Hot Topics: The Rise of Revolving Retirement

Call it what you will--the Great Recession or the New Depression--the current economic crisis is an unknown territory. With wholesale layoffs eroding family income, retirement accounts shrinking in an unstable market, and adult children increasingly asking for financial help, the retirement landscape is rough. The result? "Revolving retirement," says Fox Business, a new wrinkle in which retirees move in and out of the workforce. There are lots of intriguing conclusions and contradictions in the story, based on research cited by the Insured Retirement Institute.

As long as we're passing along new terminology, here's the Four Horsemen of the Job-pocalypse, a job scene analysis from the ever-erudite Atlantic Monthly.

And a word of warning for job hunters from USA Today -- baby boomers hoping to work past retirement are finding their options may be somewhat limited.

Now that we've dispensed with the doom and gloom, we can get on to cheerier stuff, like Jane Pauley talking with people over 50 who have happily and successfully found new careers. (Scroll a bit to find multiple links on the page, including a bio of Jane, a video of her segment on the Today Show, and a transcript of her chat on the AARP website.)

More good news in Tonic's inspiring story of Dr. Linnea Smith, who went from a comfy practice in small-town Wisconsin to set up a clinic in the wilds of the Amazon.

After 22 years as a soccer player, Mike Channon found a new life as a horse trainer. "If you don't have anything to get up for in the mornings, you might as well be dead," he told The New York Times.

The boom in retirement means our national parks are scrambling to fill vacancies, as up to 50 percent (!) of park rangers get ready to bid adieu to their careers.

With interest rates at record lows, a new dilemma faces Americans nearing retirement--does paying off the mortgage make financial sense? It all depends on your circumstances, according to Bankrate.com, which offers a list of pros and cons, as well as smart strategies.

Does this dress make me look old? A few easy tips from MORE magazine to keep from channeling your granny as you dress for work and play.

Here's an interesting read from U.S. News & World Report: Competing for a mate can shorten the male lifespan.

Anyone who longs to see Great Britain but dreads the crush and cost of hotels now has a wonderful option--stay on campus. Two dozen British universities have thrown open their dorms for rent for summer vacation, The New York Times reports. Among the bed-and-breakfast options is Oxford University's Keble College, which channels all of the grandeur (and none of the peril) of Harry Potter's Hogwarts.

Think the nation is youth-obsessed? Think again. This fall, women over 40 dominate magazine covers.