The decimation of benefits was traditionally felt by workers after a private equity firm swooped in, gobbled up the company and spit out its remnants. This would typically happen so quickly that workers could not make alternate plans. Well, those days are over and, if employees want a contingency plan, they now can kick some of what they take home into an IRA or insurance product. Why? Because if you are a corporation, there is no reason to feel obligated to fulfill your obligations anymore in contemporary corporate America.