Access Money Habitudes Online:

FAQ

A Habitude—a combination of habits and attitudes—describes the ingrained thoughts and feelings (attitudes) that influence our decisions and actions (habits) about how we eat, exercise, communicate, enjoy ourselves, etc. This activity focuses on our Habitudes related to money.

Money Habitudes is an activity to get people talking about money. The game, which is based on research, also reveals underlying habits and attitudes about money and provides insights on how they influence financial, relationship, career and personal decisions. Available both as a card game and an online activity, Money Habitudes is written in nonjudgmental, jargon-free and gender-neutral language. In this fun and insightful game, there are no right or wrong responses, so there are no “winners” or “losers.”  In addition to the game itself, Money Habitudes includes action steps for each Habitude.

Money is already a difficult topic. Money Habitudes was intentionally designed to be associated with a friendly, positive card game and the online version is intended to be associated with a non-threatening video game. This is a very different experience than using formats such as checklists and forms which are associated with taking a test where people are likely to respond to what they think is the right answer. This game-like format provides a nonjudgemental, non-threatening and fun experience.

A player is presented with 54 different statements about money (e.g. “When I go shopping, I have to buy something,” or “I will spend a lot of time and energy to get a better deal”) that fall under six core Money Habitudes.

You decide whether you agree or disagree with each statement by sorting the cards into three piles:

  1. That’s me
  2. Sometimes, it depends
  3. That’s not me

The pattern of answers reveals each player’s money personality profile. Money Habitudes provides advantages and challenges for each of the Habitudes categories, as well as suggested actions for change.

See demo videos for the cards and online versions here.

FAQs to get started as a Money Habitudes Online Administrator

IMPORTANT NOTE

Please tell people that Money Habitudes Online will not work on Internet Explorer.
Microsoft is no longer supporting older versions. Chrome, Firefox, Safari or other browsers will work.

TO START:  To sign in, go to https://online.moneyhabitudes.com/ and click on Login.  Enter the email address you used to sign up and your password and you’re good to go!  We suggest you bookmark the site for your convenience. Note: If you have more than one email address, be sure to enter the one you used to purchase this account.

NAVIGATING THE ADMINISTRATOR’S AREA:

  • The dropdown menu is on the top right for the Dashboard, Settings, Subscription and Logout.

DASHBOARD

  1. How many games are left? Under Create Codes, the number of game uses you have left is on the top line.
  2. To send individual codes, click on Distribute Games button, enter an email or multiple emails separated by a coma.  A unique email will be automatically sent to each email address you entered.  It will have the link to your landing page where they will enter their email and password and play the game.
  3. Create Group Code:  The event name is only for your eyes.  Use names that make it easy for you to sort your groups. Enter the number of uses you want associated with that code.  If you don’t need as many as you’ve assigned, you can revoke them and return them to your general pool of games.  You can send or post that link anyway you wish.
    • When games uses are assigned to a Group Code and not used, select the group name under Settings, a window will open with this group name and link, then click “Update Share Total” and reduce the number of uses to 0. This will return remaining game uses to your general pool and that code can no longer be used.
  1. Start a New Game with this account.  This is most useful if someone is sitting with you and you want them to play immediately on your computer or tablet.

 Once you start using it, you’ll see everyone listed who has signed on.

  • If you see a triangle on the right, they signed on but have not finished the game.  (They can go back, enter their email and password and pick up where they left off.)
  • If there is a pie chart, they’ve finished.  Click on it and you can see the quick results and the full report.
    If you also have the professional report included in your subscription, you can access the professional report here and it will have the individual responses to each statement.

    • Contact me at [email protected] if are interested in using the results for research purposes.  I can provide results in a more easily accessible format for that purpose.
  • Use the search bar to find a user by name, email or group (if activated).
  • Columns can be sorted by date, name, email and group.

Settings:

  • General:  change your setting and password
  • Codes: There is a search option and columns for date, email address, and code can be sorted.  Last column allows you to see how many games you assigned to that group and how many have been used.  Click to get the link or the code and click on details to revoke any unused games and return them to the general pool. To send a link to someone to use a group code, click on View Details to get the link.
  • Branding:  If you purchased Standard Branding or it is part of your package, you can brand the landing screen where your clients sign in and/or the report cover.  Simply upload your image as a .jpg or .png (usually a logo) and enter your text.  It will automatically size it.  Add the text. Click on Update Branding and you can preview it.  You can always go here and change the image and the text.  The charge for standard branding is a one-time charge.  Contact us to ask about customized branding.

Adding Uses & Cancellations

Money Habitudes helps provide people with instant insights about their money personalities. It sparks honest, constructive conversation about people’s attitudes toward money and how their beliefs affect their lives and their finances.

When discussing the outcomes, people quickly relate to:

  • They are not described by one word. They are a combination of different Habitudes which respects the complexity of each person.
  • How their dominant Habitudes may explain what motivates behaviors that support or sabotage their intentions.
  • Which advantages they have that can be leveraged to achieve their goals.
  • Challenges that may have been blind spots holding them back.
  • How their Habitudes complement or conflict with those of the significant people in their life.
  • How might a Habitude that is missing in the That’s Me pile benefit them if it is used more.
  • The overall patterns that emerge that can be used to predict situations that cause them to be proud of or regret their decisions.

Playing the physical card game takes 10 – 15 minutes. The online version can typically be done in 5 to 15 minutes, as the set up and interpretation is automated. Interpreting results takes approximately 15 minutes for a quick overview. It is often combined with discussion and activities.

