Getting to know FamilyMint

Do I need anything special to use it?

All you need to use FamilyMint is an internet connection and a browser with Adobe Flash installed. Once you're in, create a bank and add your children.  To get an idea of what other people are doing on FamilyMint, check out our Community Chat forum.  

How do I add another banker?

Refer to the Create User - Setting up a Child or Banker to use FamilyMint help topic for information on creating a new banker.

Can I edit a transaction once I post it?

No.  Just like an online bank, once it's out there, you can't edit it.  However, a child can cancel a transaction if it was made in error.  The banker can deny the transaction too if approvals are turned on.   This way, there is always a complete history of everything that happened in your bank.

How does the child get to spend the money? 

Ultimately, the goal of FamilyMint is to learn how to plan ahead and budget for the things needed or wanted.  Once a goal is achieved, the child makes a withdrawal from FamilyMint, and the parent either gives the cash to the child or, if purchasing online, makes the purchase for the child.

What about those spur-of-the-moment purchases?  You can simply give them the cash when they need it for purchases, and have them deduct it from their account when they get home.  No more lost money and no more tears at the store because their money was left at home.

It is better for them to learn from poor money decisions now than later in life.  Let them make some mistakes.  The great thing about FamilyMint is their spending and saving is transparent.  With your guidance they will start to realize that spending $5.00 on a rash purchase will only make reaching their goals that much harder.

How do I upload a custom image in FamilyMint?

Refer to Custom Image help topic to find out how to upload custom images for profiles and goals.

What's that Refresh button do?

If the banker and the child are both online at the same time and both making changes to the same profile or account, hit the Refresh button to bring in any recent changes made by the other user. 

Can I lock a goal without matching it (Premium version only)?

Sure!  Locking and matching go together.  On the Edit Goal window, select "Yes" next to "Match this goal" but leave the matching amount at 0%.

Is there a place where I can find out if there are problems with FamilyMint?

Yes.  Check (and subscribe to!) our Known Issues forum.  To unsubscribe, click on the link from the email, or visit the forum again and unsubscribe there.

Why do you ask for birthdate, zip code, & gender for child profiles?

As parents of young children ourselves, we take privacy and security very seriously.  Zip code is requested so we have an idea of where the user is located.  Different countries, as well as different states in the US, have varying regulations about the collection of any data from users, and the collection of zip code allows us to meet those regulations.  Birthdate is important for the same reason.  For example, we don't allow any user under the age of 13 to enter an email address which helps meet the requirements of the U.S. COPPA legislation. Gender is helpful to us to analyze usage and ensure both boys and girls are equally getting value out of the application and may be helpful for personalization options in the future. For more information on how we treat personal information please see our Privacy Policy. 

Still wondering about something?  Check out our help resources for more information!