Three Investments to Consider for Your Retirement Portfolio

Americans used to ride a " three-lane highway " into retirement: a traditional pension, Social Security, and individual savings plans, like 401(k)s. But the recent economic downturn packed a devastating punch to many 401(k) accounts, U.S. households have dipped into savings to make ends meet, and debt-laden federal, state and local governments will have trouble meeting pension and Social Security obligations. The 2011 Retirement Confidence Survey released last week by the Employee Benefit Research Institute showed 27% of workers are "not at all confident" about their retirement, up 5% from a year ago.