Inflation-beating investments

One of the greatest dangers to any retirement plan is that insidious erosion of purchasing power commonly known as "inflation."

A weekly trip to the gas station or supermarket is enough to drive home the point. While younger, working Americans have opportunities -- often through increased earning power -- to overcome inflation, those in retirement or close to it are particularly vulnerable.

"The greatest risk retirees face is inflation, not short-term volatility of the stock market," says Tom Orecchio, national chair of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. "People focus on the market today as opposed to their purchasing power 25 years from now, and that's a mistake."