Personal Finance 101 (2025)

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Across
  1. 4. To optimize the benefits of a credit card, regularly compare credit card offers, pay as much of your ____ as possible as soon as possible, and avoid paying your bill late.
  2. 5. People who are smart have common habits. One good habit is to tell a ____ about your goals. 76% (the highest percentage) of people who did this accomplished their goal.
  3. 11. The percentage distribution of annual household ____ (the total amount of money earned by all individuals residing in a single home) is highest between $100-150,000 a year.
  4. 13. $1 million will only buy a person 358 square feet of space in this US city (combine the two words… don’t include the space).
  5. 15. Lower-income earners ____ more than middle and higher-income earners about things such as paying their bills, amount of debt, and losing their job.
  6. 18. ____ Choices (including phone, pets, hobbies, shopping, & more) are the last things you should buy in your budget, making up no more than 30% of income.
  7. 20. Based on the 50/20/30 Rule, ____ expenses such as housing, transportation, and utilities should make up no more than 50% of your income.
  8. 21. A ____’s price is affected by short-term market fluctuations, while its value is measured by items such as financial statements and market analysis.
  9. 22. According to the Occupational Requirements Survey, the majority of civilian workers must have cognitive and mental requirements that involve varying work ____.
  10. 23. Regarding buying a car, the ____ category reflects a credit score range of 661-780. The majority of financing given on loans and leases (highest % in the column) falls in this category.
  11. 24. If you invest $360 per month starting at age 20 (earning a 6% ____ rate), you will have $1 million at retirement (notice how much this jumps the longer you wait to start).
  12. 25. You start with no credit score. After ____ months of on-time payments, your credit score will be 500.
  13. 27. The perception of 1,000 adults is that 19% of US households earn more than $500,000 a year. However, the actual percentage that earns $500,000 a year is ____%.
  14. 29. You should create one of these to compare income versus expenses.
  15. 30. Once you’ve found a house you like, you begin a lengthy 1-2 month+ long paperwork process, which involves financial ____checks, job/income data, property inspection, and more.
  16. 31. ____ is one of the three credit bureaus that track your financial decisions and develops your credit score (i.e. FICO score).
  17. 32. ____ history makes up 35% of your credit score (the largest portion).
  18. 33. $100,000 of income, after being adjusted for cost-of-living and taxes, goes least far in this city.
  19. 38. The return on a college degree has more to do with your field of study (i.e. your ____) than where you go to school.
  20. 39. One of the factors of creditworthiness includes your ____ to pay (i.e. Do you keep a steady job?)
  21. 43. Owning a car involves many expenses. One item is about 10% of all expenses for a car owner (over 5 years of owning a car). For an 18-year-old on their own, the national average can be over $5,000 a year.
  22. 45. Perhaps the greatest employee motivator involves cultivating this sense.
  23. 49. Hawaii is the hardest state to ____ money (PA is ranked 18th).
  24. 50. As a savvy consumer, a person should include planning to set goals, create a budget, save for emergencies, and anticipate ____.
  25. 53. The term for a person who falls under Unacceptable Employee Behavior… a master procrastinator who can come up with plenty of excuses as to why a task or project hasn’t been started.
  26. 54. Compared to savings accounts and bonds, this investment tool earns you the largest return on investment.
  27. 55. The cheapest pet to own at $35/year.
  28. 56. A person with a credit score over 800 would receive a ____ APR for their auto loan.
  29. 57. Going over $18 trillion in debt in Q1 of 2025, most American debt is spent on a ____ (not a surprise, this is the most expensive item in the typical American’s budget)
  30. 58. In 2022, the gender ____ gap shows that a woman earns 82% of a man’s wage for all workers over age 16.
  31. 59. You have to work over 100 hours in a month just to pay a mortgage in this city.
  32. 61. Generation X has the highest average credit ____ debt.
Down
  1. 1. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, among recent high school graduates 16-24 years of age, more women than men are ____ in college.
  2. 2. Nearly 80% of all jobs are acquired through ____.
  3. 3. According to the Occupational Requirements Survey, the required “____, Training, and Experience of Civilian Workers” for the majority of jobs is a high school diploma.
  4. 6. If you start with $1 million when you retire and add social security, the money will last you 53 years in this state (compared to just 12 years in Hawaii).
  5. 7. The average cost of this child-rearing expense is over $1,100/month in Pennsylvania.
  6. 8. This field (i.e. major area) had the highest number of bachelor’s degrees conferred.
  7. 9. The higher the price ____ number for a given state, the more residents will pay for items such as housing, food, and transportation. (PA is in the midrange)
  8. 10. While money motivates many employees, ____ from a manager is the highest-rated motivator at 67%.
  9. 12. A person with a bachelor’s in this field/category is likely to start around $65,000/year on average.
  10. 14. You should always pay more than the ____ payment on your credit card.
  11. 16. As you develop a budget and make spending decisions, it is easier to alter ____ expenses to shift money where you need it.
  12. 17. ____ and mathematical occupations sit the most at work (compared to other occupations).
  13. 19. People, regardless of country, spend most of their time during the day doing this.
  14. 25. #6 on the blank check
  15. 26. Over a one-month period, investors have a 39% chance of ____. This drops to 0.1% across 20 years, demonstrating that the longer you invest, the better your chance of gaining.
  16. 28. A 401(k) is a retirement tool offered by some ____.
  17. 34. When choosing a credit card, it’s a safe bet to choose a card with the lowest ____.
  18. 35. One of the important people and management skills of fast-growing occupations is ____.
  19. 36. The average loan rate for a person with a credit score between 300-500 who buys a used car is over ____%.
  20. 37. To earn 1 ____ dollars, it takes a person with a bachelor’s degree 15.4 years, but it takes a person with less than a high school diploma 32.4 years.
  21. 40. Based on the Family Budget Map by the EPI, it costs over $8,500/month for a 2-parent, 2-child family in ____ County, PA to attain a modest, yet adequate standard of living.
  22. 41. Of the 50 metro areas referenced, this city requires the lowest annual salary to buy a home.
  23. 42. This state has the lowest Median Household Bank Balance, over $10,000 less than Pennsylvania.
  24. 44. Writers, Tax Preparers, Mathematicians, and Accountants are some of the jobs with high ____ to ChatGPT (i.e. most likely to be impacted).
  25. 46. Consider buying a ____ car when your income is lower and because cars depreciate quickly.
  26. 47. After taxes and a cost-of-living adjustment, a $100,000 salary gets a person the farthest in Memphis, but not very far in ____ (combine the two words… don’t include the space).
  27. 48. This is one of the eight most useful college degrees employers are always looking to hire.
  28. 51. Just because you can get credit doesn’t mean you should ____ it.
  29. 52. “On-time payments” and “Oldest Credit Line” are two factors evaluated to calculate your credit ____.
  30. 60. The ____ of saving is more important than the amount.