Despite mainstream media predictions about the election hinging on the president's performance, it appears as though the economy was a much greater factor in the two key gubernatorial races yesterday. The economy was the anvil that crushed the chances of Democrats Jon Corzine and Creigh Deeds.

According to exit polls in Virginia and New Jersey, around 90% of voters said that they're concerned about the economy, while only around 18% said that their vote had anything to do with President Obama's performance so far.

I just bought my airline ticket for my friend's 100th birthday party, which she's anticipating with considerable excitement. Life has been quiet since she gave up competitive ballroom dancing at 85. Planning a party spices things up.

The oil wells that my friend's husband left her have kept her lifestyle comfortable – until the last couple of years when she developed a need for 24-hour care after the car she was riding in was broadsided.

Even a couple of active oil wells don't gush enough money to cover all the expenses of extreme aging. My friend and her children, who are old enough to be contemplating their own retirements, can see the day when it is all going to run out. If mom's still around – and the doc says she very well could be – longevity is going to be an expensive problem.

Are you in your 40s and trying to decide how to reinvent your life, as well as rebuild your 401(K) in time for retirement after its been devastated by the recession? You're not alone.

Many women in their forties are now trying to restart careers, whether it's because of a job loss, it's returning to work after taking time off to have a family or it's deciding to put your career first after your husband built his.

I definitely fit into the last category. With my first marriage, we had to decide whose career would come first. My husband got the priority and I had to move with his career moves. My resume was filled with a lot of dead end jobs as I moved every three or four years.

I needed to jump-start a career at the age of 39 and decided to go back for my MBA. Finding work in my early 40s wasn't easy, but with the MBA I was able to restart a career. Now I've got 25 books on the market and my own business. Going back to school allowed me to find and fulfill my passion.

If you're looking to restart your career, you're probably wondering what you should do next? What jobs should you consider? WalletPop was given an exclusive look at an upcoming story in More Magazine on Oct. 27 about the best career moves for women over 40.

Ken and Daria Dolan, America's first family of personal finance, answer your questions every Friday.

Click here to ask Ken and Daria your question.

Americans have lost trillions -- with a "T" -- of dollars in the stock and housing market collapses. The average person with a 401(k) plan has lost five years worth of their savings! No wonder people are nervous about whether they have enough money saved for retirement. Today, Ken and Daria Dolan of Dolans.com have a surprising answer to the question "How much money do I need in retirement." The conventional wisdom is dead wrong, they say -- listen to it and your retirement dream could become a nightmare.

Dear Ken and Daria,

How can i figure out if I have enough money to retire?

--Mary

Use our retirement planning worksheet to figure out how much you need for retirement. It's not too late to rebuild your retirement savings!

Maybe you're thinking about relocating in retirement, in hopes of enjoying milder weather and lower expenses. Before you make a move, it pays to assess the overall tax burden of your future home. Some states are a lot more tax friendly then others.
Click through our photo gallery and see which cities are the most tax-friendly & unfriendly for retirees.

It's hard to imagine, but it's true: two years after one of the greatest stock market drubbings in history, at a time when most people will need to put their saving into overdrive to recoup what they've lost, the IRS may actually reduce the amount you're allowed to contribute to your 401(k) in 2010.

And it isn't even really its fault: 401(k) contribution limits are indexed to inflation. A temporary decline in prices has led to deflation in recent months -- and that could mean a decline in 401(k) limits to $16,000, which would be down $500 from this year's max, according to the USA Today.

Congress could act to change this because of the extraordinary circumstances, and hopefully it will. With all the money that is being pumped into the economy to try to stimulate spending, it would be absolutely criminal to discourage people from saving at a time when saving has never been more important.

But in order to get this taken care of in time, Congress will need to start looking at possible solutions now -- I would support raising the cap on 401(k) contributions to $30,000 per year for the next three years to encourage/allow people to play catch up in the wake of the recession. Here's an idea: write to your Congressman today, include this blog post (or the USA Today story) and make him or her aware of this issue.

WalletPop's Lan Nguyen chats with Mike Alfred, co-founder and CEO of BrightScope.com, an Internet-based 401(k) analytics firm, about how to make the right 401K choices.

Since its launch in January, the California company has examined and rated 4,000 plans from some of America's largest employers, including Boeing and McDonald's. As a result, Alfred recommends saving as much as you can afford in your 401(k).

Another recommendation: look at the cost of the fund when making a decision.