Some workers this year have managed to tuck away slightly more into their retirement accounts than last year, according to new analysis. But that doesn't mean tax-deferred account balances are increasing.

The average pretax amount employees contributed to retirement plans was $3,187 in the first half of 2008, up 1.4 percent from $3,142 in the first half of 2007, according to an analysis of Fidelity's 16,723 corporate defined contribution plans representing 11.5 million participants. But the typical account balance is over $5,000 lower than last year.

At first, retirement might be like a vacation. No alarms clocks, no commuting, no meetings or bosses. But some people who retire actually miss the office and want to return to work at the same company. No so fast! About half of companies have rules in place that don't allow you to waltz back over to your old desk and reclaim your paycheck and benefits after you've officially retired.

A new survey of more than 140 midsize and large employers by the human resources consulting firm Hewitt Associates found that 45 percent of the companies surveyed have restrictions in place that limit the ability to rehire previously retired employees. Common policies include a minimum period of absence (typically six months or less) before an employee can be rehired (42 percent), a limit on the number of hours a retired employee can be re-employed (31 percent), or allowing retirees to return to work only as employees of an outside contractor or leasing agency (29 percent).

You'd think rising gas and grocery prices might cause workers to skimp on their 401(k) contributions. But that's only half correct. The faltering economy has some Americans saving less and others tucking away more for retirement. At least that's the confounding result of a new survey.

While it's unsurprising that 15 percent of people in IRAs and workplace retirement plans have lowered their contributions and 73 percent kept theirs the same, a surprising 16 percent say they have actually increased the amount they're saving as a result of the current economic downturn, found a Bankrate.com survey of 1,004 adults done by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media.

When you're surveying the benefits of a potential job, an employer 401(k) contribution match should be pretty much non-negotiable. The match should be a minimum requirement, but it's not necessarily a sign of a top-notch retirement plan, says ABC News columnist David McPherson. Here are two things he says to look out for when evaluating an employer contribution (the bold sections are mine):

First, any employer of a decent size should offer a contribution that amounts to at least 3 percent of your salary. This may be a stretch for some small employers or startups, but it should be the starting point for most companies...The most common formula is one in which the employer kicks in 50 cents for every dollar you contribute, up to 6 percent of your pay. Whatever the formula, your bottom line should be that the employer's contribution amounts to at least 3 percent of what you make. Anything less and I'd keep looking.

Despite the ailing economy, 401(k) investors are saving more, according to a new study from Fidelity, which analyzed the 11.5 million participants it administers. In the first half of the year, investors who participated in the same plan both this year and last set $3,512 aside, on average, from their pretax earnings, up 7 percent from $3,283 in the first half of 2007.

Fidelity says the average retirement plan account balance dropped 7.5 percent in the first half of 2008, to $64,000, down from $69,200 in the first half of 2007. By comparison, Standard & Poor's 500 stock index dropped nearly 15 percent in the first half of this year. Surprisingly, the average balance for employees who stayed in their plans for both years fell less than 1 percent in the first half of 2008. Translation: 401(k) investors are diversifying!

Not surprisingly, Fidelity also found that few of us are contributing the annual maximum of $15,500 to our 401(k)'s: Just 3.8 percent of employees earning less than $100,000 contributed the max, although 28 percent of those making $100,000 or more did.

In these scary economic times, older workers are putting off their retirement and hanging on to a paycheck. Some retirees struggling to make ends meet are scanning help-wanted ads for the first time in years.

Workers are putting off their retirement and hanging on to a paycheck, and some retirees are scanning help-wanted ads for the first time in years.

New 401(k) debit cards make it even easier to flunk do-it-yourself retirement. Investors should be wary of the potential pitfalls of 401(k) debit cards, according to an investor alert from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), a nongovernmental securities industry regulator.

With a 401(k) debit card, you can generally borrow $50,000 or 50 percent of your vested account balance, whichever is less, the IRS says. Your employer must approve the loan. The amount you borrow is set aside in a separate money market fund and will generally earn income on a tax-deferred basis until you draw it down with the debit card or write a check on the account.

At the first of four open forums to discuss the new Staff Retirement Incentive (SRI) program, Vice President for Human Resources Mary Opperman stressed that the SRI was designed to help those long-service staff members who would like to retire from the university to do so.

An early retirement incentive program hatched by First Selectman Peter Tesei gained approval from the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) Monday night during its meeting in Central Middle School.