Playing and receiving your Money Habitudes results is only the beginning. The greatest value is in the productive conversations that follow play. Money Habitudes comes with a list of positive and challenging attributes for each Habitude, insights on how others might see you and suggestions for next steps. This discussion stage can take as much or as little time as you want depending on whether it is part of a larger curriculum or ongoing engagement.

If it is part of another program, financial educators and other professionals will generally allow for a quick 15 minute discussion and then refer back to it for further discussion.

Often professionals will build 1-2 hours classes or one-on-one sessions to discuss outcomes and apply the learnings. Suggestions and activities for different settings can be found here and in the Professional Guide.

While many individuals use Money Habitudes on their own, the program is primarily used by professionals for client work, workshops and group activities, classes, self-assessment, staff training and more. This includes financial advisors, financial educators and financial counselors, relationship counselors and facilitators, educators and youth leaders, therapists, social workers, coaches, and institutions such as credit unions, banks, companies, universities, non-profits and faith-based programs.

Examples of how professionals use Money Habitudes:

  • Initiate a meaningful discussion about money without asking probing, personal questions.
  • Gain relevant insight on how to approach a client to help them develop and stick to a financial plan because it also addresses their emotional needs.
  • Get instant insight into what triggers and reinforces financial behavior patterns.
  • Make the connection between a client’s emotional relationship with money and how it may be affecting other life issues such as career, relationships and self-esteem.
  • Use as an icebreaker activity for classes or workshops.
  • Build sensitivity of advisors, staff and volunteers by better understanding their own and others’ money personality and how it may influence their work with others.

For more information, see the Who Uses It section.

Standard branding includes your logo and text on the deck of cards or on the sign-in screen and report cover for the online version. These are great for internal use at staff training and workshops, or external use as promotional material, client gifts, conferences or as a donation to support local non-profit programs. Additional customization is also available.

Money Habitudes Online offers other standard options:

  • A professional report with individual responses for each statement.  Good for working one-on-one with individuals and couples.
  • An Excel report of responses for research.
  • The full report can be withheld for marketing purposes and counseling.
  • Players can be anonymous.
  • Universities can get free administrator accounts and the student pays a discounted rate by credit card before playing.

Contact us for institutional pricing and additional customization including other languages, integration directly into your benefits or training software accessible via your website.

In addition to the standard adult version of Money Habitudes, we also offer a Spanish-language version, Teen version and Young Adult version. Customized orders can be translated into other languages and text can be revised to be more relevant to specific populations.

Although Money Habitudes is very intuitive and adaptable, we recommend seeking our training or certification options to improve familiarity with how it works.

To help ensure client success, we offer Professional’s Guide, digital or hard copy and trainings for those that are new, we have monthly product demonstration (MH Product Demo), those already using out products (Monthly Conversations & Certification program) and group training (101 Group Training Session) to walk you through the game, guide your discussions and explore deeper issues with Money Habitudes.

In addition, the Teen programs, How to Be Rich In Life and Love and Money Habitudes for At-Risk Youth provide educators, youth leaders and counselors five lesson plans related to financial literacy, life skills, relationships and business to help teens develop a healthier relationship with money.

We also offer in-person – contact us directly for more detailed information on these customized programs.

Yes. The results will not be accurate unless each individual is playing with a full deck to do the activity. Also, it is more efficient and effective.

When using them with groups, the process runs more smoothly when everyone can play at the same time and collectively discuss the results. To get the most accurate and valuable information, each person (even if playing as a couple) should have a deck to sort the cards and look at their results simultaneously.

The Guide for Professionals does offer suggestions for activities to do with large and small groups when you don’t have enough card decks for each participant. Remember when you do these activities, they can start conversations and introduce new perspectives, but people should have a deck of cards or their own online game. This is a powerful, personal tool that will be reliable and have more impact when people do their sort as an individual and then talk about it with others.

Yes. The cards are very durable and can be reused. They are numbered to easily keep track of them. Clear plastic boxes are available for purchase for cards that will be reused a lot as the boxes do wear out.

Money Habitudes is not intended to serve as a psychological or financial instrument to diagnose individuals or to dictate a course of action. It is a profile that indicates the habits and attitudes that trigger behaviors. Research on reliability at Utah State University and other research can be seen here. They have been used by over a million people from diverse populations throughout the US., Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia who report their results as accurate and insightful. Contact us for information about current research projects.

The six Money Habitudes categories used to describe attitudes and habits related to money are based on the most common patterns found in research in psychology, finance, addiction and behavioral economics at the time Money Habitudes was developed. Since then, research in the new field of neurofinance has affirmed and reinforced those categories and interpretations. While under development, Money Habitudes cards were tested among multiple focus groups including people of different ages, cultures, financial means and education. They were also revised based on feedback from 32 financial professionals, therapists, human resource staff and educators throughout the U.S. In 2015, the MH assessment was researched by a team at Utah State University utilizing Cronbach’s alpha to measure the Habitudes (domains) for reliability. The MH assessment met the standards for reliability. The latest version was also edited to ensure the text was at a fifth-grade reading level so people of all ages and reading levels could participate. Versions for teens and young adults have also been updated to reflect the research and feedback from the field.

Formal and information evaluations consistently conclude that Money Habitudes start conversations and provide individuals with insights that cause behavior change. On-going research is being conducted and feedback collected to determine effectiveness and if revisions need to be made.

Additional Information

Reliability Analysis of Money Habitudes (clemson.edu