Getting By: Rethinking Retirement

Flagging economy forces older workers to stay on the job

Traveling. Playing with the grandkids. Taking up golf or tennis or scrapbooking. Moving to a warmer climate.

They're the hallmarks of a carefree retirement - a dream that's fading fast for many older Americans thanks to a persistently poor economy that has shrunk retirement savings, increased the cost of health care, made work difficult to find and wiped out home equity.

"Unfortunately, it's not the rosiest picture," said Jean Setzfand, vice president of financial security for AARP.

Long gone are the days of retirement starting on one's

65th birthday with a gold watch from the boss and paychecks for life from a pension and Social Security.

These days, more of the burden is on workers themselves to save their own money for retirement, perhaps with some matching funds from an employer.

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