Many encountered financial difficulties as high-risk investments went sour.

Merrill also says its Internet stock recommendations always made clear that these were high-risk investments.

"My parents would have been more hesitant to make high-risk investments," she said.

It's a high-risk investment, on which, if the political situation worsens, we stand to make a total loss.

With the stock at $10, they have a slim paper profit, far below what investors typically expect from such high-risk investments.

The bonds were high-risk investments, but had correspondingly high rates of return, she said.

Who's getting saved here, and are they taking their part of the loss because they have gone into high-yield, high-risk investments?

In addition, they say, Internet stocks are widely, and correctly, regarded as high-risk investments.

But the planner put much of the couple's $260,000 stake in high-risk investments, like oil and gas limited partnerships.

Only a small portion of a portfolio generally belongs in such a high-risk investment.