Financial Planning
Planning and preparation are essential for a financially successful life. Financial success can be challenging to anyone, regardless of age, income, status or education level.
Use the links on the left to learn more about the core elements of financial planning.

Self-Paced learning Modules
Buying a car?
Merging—or unmerging—money with a loved one?
Implementing a budget?
Check out OKMM’s new self-paced learning modules: Auto Loans 101, Love & Money, Money Management for College Students, Budgeting, Transition to Independence and Saving & Banking. Each module contains learning objectives, tools, a quiz and a completion certification.
Your Money Matters Activities for High
School Students
In response to demand from teachers, we're offering classroom activities to complement OKMM's Your Money Matters guide for high school students, which highlights budgeting, saving, college planning, banking and consumer credit. Our free budgeting, credit, identity theft and saving activities are now available for download!
OKMM Budgeting Activity
Budgeting Scenario Cards

OKMM Credit Activity

Smart Phone Apps that Save Money
If your extreme couponing adventure ended after the first round of coupons expired, you may need a little help staying on top of the best deals. Smart phone users can find plenty of apps that help save time and money. Some of the top-rated apps are listed below.
Coupon Sherpa
Available for: iPhone, Android
Cost: FREE
Forget the endless coupon printing! Coupon Sherpa lets you list your favorite stores and finds internet coupons for you. Some coupons even have a barcode for immediate scanning.Yowza
Available for: iPhone, Android, Blackberry
Cost: FREE
Another couponing app, Yowza uses GPS to send you offers for any of the 10,000 retailers that are near your location.Shopper
Available for: iPhone, Android, Blackberry
Cost: $0.99
One of the best ways to curb your spending is to create a list and stick to it. Shopper helps you build a list, search for coupons and add up your total as you make purchases.CompareMe
Available for: iPhone
Cost: $1.99
Love a great deal, but not mathematically gifted? Larger size doesn’t always mean bigger value; use CompareMe to find the best deal by unit cost. Enter quantities and price, and CompareMe will show you which option is actually cheapest.Red Laser
Available for: iPhone, Android
Cost: Free
Barcode scanners let you comparison shop right in the store! Scan a barcode and Red Laser will identify your product and search thousands of retailers for the best price.Gas Buddy
Available for: iPhone, Android, Blackberry
Cost: Free
Find the gas station near you with the lowest price per gallon and help others save money by reporting local gas prices.Lemon
Available for: iPhone, Android
Cost: Free
Tired of that pile of messy receipts? Lemon allows you to scan those receipts with your smart phone so you can tag, organize and search them.
There are many other apps designed to help families save time and spend wisely, so it’s worth your time to browse all the options and find the apps that best fit your needs. Put your smart phone to work for you!
Stuffing Stockings: Holiday Shopping on a Budget
Have you made your list and checked it twice? ‘Tis the season to shop ‘til we drop in preparation for our friends and family this holiday season. Is your wallet prepared? While it’s easy to go overboard and overspend, it’s important to realize the significance of making a shopping budget and sticking to it. Follow these tips to make sure the holidays don’t zap your cash.
Make a list. Put the names of all the people you’ll be shopping for on paper. Next to their name, write in the amount you’re willing to spend. Then, make a list of potential gifts that fit within that budget.
Leave the cards at home. Instead of paying with plastic, use cash; it’s harder to overspend when you can physically see how low your funds are getting. Turn to the envelope system to stay on budget for each person. Write their names on envelopes and place the amount of money you plan to spend on them in each envelope. Once the money is gone, you’re finished shopping for them. If you’re nervous about carrying around large amounts of cash, consider buying pre-paid Visa gift cards to help you stay on track.
Turn to technology. If you have a Web-based phone, like an iPhone, consider downloading the My Christmas Gift List application. This application allows you to track the gifts you purchased, what you need to buy and how much you have left to spend for each person. In addition, it generates a helpful shopping list to assist you in getting in and out of the mall faster.
Don’t make it even. One of the easiest ways to fall victim to overspending is thinking that gifts need to be made even, meaning everyone should have the same amount of presents to open. This isn’t always realistic.





