A survey of RIAs and fee-based advisors suggests that low-cost, tax-deferred investment solutions might be one way of calming investors' nerves in the face of the looming and yet-unsolved fiscal cliff.

According to Jefferson National, 75 percent of the advisors polled report that their clients are indeed worried about the tax increases seemingly imminent in the new year, with 67 percent saying they're personally fearful of the ongoing market volatility caused by the rocky fiscal cliff negotiations.

It's a market that is particularly ripe for alternative investment strategies, though many of those opportunities end up offering poor tax efficiency. More than 68 percent of advisors have increased their use of alternative investments, and more than 61 percent believe that alternatives will become even more important than traditional investments in the future.Cerulli research also indicates that within five years, the use of alternative strategy funds could increase more than a 245 percent.