Some 5.6 million American manufacturing jobs have been lost since 1999, and many of those jobs don't appear to be coming back anytime soon. At least some of the people who worked in manufacturing are trying to learn new job skills: We look at the successes and failures of retraining programs with Takeaway contributor Beth Kobliner. We're also joined by Hal Higdon, president of Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, Mo., who says community colleges are too overburdened to be effective; and Robin Ambrosy, laid off in January of 2006 from her job with Sony and now retraining to become an occupational therapist.

Last week, we looked at how some banks were canceling consumer credit cards without warning and how consumers could avoid it by using their cards more. That discussion sparked a debate about whether people can get by without credit cards at all. We speak to two people who are doing just that: Joel Westendorf of Los Angeles; and Andrea Hermitt of Atlanta. Takeaway contributor Beth Kobliner lays out some of the logistical benefits and drawbacks of life without plastic.

Employees goofing off and wasting time at work is always a concern for bosses. But Takeaway contributor Beth Kobliner says that as the economy tightens, employees are taking on extra responsibilities and that blowing off steam in creative ways can actually help maintain ones overall focus. She tells us why, with David Rock, author of "Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus and Working Smarter All Day Long." They share some downtime strategies that even your boss would approve of.

In the current economy, both younger and older people are finding it harder to get, or keep, a job. According to BusinessWeek, only 46 percent of people aged 16 to 24 had jobs last month – that is the lowest number since the government began tracking it in 1948. We look at the role of age in the workplace with Beth Kobliner, Takeaway contributor and author of "Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties." We also speak with 25-year-old Harvey Cummings, laid off from his job as a middle school band teacher in June; and 65-year-old Jackie Goldenberg, who was laid off from the financial services industry two years ago, and cites her age as the primary reason she lost her job.

Incivility in the workplace is an unfortunate side effect of the recession, where jobs are scarce and everyone is aiming to hold on to whatever work they have. Takeaway contributor Beth Kobliner says there are ways to stay in-the-know without being a gossip at work. We also talk with Will Marcum, a former GM plant worker of 20 years in Pontiach, Mich., to hear about his story of office politics during the economic downturn.

American culture has always valued high worker productivity; it’s hard to encourage people in the U.S. to take time off from work. But one company thinks it can make more money by forcing employees to get out of the office and work fewer hours. For our weekly work segment, we talk with our contributor Beth Kobliner, Boston Consulting Group's Grant Freeland and Harvard Business School's Leslie Perlow about time off's benefits for employers and employees alike.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, we're soon likely to see a major shift in the gender balance of the working world. As early as this November, it's projected that for the first time in U.S. history, more women will be working than men. Add to this fact that 78 percent of the people laid off in the recent recession were men, and one sees a whole new picture of America's workforce.

We speak with Beth Kobliner, author of "Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties." She says the forces changing the demographics of the working world influence both men and women. Also, Sharon Meers, a former Goldman Sachs executive and co-author of "Getting to 50/50: How Working Couples Can Have It All by Sharing It All," explains what the shifts might mean for the managers and workers of small and large companies across the country.

As the unemployment rate climbs, more people are having to relocate in order to find work. Almost 20% of Americans who took new jobs in July moved in order to get them. The Takeaway's finance contributor Beth Kobliner talks about the challenges — and opportunities — of a national job search. We also hear from Jeff Gilbert, who moved last year from outside Detroit to Wyoming, Ohio to take a job as general manager of a commercial manufacturing company.

Call it Big Brother or call it being a conscientious employer, but there's a new kind of software that monitors your use of email and online messaging: how many messages you send, how often, and when. It's called Cataphora and it also looks at instant messaging, word processors, and keycard use, to find out how useful an employee you are. We talk with Cataphora's CEO, Elizabeth Charnock, along with Takeaway contributor Beth Kobliner, author of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance In Your Twenties and Thirties.

For our Thursday work segment, we're talking about how work, or the lack of it, puts a strain on mental health. Some health experts say that stress from a recession can negatively impact your mind and body. Stress on the economy can lead to stress in your body, in other words.  Joining us is our finance contributor Beth Kobliner, and Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo, a psychologist and physical therapist.

