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Houston tax attorney David Shoemaker doesn't want to wait around for retirement. Instead, he has opted for a job that gives him three months off each year so he can enjoy life now. Here's how he traded his future retirement for quality of life today.

After years of recession and a less than stellar economic recovery, growing numbers of worker are feeling the emotional toll. More of them than ever feel undervalued, stressed out, and dissatisfied with their jobs, a new survey finds.

During the past three decades, businesses of all sizes have shifted away from traditional defined-benefit plans to defined-contribution plans, also known as 401(k)s. Now, states and local governments are doing the same, even though many workers lack the necessary investing savvy.

The notion that somehow public workers' pay packages are breaking the state budget just don't hold up. These workers' entire compensation package -- salary, health care, pensions, etc. -- make up a tiny fraction of Wisconsin's spending.

A recent survey suggests many would-be retirees feel they'll have to work at least four years longer than they originally planned due to the recent economic downturn. And this is for folks with $500,000 to $5 million in assets. People with no nest egg will toil even longer.

It's hard to fathom that something as mundane as weather could affect employment statistics. But it clearly does. And it also has big impact on how much work actually gets done. And beyond the snows of winter, there's distractions like the Super Bowl that keep worker from their duties.

After increases during 2007 and 2008 in the number of unionized workers, 2010 is following 2009 in showing a big drop. Governments now employ more union labor than the private sector does, but both categories showed declines in 2010. It's a far cry from labor's glory years.

Fresh data show that the number of promotions given to American workers has dwindled, suggesting that even those with jobs are having a tough time getting ahead. Fewer promotions are "a sign of the lingering impacts of the recession," one expert says.

Recession-weary workers may finally get some encouraging news: Private-sector annual wages will improve in the coming months, albeit modestly, according to data compiled by BNA, publisher of Daily Labor Report.

Americans who have been jobless for long periods are keenly awaiting congressional action on the latest extension of benefits. With a midnight deadline looming, some 2 million people face losing their only source of income.