Marianne Paskowski, 59

Marianne Paskowski, 59

Old career: Editorial development at RBI TV
New venture: Active investor

Hopping off the career track at age 55 didn't exactly suit Paskowski. "When I retired, I found that I wasn't a good retiree," says Paskowski. But she always enjoyed research as well as investing. A broker at Morgan Stanley "taught her the ropes" of options trading. Today she manages six investment portfolios for herself as well as her family from her home on Cape Cod. "I'm pretty competitive," says Paskowski. "One of my favorite things to do every day is at 4:10 p.m. to look at my daily realized income." Those eight-hour days watching the markets are paying off: Year-to-date, she says she is "pretty close to earning six figures."