Suppose in the first five years of working for ABC Corporation Emily earns $50,000 a year after taxes, but ABC makes no yearly contribution toward a retirement plan for her. However, after five years ABC offers Emily a choice of receiving a $5,000 after-tax pay increase or a $5,000 tax-free yearly contribution to a retirement fund.
Explain and illustrate graphically (with budget lines and indifference curves) how Emily could be better off with the $5,000 after-tax pay increase than with the $5,000 tax-free contribution to her retirement fund. Also explain and illustrate with your graph how either form of additional compensation may leave Emily equally well off. (Hint/Suggestion: On your graph put dollars of after-tax income, which can be spent on other goods, on the vertical axis and dollars that can be applied toward retirement on the horizontal axis.)