If you're switching careers: paychecks, 401(k) rollover, and the salary jump
The 6 money decisions most people miss when changing jobs.
Career changes are when most people leave money on the table. The new salary’s “I can finally relax” feeling masks tax-bracket changes, 401(k) rollover decisions, and the signing-bonus question. Five years later the delta becomes obvious.
UseFinLit covers six specific decisions: (1) 401(k) rollover path, (2) signing-bonus deployment, (3) health insurance transition, (4) salary delta investment, (5) tax-bracket optimization, (6) emergency fund refresh. Each is a 5-10 minute lesson block.
The paper-portfolio “what if I invest the salary delta?” simulator is especially useful here. If you’ll have $1,000/month extra after the move, plug it in — the app simulates 5-year growth across three asset mixes (aggressive, balanced, conservative) so you can pick the one matching your risk tolerance.
What you’re struggling with
- What do I do with my old company's 401(k)? Roll over, leave it, or cash out?
- I'm getting a signing bonus — invest it, save it, or pay debt?
- New employer offers different health insurance; do I keep my old plan via COBRA?
- Higher salary means higher tax bracket — I need a plan to not over-spend
How UseFinLit helps
401(k) rollover module
3 paths (roll to new 401k, roll to IRA, leave behind) compared on fees, fund choice, and tax mechanics.
Signing-bonus playbook
4 strategies: emergency fund, debt payoff, retirement boost, taxable account. Tax implications shown for each.
Tax-bracket optimization
If your new salary pushes you a bracket up, learn what tools (HSA, Roth conversions, charitable giving) reduce taxable income legally.
Paper-trade the new salary delta
If you'll have $1,000/month extra, invest the delta in the simulator for 5 years — see what asset mix wins.
Related lessons
- 401(k) vs IRA rollover decision
- Signing bonus tax treatment
- HSA basics for high earners
These lessons unlock with Premium in the app.
Frequently asked questions
How much does UseFinLit cost?
UseFinLit is free to download and includes a free tier of lessons. Premium unlocks all 600+ lessons across 32 modules, removes daily energy limits, and includes unlimited AI trade evaluations. Premium is $4.99/month or $47.99/year on the US App Store.
How does the trading simulator work?
You start with 100,000 in virtual cash and can buy or sell real publicly-listed stocks at nearly real-time market prices from NYSE, NASDAQ, and Borsa Istanbul. No real money is at risk; all trades are simulated. After each trade, an AI assistant evaluates your decision and explains what worked or what could be improved.
What markets and instruments does UseFinLit cover?
UseFinLit’s curriculum covers US equities (NYSE, NASDAQ), Turkish equities (Borsa Istanbul / BIST), ETFs, bonds, options, forex, cryptocurrency, mutual funds, technical analysis, fundamental analysis, portfolio theory, tax planning, 401(k), and Roth IRA basics.
What is UseFinLit?
UseFinLit is a microlearning iOS app that teaches investing and personal finance through 600+ one-minute lessons, a 100K virtual-cash simulator with nearly real-time NYSE, NASDAQ and Borsa Istanbul prices, and AI feedback on every simulated trade. It is free to start.
Is UseFinLit good for beginners?
Yes. UseFinLit’s 32 modules start from budgeting and saving fundamentals — no prior finance knowledge required — and progress to advanced topics like options strategies and portfolio theory. Each lesson takes about one minute, so beginners can build knowledge in small daily sessions without overwhelm.
Is UseFinLit like Duolingo for investing?
UseFinLit uses gamification mechanics common to language-learning apps — XP, streaks, badges, daily tasks, and leaderboards — but applied to finance education. The format is similar to Duolingo (bite-sized lessons + quizzes), while the content covers stocks, ETFs, bonds, options, crypto, taxes, and retirement planning instead of languages.
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Free on the iOS and Android.
