If it's money that an individual would otherwise have to borrow, meaning they'd take out a loan against a credit card or run up a balance, they are better off economically if they borrow from themselves.

The administrative costs (of an employer plan) are frequently cheaper. It's generally going to cost you less money than an IRA.

I think many people end up taking buyout offers quickly because $100,000 (or some other lump-sum payment) can seem like a great deal of money, only to end up realizing after the fact that it wasn't enough to justify leaving. People need to avoid the wide-eyed feeling of I'm winning the lottery and make sure they think about if I am 50 I still got decades ahead of me.

This concept of sharing greater costs with the employee is nothing new.

Even the granddad companies that maintained these benefits are on a track moving away from it.

Workers should think about it very carefully and go through a very clear evaluation.