Alternatives Knowledge Base

README

3 min read

Alternative Investments — OKF Knowledge Bundle

A structured self-study vault covering alternative investment asset classes, fund structures, economics, operations, risk, and metrics. Written in the Open Knowledge Format (OKF): plain Markdown with YAML frontmatter, organised into sections, with a separate study and self-testing layer.

Important Disclaimer

All content is general public knowledge only and is intentionally simplified for learning purposes.

Nothing in this vault constitutes legal, tax, accounting, regulatory, or investment advice. Content does not represent the views, processes, or proprietary knowledge of any employer. Source notes describe publicly available industry documents; they are learning pointers only and do not substitute for reading the underlying documents directly. Verify any technical detail against authoritative sources before relying on it professionally.

How to Start Reading

New to alternatives: open index.md first, then follow the Learning Path.

If you want to jump straight to a topic, use the Glossary to find the right file, or browse the section indexes listed below.

For self-testing and assessment, go to index.md.

Vault Structure

alternative-investments-okf/
|-- index.md                    Root index and navigation
|-- learning-path.md            7-stage structured reading sequence
|-- glossary.md                 Thematic definitions with file links
|-- GAPS.md                     Gap register (maintenance aid, not reading material)
|-- log.md                      Changelog
|
|-- asset-classes/              7 asset class files (PE, credit, hedge, RE, infra, commodities, digital)
|-- concepts/                   17 concept files (carry, waterfalls, DSCR, clawback, ESG, and more)
|-- fund-structures/            7 files (LP structures, co-invest, secondaries, SMAs)
|-- risk/                       7 risk files (liquidity, leverage, valuation, operational, and more)
|-- operations/                 8 files (capital calls, NAV production, reporting, KYC, and more)
|-- metrics/                    8 files (IRR, MOIC, TVPI, DPI, RVPI, PME, Sharpe, volatility)
|-- sources/                    13 source-note files (ILPA, IPEV, AIMA, FATF, RICS, CRS/FATCA, AIFMD)
|-- study/                      7 study files (question bank, answers, mock assessment, revision cards)

Study Workflow

  1. Read learning-path.md — follow the 7-stage sequence
  2. Use glossary.md alongside Stage 1 to anchor terminology
  3. After each stage, attempt questions from question-bank.md
  4. Check answers in answer-key.md
  5. Track weak areas in weak-spots.md
  6. Follow weekly-study-plan.md for a 4-week programme
  7. Before the final assessment, scan revision-cards.md
  8. Sit mock-assessment.md under timed conditions (60 minutes, 100 marks)
  9. Mark using mock-assessment-marking-guide.md

Source Notes

Source notes in sources/ describe publicly available industry standards (ILPA, IPEV, AIMA, FATF, RICS Red Book, INREV, CRS/FATCA, AIFMD Annex IV, and others). Each source note is a learning reference only. Before making any professional or regulatory decision based on a standard, read the underlying document directly and obtain qualified advice.

Validation Status

Validated against the following checks (run with the included Python validation script):

  • All OKF content files have valid YAML frontmatter with required fields
  • All internal Markdown links resolve
  • No non-study, non-register file exceeds 1,200 words

Last validated: 2026-06-24. Files: 87 OKF content files. Errors: 0.

HANDOVER.md in the vault root is a prompt-template file used during vault construction. It is not part of the OKF content bundle and is excluded from publishing via .gitignore.

Contributing or Extending

This vault was built using the OKF conventions documented in index.md. To add a new file:

  • Copy the frontmatter structure from any existing file
  • Use the controlled type vocabulary (see index.md)
  • Keep files below 1,200 words (study files and the gap register are excepted)
  • Add the new file to its section index and to the glossary if appropriate
  • Run the validation script to confirm no broken links or missing frontmatter

Graph View