Reaction #3-Dean Sbriscia

Reaction to Work or Leisure after Retirement:

Should an individual work or enjoy leisure activity after retirement? This is a question many individuals have to ask themselves that are between the ages of 45 and 60. I agree that most individuals who were in steady jobs for most of their career are financially stable through a 401K plan and also other mutual fund or stock investments, however many individuals who did not save reasonable amounts of income are left with the choice of eating bread and water for the rest of their life, or obtaining another job that provides enough income to live comfortably. I believe too much conspicuous consumption is going on today and individuals are not saving what should be put into their bank account or fund. Savings and investment is a decision of choice, but I think you can never have too much money put away for retirement. Sure, most of these individuals are taking jobs away from graduating college seniors in the job hunt, but many of these individuals are working in lower end jobs that require much less headaches throughout the day. An example would be jobs that produce a sufficient income to live comfortably, but do not require the level of stress that college students are about jump into. Greg also pointed out that these individuals are stimulating the economy because they are out in the workforce generating an income. I agree with this statement because it shows that people are willing to work longer and harder to have the necessary money they need to live. I think most of these individuals who are entering the workforce after retirement are not taking high-end jobs. The debate would arise whether individuals are staying in the same job and prolonging retirement and this could be argued, however I feel that there is not a job shortage that prevents the younger age group from obtaining a job, yet an overall stimulation in the economy is occurring due to the increase in employment.