We went behind the scenes of Dubai's debt debacle last November and found a much more sober city-state starting to rebuild itself from the $59 billion hole that was dug by the whizz kids who had powered its transformation. Loans don't come as easy -- particularly the nod and the wink of association with the royal family isn't cutting it like it used to.

Some people see a connection between the crisis and the fact that Dubai has also started to tighten up on its trade with Iran, in line with broader international sanctions, but we're not so sure about that.

What did come across loud and clear in our reporting is that the new-new Dubai is currently being led more by older, senior types who had been thrown off the ladder by the MBAs and the like on their way up. Some of the financial types we spoke to worried about this: we don't need civil engineers, one said, we need financial engineers. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

Around 30,000 mainly elderly investors in the UK put their money into a company called Keydata, hoping to make a little extra cash to fund their own retirement with the promise of a healthy return.

What they were buying sounded kosher, even if it did depend on how fast their wealthy American counterparts were dying. Of course, the investors may not have known that.

As is so often the case with these things, the projections were a little optimistic. And then some other irregularities blew up. Around 100 million pounds went missing, one of the business’s partners dropped dead in Singapore and the investment company was shut down by the regulators, leaving British pensioners like Tony and Pam Tobin out of pocket.  The Serious Fraud Office is investigating.

Tony and Pam Tobin

Undeterred, the other key character behind Keydata is determined to fight the regulators’ decision.  "I am someone who can make the impossible possible," he tells us.

Whatever happened to the stiff upper lip?

Leibowitz may be sick of the Jon Stewart questions, but when pesky Reuters editors and journalists  inevitably raised them, he answered them with relatively good humor.  

"I know my mother's pretty happy with both," the NYSE's resident electronic trading expert said when asked whether it was tough living in the shadow of the celebrated news comedian. Leibowitz allowed that it was hard to imagine two brothers who had chosen more different careers. At this point, they even have different last names, after Leibowitz's younger brother adopted a stage name.

While Stewart hasn't shied away from financial themes, especially in his much-hyped verbal smackdown with Jim Cramer, Leibowitz said his kid brother hasn't been running to him to ask for advice, even when his show has tackled topics like short selling and high frequency trading. But he admitted that being an older sibling, "I give it to him anyway sometimes."

Would he ever go on the Daily Show as a guest? That would be a no.  "I probably wouldn't make a very good guest," he said, noting he didn't have any books to plug.  "I have tried to fly under the radar."

Our panel includes: Jane Gladstone, senior managing director, Evercore Partners; Alan Guarino, global sector leader, fintech & electronic trading, Korn/Ferry; and Dan Wilchins – editor-in-charge of Reuters’ coverage of U.S. banks and insurance companies.

The feds need to hire close to 273,000 people over the next three years to fill so-called “mission-critical” jobs across the U.S. and abroad, in part because more federal workers are inching closer to retirement age, a new survey of 35 federal agencies by think-tank Partnership for Public Service shows.

Perhaps not surprisingly, agencies in the public health and medical fields are in need of the most new bodies. A total of 54,114 people are in demand to fill positions in areas ranging from radiology to consumer safety, according to the study.

Job seekers should also look to the security, law enforcement, legal and administrative fields, all of which are projected to boom over the next few years.

Of course, as the Washington Post notes, the projections are just that – projections. Hiring campaigns could be slowed if more federal workers choose to put retirement off or if Congress refuses to put up the money to meet all the hiring needs. The government could also decide to outsource some of the jobs to contractors.

Still, the potential surge in full-time, government jobs should have many Americans dusting off their resumes in a hurry.

(An armed forces recruiting poster is shown outside the U.S. Armed Forces Career Center in New York’s Times Square in this March 6, 2008 file photo. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

It’s no secret that the economic downturn is having an impact on the careers of millions of Americans.  Just ask Matthew Derra (pictured here), who found himself pursuing a degree in renewable energy after his job at American Axle disappeared.

As the U.S. braces for yet another monthly dismal jobs report, thousands more will be faced with one big question: what now?

Turns out, not everyone is looking for jobs in the field they once called home.

“We’re seeing people more willing to consider opportunities in places traditionally they wouldn’t locate to,’ says John Flanigan, VP of staffing company Aerotek.

Just as Derra found himself back at school, people are finding themselves in some unlikely scenarios. One former executive took an entry-level job after losing his job at Hewlett-Packard, a move he says set his career (and his salary) back by two decades.

Sound familiar? Now that the job market has narrowed, what are you doing with your career? Share your thoughts below.

It’s bad news when a spouse loses his or her job, but the blow can be softened by several smart tax moves.

1. Reduce income tax withholding. With only one wage earner in the family, you can have less income tax withheld from your pay. Before making the change, consider potential increased eligibility for tax deductions and credits that have income phaseouts, as well as the tax effect of any severance payment to your spouse. Also, bear in mind: up to $2,400 of unemployment compensation is tax-free in 2009.

2. Health care flexible spending account (FSA). Generally, you cannot change a health care FSA contributions election mid-year, but your spouse’s employment status sometimes translates to an exception. You’ll need to check rules on this mid-year change with your employer’s plan. If your spouse was making health care FSA contributions at his or her former job, your best bet, if you are permitted, is to opt for a higher contribution rate on your own plan.

3. Dependent care FSA. Here, too, mid-year changes in contribution levels are generally not allowed—subject to exceptions that depend on the terms of the plan. You are generally not eligible to receive an FSA reimbursement for child care expenses incurred while your spouse is not either in the workforce or actively seeking employment.

4. 401(k) accounts. Should your spouse leave the funds in the 401(k) plan account that’s been building for years through his or her former company or roll them into an IRA? Many people keep the money in the 401(k) so they don’t have to make new investment decisions, but there are often benefits to rolling it over, though not without possible tax ramifications. Also, if you need to choose between withdrawing some funds from that 401(k) to get cash or reducing future 401(k) contributions to your own plan, keep in mind that the withdrawal could subject you to a 10% additional tax. By reducing your contributions to your plan, you may lose matching contributions from your employer.

5. Health insurance. If you and your spouse had health insurance coverage through your respective employers, you should now decide whether to add your spouse to the coverage provided through your employer or have your spouse elect COBRA coverage through his or her former employer. The benefit of choosing the employed spouse’s plan? It usually allows you to pay premiums with pre-tax earnings.