[bluGill]

There are inflation indexed annuities that you can invest in. Most 401ks don't have them directly, but when you retire I advise my friends to move some of your saving into them: enough to cover the basic life expenses (insurance, food, rent). Because they are for life they are typically lower return on investment, but they lower the risk of living wrong so they should ensure you can afford at least the basics of life.

[vkou]

Sure, and I'll probably look into them, if, by retirement, the world doesn't turn into a Mad Max hell-scape. (Which I am not optimistic about.)

The thing is, all the same risks of Social Security (People living longer than expected, investment returns being lower than expected, a prolonged recession emptying out the fund, inflation turning your guaranteed returns into 'only-good-as-toilet-paper-money') apply to them, but even moreso (Because they cannot count on continued buy-in, unlike Social Security).