Financial Intelligence Lab Tools that teach your first real money decisions.

Interactive Learning Tool

Job Offer Comparison Tool

Compare two fictional or user-entered job-offer scenarios using compensation, selected benefits, and recurring work-related cost assumptions.

This tool models user-entered assumptions for education. It does not recommend a financial decision.

Last reviewed:

What this tool models

The tool compares first-year and ongoing cash compensation, one simplified employer-match formula, and selected recurring costs. It shows neutral differences under the entered assumptions.

What you enter

Enter labels and annual salaries for two offers. Optional fields cover guaranteed bonuses, one-time signing bonuses, one simplified retirement match, and selected monthly costs. No market averages are supplied.

Enter two offer scenarios

Simplified match formula

Employee contribution = salary × employee contribution percentage. Match-eligible amount = the smaller of the employee contribution and salary × maximum matched percentage. Estimated employer contribution = match-eligible amount × employer match percentage.

Actual plans may use different match formulas, eligibility rules, limits, and vesting schedules.

Offer A

Offer B

Formula explanation

First-year cash compensation = salary + guaranteed annual bonus + signing bonus.

Ongoing annual cash compensation = salary + guaranteed annual bonus.

Annual recurring entered costs = 12 × the entered monthly costs.

Simplified amount after costs = cash compensation + estimated employer contribution − annual recurring entered costs.

Assumptions

  • All recurring entered costs repeat for 12 months.
  • Guaranteed bonus values are included as entered; uncertain bonuses are not modeled.
  • The employer-match calculation uses one simplified percentage formula.

Limitations

  • The tool does not recommend an offer or evaluate workplace culture, career quality, or undocumented benefits.
  • It does not calculate actual taxes or net pay.
  • It does not determine affordability or predict bonuses.

What this teaches

The comparison separates first-year amounts from ongoing amounts and keeps cash compensation, estimated employer contributions, and recurring costs visible.

Continue learning

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Educational boundary

Financial Intelligence Lab provides simplified educational information, calculators, and games. This page does not provide individualized financial, investment, tax, legal, credit, student-loan, insurance, housing, retirement, career, business, or budgeting advice. Examples and formulas use simplified assumptions. Actual costs, taxes, rates, benefits, laws, eligibility rules, and personal circumstances vary.