JOBS • MONEY • BUSINESS • LIFE DECISIONS

I Want to Quit My Job Today: 10 Questions to Answer Before You Walk Away

By Roosevelt Davis • BHO Innovations

There may come a morning when you wake up and say, “I am tired of this job. I want to quit today.”

Maybe you are frustrated with management. Maybe you believe you should be earning more money. Maybe you have a business idea and believe it is time to become your own boss.

Those feelings may be real. But before making a major financial decision, ask yourself: Am I financially prepared for what happens after I quit?

1. How Much Money Do You Have Saved?

If your paycheck stopped today, how long could you continue paying your normal expenses? Look at your savings, emergency fund and available cash. Know what it actually costs you to live each month.

2. Where Are You Going to Live?

Are you paying rent or a mortgage? Are you living with your parents, another family member or a friend? Having somewhere to stay today does not automatically mean that arrangement will remain available forever.

3. Do You Have Reliable Transportation?

Transportation affects your ability to work, interview, meet customers, attend appointments and operate a business. Consider how you will handle transportation after your regular paycheck stops.

4. What Bills Must Be Paid Every Month?

Write down your actual monthly expenses: housing, food, transportation, phone service, utilities, insurance, debt payments and other obligations.

Your bills do not disappear because you decide to leave your job.

5. What Happens to Your Health Coverage?

If health insurance or other benefits are connected to your employment, understand what happens when you leave. Research your options and costs before making the decision.

6. How Much Debt Are You Carrying?

Credit cards, loans and other debts can become harder to manage when regular income disappears. Know what you owe and how those payments will be handled during your transition.

7. What Will Replace Your Paycheck?

Wanting to leave is not the same thing as having replacement income. Will another job replace the paycheck? Do you have contract work? Paying customers? Is your business already producing consistent revenue?

8. Is Your Business Actually Making Money?

Having a business idea, website or social-media account does not automatically mean your business can support your living expenses. Look at real sales, expenses, profit and cash flow.

9. What Is Your Emergency Plan?

Life does not always follow the plan. Cars break down. Unexpected bills happen. Customers cancel. Sales slow down. Ask yourself how you will handle an emergency when your regular paycheck is gone.

10. What Is Your Exit Date?

Instead of saying, “I am quitting today,” consider creating a realistic exit date. Give yourself time to save money, reduce expenses, build customers and prepare for the transition.

Build Before You Walk Away

Leaving a job may eventually be the right decision for you. The goal is not to remain somewhere forever simply because you are afraid to leave.

The goal is to make your decision with information, preparation and a realistic financial plan.

Your dream deserves more than emotion. Your dream deserves a strategy.