Dr. Lombardo's "GREAT" acronym for avoiding stress-related physical effects:

The first phase of the "Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009" goes into effect this week. While some major provisions of the law won't kick in until next year, credit card companies have to make some immediate changes, including giving cardholders advance notice about interest rate hikes. Personal finance expert and The Takeaway's finance contributor Beth Kobliner joins us to help explain the new rules.

With so much talk about the ailing economy, it may not seem like the best time to start a new business,  but in our weekly work segment we look at some reasons why it might make sense to do it now. Takeaway contributor Beth Kobliner, author of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance In Your Twenties and Thirties, joins us with two entrepreneurs who are doing well in the recession: Marva Allen, co-owner of Hue-Man Bookstore in New York, and Jo-Ellen Stammen, who runs her own design business. ...(continue reading)

14.5 million Americans are out of work due to the worst recession since the Great Depression. All age groups are feeling the pain of the recession, but for 44-55 year olds, it's even harder. Beth Kobliner, Takeaway work-life Contributor and author of the bestseller, "Get a Financial Life" talks to us, along with Susan Price, who is 49, unemployed and looking for work.

Taking an extended vacation sounds like a dream, except when time off is involuntary and unpaid. To cut costs, more employers are implementing mandatory leaves from work, commonly known as furloughs. For a look at what this growing trend says about the workforce—and for some tips on how to navigate your own unpaid leave—The Takeaway is joined by Beth Kobliner, a personal finance expert and author of The New York Times best-seller, “Get a Financial Life.” We also talk to Jason Ramirez, who was recently furloughed from working in web design and video production in Los Angeles, and Tim Kirkwood, a flight attendant and author of "The Flight Attendant Job Finder & Career Guide" and partner in AviaNation.com. He’s been on full-time furlough since April 1, 2009.

A multi-million-dollar industry has been pushing brides to spend more and more money in the search for a "perfect day." But now the average amount spent on weddings is beginning to go down. How are brides-to-be pinching pennies on their way down the aisle? Joining The Takeaway with some advice is Beth Kobliner, personal finance expert and author of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties.

We had a live online Question and Answer session with Beth Kobliner, author of "Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance In Your Twenties and Thirties."

Click through for the full transcript ...

Roughly 50 percent of all college graduates leave school with what can be years' of student loan debt. But relief is in sight. On July 1, a new income-based repayment plan goes into effect. For a look at who is eligible for this financial lifeline, The Takeaway is joined by personal finance expert Beth Kobliner. She is the author of The New York Times best-seller "Get a Financial Life." Also joining the show are two people who are saddled with student loan debt. Austin Light is a journalist who shares over $100,000 of debt with his wife. He joins us from Charlotte, North Carolina. Colleen Hansford joins The Takeaway form Colorado Springs. As a single mother of three, she is struggling to scale down the $66,000 in debt that she’s incurred.

Go to the Income Based Repayment site IBRinfo to get more information about this repayment plan.

The economic downturn is making life harder than usual for teenagers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the unemployment rate among teens is 21.7 percent — the highest rate in nearly 20 years. And these aren’t just kids looking for iPod money. There are young people across the socioeconomic spectrum who are hoping to put themselves through school, or to pitch in at home. Joining us to explain what it means to have so many jobless teens is Beth Kobliner. She is a personal finance expert and author of The New York Times best-seller Get a Financial Life.

A bill to reform the practices of credit card companies is likely to end up on President Obama's desk before Memorial Day. So what's in this bill, and what does it mean for the average credit card user? To help us understand how this bill will affect consumers, we turn to finance writer Beth Kobliner, author of the book Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties.

All week in our series Pomp in these Circumstances, we've been looking at life after graduation. Many young adults will be going out into the real world, trying to get jobs and to live on their own. But in this economy, many graduating students will be moving back in with their parents. How much financial help should you give your children? Here to advise us is Beth Kobliner, is a personal finance expert and author of The New York Times best-seller Get a Financial Life.