For the past few years, many of my clients have suffered losses in alternative investments. These investments, as the name suggests, are alternative to stocks, bonds or mutual funds. In my opinion, no one actually buys these investments — they are sold these investments. If the average investor or retiree knew what they were being pitched, they would not invest in these products. Alternative investments are often illiquid, expensive, and offer huge commissions and fees to the broker or financial advisor. Check out his video describing alternative investments.