The timing couldn’t be worse: The largest generation in our history is approaching retirement age during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. The need to build retirement security has never been greater. But one of the main obstacles is the current concept of retirement--the idea that people should stop working in their early sixties and take it easy. The number of years that you’ll have to fund after you stop working is one of the most important variables affecting retirement security. Paying for retirement has become more challenging in light of recession-ravaged 401(k)s and plunging housing values. And those resources must be spread over a growing number of years. There are no magic bullets or easy solutions. Yet in my work as a journalist and author covering retirement and aging, I’m often struck by the wealth of good ideas that experts have identified for achieving a satisfying, secure retirement - even in hard times.