Control Your Nest Egg, but Watch for Risk

"The history that they've had recently [with traditional investments] is not favorable to their own interest," he adds. "They're more trusting of their own capabilities. They're really saying, 'No one else is doing it better than I can myself.'"

Before the current economic downturn, Entrust clients were posting 16% returns on their holdings -- much of which was related to the real estate boom. Bromma says "that's not holding true now," although he says he can't provide an estimate of current performance. Nonetheless, the firm has not experienced any headwinds on client and asset growth rates, he says.

Such investments may appeal to those who don't want to watch their retirement funds languish in "boring" stocks, bonds and CDs with minimal or negative returns. Still, it's important to consider the risks involved -- many of which have created the current economic downturn -- as well as the tax and legal implications.

Joel Larsen, a financial planner with Navigator Financial Advisors, does not advise on these kind of investments because of their complexity and risk. He refers those clients elsewhere.

"Some people just like them because it's outside the mainstream and they're mavericks," he says. "This is not for the average person. This is for a person with specialized knowledge in a specialized situation."

Bromma agrees with that view, saying that clients must "have an investment in mind, and do the due diligence ... [because it] can't and won't be done by the broker." He notes, however, that his firm handles the tax and legal questions clients may encounter.

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