History

Beginnings at Penn

Common Cents, Penn's first and only personal finance club, was founded in Fall 2019 by John Ta (MLS '22) and Vivek Olumbe (W '23, SEAS '23). John first conceived of the idea for the club when one of his friends asked him about applying for his first credit card, but didn't know what a credit score was. He realized that many students lacked the fundamental understanding of personal finance and that it was crucial to address this knowledge gap in a way that was tailored to the needs of undergraduates, whose decisions in college could affect their financial futures for years after graduation. Thus, Common Cents Collaborative was born.

Common Cents at Penn became SAC recognized in Fall 2021, and we joined the Penn Wellness umbrella organization in Spring 2023. We are currently a Wharton Council Emerging Club as of Fall 2023.

Intercollegiate Expansion

Common Cents Collaborative opened its second collegiate chapter at Johns Hopkins in September 2020. We further expanded to Cornell in October 2021. Our newest chapter is at Florida State University, opening its doors to members in September 2022.

Past Leadership

Spring 2023

Fall 2022

Spring 2022

Fall 2021

Spring 2021

Fall 2020

Fall 2019 and Spring 2020