Guy Fraser-Sampson draws upon twenty years' private equity experience to provide a practical guide to mastering the intricacies of this highly specialist asset class. Aimed equally at investors, professionals and business school students, it starts with such fundamental questions as "what is private equity?" and progresses to detailed analysis of venture and buyout returns. It also unveils a totally new concept which looks set to revolutionise thinking in the industry: Total Return investing. u003cpu003eOften unfairly reviled, and frequently misunderstood, private equity differs from all other asset classes in various important respects, not least in the nature and timing of its returns, which require a whole new approach for those reared on more traditional investments such as bonds and shares. This book shows how a good grasp of the basic structure of private equity vehicles and returns (including the dreaded J-curve) can lead to full understanding of the techniques needed to measure and analyse performance.u003c/pu003e u003cpu003eu003cbu003eKey points include:u003c/bu003eu003c/pu003e u003culu003e u003cliu003eA glossary of private equity termsu003c/liu003e u003cliu003eVenture funds and transactionsu003c/liu003e u003cliu003eBuyout funds and transactionsu003c/liu003e u003cliu003eUnderstanding private equity returnsu003c/liu003e u003cliu003eAnalysis of historic returnsu003c/liu003e u003cliu003eHow to plan a fund investment programmeu003c/liu003e u003cliu003eHow to conduct effective due diligenceu003c/liu003e u003cliu003eTotal Return investingu003c/liu003e u003c/ulu003e