Mark Dolliver's Takes: Thanks a Lot Wall St.

Good news! Early retirement won’t soon leave the labor force bereft of its more experienced workers. It wasn’t long ago, you’ll recall, that economists fretted about a mass exodus of people whose investment portfolios could support them well before they reached age 65. The stock market’s decline has put that fear to rest. While news reports have emphasized the up-in-smoke pensions at companies like Enron, a new AARP survey shows that deferred retirement will be a broader phenomenon.