The Situation

Beyond the Salary Number

A job offer with a $15,000 salary increase sounds compelling until you account for: losing a 6% employer 401(k) match, higher health insurance premiums, unvested equity you're leaving behind, a longer commute, and a 6-month vesting cliff at the new employer. The net financial change may be significantly different from the salary difference.

The salary tells you what you'll earn. The total compensation analysis tells you what you'll actually have.

— Worthune Decision Framework

• You're evaluating a job offer primarily based on salary without modeling the complete compensation picture
• You have unvested equity or 401(k) match at your current employer that you'd forfeit by leaving now
• You haven't calculated the cost and coverage difference for health insurance at the new employer