PENN Blog

Whether you like it or not, your credit score can determine how easy or how difficult it is to buy a car, buy a house, get cell phone service, or even get a job.  A bad credit score can negatively impact just about every area of your life. Sometimes, a bad credit score can result from events entirely out of your control such as illness, disability, or from the loss of a job.

While owning a home is the quintessential American dream, not everyone is able to purchase a home when they desire. If you’re fresh out of school with a boat load of student debt, it’s probably best to wait until you’ve been working for at least a year before you start looking to buy.

Most consumers typically have both a credit card and a debit card. Of course, the biggest difference between the two is that a debit card will immediately take money out of your bank account when used, unlike a credit card, which will pay for the purchase and later add the amount of the transaction to your monthly statement.

But are there any other differences between the two?

We all have certain causes that we choose to support monetarily. In fact, in 2017, Americans gave more than $410 billion to charities, breaking the $400 billion mark for the first time in history.

But anytime that we give our money to an organization, it’s important to do our due diligence, ensuring that the funds that we give will be used effectively.

Like health care, many of us continue with the same auto insurance policy for years, never bothering to find out whether another insurance carrier could provide better service or save us some money. But there are several reasons why shopping for another auto insurance policy can make sense. Here are just a few:

Who hasn't heard some or all of the following?

Be sure to check your credit score periodically.

Apply for a credit card so you can establish credit.

Your credit score dropped.

Your credit score rose.

What exactly does any of this mean and what is considered a good credit score?

There’s nothing more exciting than buying your first home. Whether it’s a condo for one, a sprawling mansion, or anything in between, buying your first home makes you feel like a true grown-up.

As a retirement plan, 401(k) plans currently outpace the competition, with more than 54 million Americans participating in a 401(k) plan, and nearly 550,000 plans offered.

Do you really know how much it will cost you to sell your home?  Here is a breakdown of some of those costs.