winning hedge fund was launched to compliment Silk Invest’s equity offerings, namely the African Lions and Arab Falcons funds. As its name implies, the geographic remit of the fund is Africa, the Middle East and the Central Asia, leveraging of Silk Invest’s position as a market leader in these geographies

Zin Bekkali, CEO of Silk Invest, said “we are proud to have been recognized in this way. We launched the fund so that our clients could capture the unrivalled risk-return profile that we see in these markets. To be called innovative is icing on the cake and is especially nice in view of all the effort we have put into structuring access to these markets.”

Silk Invest believes that the frontier fixed income markets are often mispriced and overlooked by the mainstream. Daniel Broby, the Chief Investment Officer of Silk Invest, notes that ”investment in frontier markets today is now feasible. Risk is mispriced and with appropriate diversification our portfolio managers have constructed a robust investment grade portfolio with substantial yield pick-up.”

The Silk Road Income Fund aims to manage 60-80 holdings across 25 countries. The target portfolio is to achieve annual returns of 16.5% with a duration of 3.4 years and an average rating of “BB+”.

Silk Invest is headquartered in London with staff in the UAE, South Africa, Morocco, Egypt and Cameroon. The Silk Invest team consists of highly experienced specialists from South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Pakistan, UK, Belgium, Netherlands, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and Morocco.