CNN Money – With the market struggling to eke out even meager gains this year, you may be tempted to look beyond traditional investments for something, anything, to fatten up your retirement account.
Financial services firms, of course, are only too eager to oblige with a growing smorgasbord of “alternative” investments – oil-well partnerships, direct investments in privately held companies, foreign currency ETFs – that seem to offer an inside track to superior gains.
There are even hedge funds targeted to retirement investors, as well as mutual funds, slated to launch later this year, that will use hedge fund strategies to help retirees generate income.
But just because it’s easier to get into more “sophisticated” investments, does that mean you should?
I say no. While exotic investments may seem like an ideal way to revive a flagging retirement account, they often come with risks and onerous fees that could derail your retirement rather than enhance it.
