Tim Maurer, Director of Personal Finance, 4/15/2014
You know what has to be done, but it doesn’t make it any easier. You’ve done all the research, asked all the questions and mulled over your options, and you know that moving on from your current company is the right thing to do.
You wince, imagining the look on the face of your boss and co-workers when you tell them. You’re no longer an insider, but an outsider or—worse—a competitor. Even your relationship as friends could be compromised. It’s stressful for everyone, but especially for you because ultimately it’s your choice.
As you go through your morning routine on the day you’re delivering the news to your company, every step seems more pronounced than it typically does. Maybe it’s because you recognize it could be the last time you’ll go through the paces exactly like this. Or maybe it’s because the adrenaline has already notched up in anticipation of the discussions you’re about to have with your boss and colleagues.
Indeed, along with marriage, divorce, death and personal injury, changing jobs is consistently ranked as one of the most stressful things a person can do. That stress can be substantially reduced, however, if you’re better prepared for what comes next. Here are three ways to make the most of your job transition:
1. Leave well. ”It’s more important to leave well than it is to start well,” a good friend once told me. And it’s true. You’ve already made a good impression on your new company—you got the job! But while you’re heading on to new and exciting adventures, your former employer is left to deal with the rejection and cleanup from your departure.
Make it easier by offering to stay on for a reasonable period of time, but not longer. In most cases, shorter is better for all parties, as it reduces the awkwardness and hastens the healing.
Part of leaving well is preparing to deal with impulsive counterattacks mounted consciously or unconsciously by your former co-workers. Especially if you brought or maintained client relationships, the words “I’m leaving” may magically transform you from friend to foe—but let that be their choice, not yours. Take the high road whenever possible.
2. Don’t leave anything behind. Along with your personal Swingline stapler and the letter opener your parents gave you, don’t leave your 401(k) or any other transferable benefits behind.
Specifically regarding your 401(k) or other comparable plan, you typically have three options, depending on the design of the plan you’re leaving and the plan your new company offers. The first option is to leave it there; I rarely recommend this unless you’re in love with the plan investment options and pay close attention to them.
Option two is to transfer the old 401(k) into the new plan, if they allow it. This gives you the benefits of consolidation and, while rarely advisable, the ability to borrow from your plan—a provision not available in old retirement plans or IRAs.
For most, the sensible choice is to aggregate the newly antiquated 401(k) plan with other prior plans in the form of a direct rollover to an IRA. In this case, you are not limited to the investment options in the new 401(k)—options that are notoriously mediocre. Be certain to check all the right boxes to ensure that your rollover is not a taxable event.
It’s also important to take stock of any company benefits that are transferable. Although they are nearly extinct, pension plans of various sorts accrued during your tenure may do nothing for you now but could be meaningful in the future.
One client recently had a premonition that she’d left a small pension behind from a previous job. I encouraged her to call the company’s human resources department, and indeed, there was $9,000 sitting in a plan earning 3 percent per year that she can’t touch for another 15 years.
If you’re blessed enough to have annual income in excess of your saving and spending needs, you may have a qualified or non-qualified deferred compensation plan to handle. And while also rare, there are occasions in which group benefits—such as life, disability income or long-term care insurance through your company—can also be traversed to private policies with the vendor.
3. Make the most of your fresh start. Nobody’s perfect—including you. But as the saintly image of yourself you’ve been promoting to your new company starts to settle into something closer to reality, you do have an opportunity to trade some bad habits for good ones.
Take advantage of this clean slate by embracing the time-management method that’s worked so well for your friend, or finally start using a system to seize control of your email inbox.
Develop a healthier rhythm of life and work. Be careful not to overextend yourself at the beginning of the new gig, lest you set expectations you’ll never be able to live up to.
Make wise choices with your new benefits package. Increase your 401(k) contribution to the level you know you should be saving, and put sufficient time into really understanding the new investment options and determining the optimal mix for you. Don’t forget to add beneficiaries to your new 401(k) plan and any group life-insurance coverage in the new benefits package.
As you review your group benefits—especially health, life and long-term disability-income insurance—be sure to actually understand them and acknowledge whether or not you should be supplementing them privately. (You can be almost sure that the base level of free life and disability-income insurance is insufficient.)
Consider opening your mind to a high-deductible health plan, which gives you the option to utilize a Health Savings Account (HSA). Many assume this is too complicated or costly, especially if you have a young family, but even in that case, this can be a great way to make nearly all of your household medical expenses tax deductible.
While certainly stressful, a job change navigated well can be an amazing personal and professional launchpad—especially when you leave on good terms, don’t leave anything behind and take full advantage of the fresh start.
This commentary originally appeared April 2 on CNBC.com.
About the Author
Tim Maurer, Director of Personal Finance The BAM ALLIANCE
Tim Maurer is the director of personal finance for the BAM ALLIANCE. A Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner working with individuals, families and organizations, he also educates at private events and via TV, radio, print and online media.
Tim is a regular CNBC contributor and writes for Forbes.com. A central theme, that “personal finance is more personal than it is finance,” drives his writing and speaking.
Maurer graduated from Towson University, where he now teaches financial planning. His second book, co-authored with Jim Stovall, is published by John Wiley and Sons under the title “The Ultimate Financial Plan: Balancing Your Life and Money.”
Tim and his wife, Andrea, live in Baltimore with their two boys, Kieran and Connor, and their dog, Raven. A musician, Tim plays at his church and occasional local gigs. He also participates in a group dedicated to serving the people of Nicaragua through microfinance and entrepreneurial ventures.
You can follow Tim on Twitter at @TimMaurer.
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