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The offer letter has six numbers, and reading only the salary can cost you thousands.

Base salary is one line. Bonus, match, vesting, time off and the health premium are the other five, and they move the real value more than most people expect.

You asked for the six-line sheet. It is below, as the slides from the post, then the one move, then the tool the chart points at.

Slide 1 of 7: The offer letter has six numbers, and reading only the salary can cost you thousands.Slide 2 of 7: What to write down for every offer before you say yes.Slide 3 of 7: Access to paid sick leave depends heavily on the industry you are joining.Slide 4 of 7: A $5,000 higher base can be the smaller offer once the match and the premium are counted.Slide 5 of 7: Asking what the match is and what the premium costs is not being difficult. It is reading the letter.Slide 6 of 7: Three steps, in about an hour.Slide 7 of 7: Save this for the day the letter arrives.

Three steps, in about an hour.

  1. 01
    Write the six lines for the offer, and ask for anything missing.
  2. 02
    Write the same six lines for your current job, or the other offer.
  3. 03
    Total each column, then decide.The totals are the real comparison.

The tool this chart points at

A low-fee brokerage

For the IRA, the index fund and the rollover. Broad index funds with expense ratios under 0.1%.

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Sources: BLS Employee Benefits March 2025.

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