Severance pay can't be tied to silence
And more of the week's best financial insight

Here are three of the week's top pieces of financial insight, gathered from around the web:
The high cost of early Social Security
It's "no secret" most retirees are better off waiting to start collecting Social Security, said Lisa Ward in The Wall Street Journal. A recent study funded by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta showed just how costly taking benefits early can be. Monthly checks can be 76 percent bigger, adjusted for inflation, for those who start collecting at age 70, rather than at 62. That "would boost the typical worker's median discretionary spending over a lifetime by $182,370, or around 10 percent," and for the wealthiest 20 percent, the difference rises to $290,000. The math isn't the same for everyone, but the researchers found holding off would be better for nearly 90 percent of people who are now 45 to 62. Still, "less than 10 percent are likely to wait that long," because it means postponing getting checks to help fund retirement. Some people bet they'll die before the delay pays off.
Men drop out of the jobs market
One reason employers are still struggling to find qualified job applicants is that millions of young men have left the workforce, said Paul Davidson in USA Today. Overall, workforce participation is "62.4 percent, well below its pre-pandemic level of 63.4 percent." Most of the shortfall stems from a wave of workers 55 and up who retired early after COVID hit. "But a less publicized factor is that men ages 25 to 54 have been dropping out." Their participation rate "slid during the health crisis and has yet to fully recover despite record job growth over the past two years." If prime-age men were back to their 1990 level, the U.S. would have 2.7 million more workers — "a big shot in the arm for the economy."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Severance pay can't be tied to silence
Employers can no longer offer severance agreements barring laid-off employees from badmouthing the company, said Herb Scribner in Axios. The National Labor Relations Board ruled last week such requirements violate the National Labor Relations Act, reversing two decisions the agency made during the Trump administration. The new ruling came in a case involving a Michigan hospital that laid off 11 workers at the height of the pandemic and demanded they say nothing to tarnish the hospital's image. The board also said companies can't stop outgoing employees from revealing their exit package terms. The ruling, along with a federal push to ban noncompete agreements, shows how workers have "clawed back more power in the post-pandemic era."
This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Book reviews: ‘Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America’ and ‘How to End a Story: Collected Diaries, 1978–1998’
Feature A political ‘witch hunt’ and Helen Garner’s journal entries
By The Week US Published
-
The backlash against ChatGPT's Studio Ghibli filter
The Explainer The studio's charming style has become part of a nebulous social media trend
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?
Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Could a private equity deal be the end of Walgreens?
Today's Big Question The pharmacy chain will be taken private in a $10 billion deal
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Store closings could accelerate throughout 2025
Under the Radar Major brands like Macy's and Walgreens are continuing to shutter stores
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Penny-pinching: Elon Musk looks at the cent to cut costs
In the Spotlight Musk's DOGE claims that millions can be saved if production on pennies is slashed
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
America might be in a second Gilded Age
In the Spotlight The first Gilded Age was marked by rising inequality and a push for social change
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The UK's national debt: a terrifying warning
Talking Points OBR's 'grim' report on Britain's fiscal outlook warns of skyrocketing spending, but 'projection' is not a 'forecast'
By The Week Published
-
The rise of the world's first trillionaire
in depth When will it happen, and who will it be?
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Last updated
-
Can Starbucks' new CEO revive the company?
Today's Big Question Brian Niccol has been the CEO of Chipotle since 2018 but is now moving to the coffee chain
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Is the Fed ready to start cutting interest rates?
Today's Big Question Recession fears and a presidential election affect the calculation
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published