If You Want to Quit Your Job in 2015, Check These Items Off Your List by December 31st

If you’re planning to quit your job in 2015, there are multiple things you can do before the end of the year to be better prepared.

Use your healthcare benefits. This is especially important if you’ve met your deductible for 2014, or are getting close. If you move to a new employer, your healthcare benefits may have higher deductibles or lower co-pays, or exclude the practitioners that you currently see.

Don’t forget the optometrist! Even if you have never worn glasses or contacts before, if your benefits include an eye exam, it is worth looking into (ha!). Or, if you have been wearing the same lenses for a long time, your vision might have changed. Many eye care benefits allow for one set of prescription glasses or contacts each calendar year. If you get new glasses now, you could also get prescription sunglasses or contacts in January.

My vision constantly gets better or worse. When I switched to private insurance, I no longer had optometrist benefits. Fortunately when I had benefits in the past, I got new glasses each year as my prescription improved or worsened, so now I can rotate through them as my sight changes.

Get your charitable donations matched. If your company has a charitable gift-matching program, take advantage of it by making your donations now.

If you can afford it, max out your employer-sponsored retirement saving plan. Got a 401(k), 403(b), 503(b), or another annualized retirement saving plan that your company matches? Most plans start over on January 1^st. If you aren’t able to contribute the maximum limit, can you contribute enough to receive your employer’s highest matching amount? This is part of your earned compensation. Don’t leave it behind when you go.

If you’re trying to save money, consider taking less vacation time this holiday season so that you can cash it out when you quit. If you work for a company that is slow during the holidays, this can be a great time to be on the job anyway. It will be quieter and calmer, and you can work on the projects that are most important for you to accomplish before you leave. You can also use the extra privacy to print paystubs, retirement plan or stock details, and your past performance reviews.

Enjoy your holiday bonuses. If your employer gives cash bonuses or gifts in December, take an extra moment to savor them. To everyone else they are end-of-year extras. For you, they are your parting gifts.

Tags: quitting, savings