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Finley
A parent's guide to Finley
Real money experience
No monthly fee
Learning that grows with them
Finley for Parents
Everything you need to set up, manage and support your child’s Finley experience.
Finley gives your child the opportunity to earn, save, spend and learn with real money. As a parent, you’ll manage their account and debit card through the Michigan First Mobile app while they explore Finley through their own app.
Use this guide to get started, manage parental controls, find debit card help and answer common questions.
For Parents
Parents and Guardians use the Michigan First Mobile app to manage the Finley account and debit card. As a joint account holder, you can monitor your child's account and help them gain real world experience. Parents manage Finley through the Michigan First Mobile app. This is where you will log in to access parental controls, assign chores, edit their allowance, and assist your child in managing their account.
For Kids
The Finley app gives your child a place to explore their account and build money skills through real-world practice. Depending on their age, they can check their balance, review purchases, work toward savings goals, complete assigned chores and explore age-appropriate financial education.
Your child can also personalize their experience by creating an avatar, earning badges and tracking their progress. As they grow, Finley introduces more advanced money concepts to help them become increasingly confident and independent with you there to provide guidance along the way.
Michigan First offers youth banking options designed for different ages and stages. MoneyKids Savings Accounts help children begin saving, while MoneyTeens Checking Accounts give teenagers experience managing a checking account and debit card. Finley combines a real youth account and debit card with age-appropriate financial education and parental controls.
Yes. Michigan First offers debit card access through eligible youth accounts. Finley is available for children ages 6–17 and gives parents tools to view purchases, set spending limits, freeze or unfreeze the card, and help their child manage money responsibly.
Finley is Michigan First’s youth banking and financial education experience for children ages 6–17. It combines a real account and debit card with age-appropriate lessons, quizzes, challenges, and rewards. Parents can monitor purchases, set spending limits, manage the child’s card, and use chores and allowances to help their child practice managing real money.
Beginning at age 17, your child’s account can be manually converted from Finley. If it has not already been converted, the change will happen automatically when they turn 18.
At conversion:
- Finley app access ends
- Your child begins using the Michigan First Mobile app
- Their account number and transaction history remain the same
- Their current login credentials remain the same, but they will be prompted to change their password
- Their Finley debit card closes and a new debit card is issued
- Parents remain on the account
- Subscriptions and automatic payments must be updated with the new card information
You can help your child prepare by reviewing their recurring payments, helping them download Michigan First Mobile and talking about the additional responsibility that comes with managing their account more independently.
Finley lessons help your child understand money through age-appropriate topics, quizzes and activities. The content becomes more advanced as your child grows, helping them build from basic spending and saving concepts toward budgeting, banking and greater financial independence.
You can support their learning by asking simple questions such as:
- What did you learn this week?
- Was anything surprising?
- How could you use that idea with your own money?
- Is there something you would like to save for?
- Would you make the same spending choice next time?
You do not need to teach the lesson yourself. Showing interest and connecting the topic to everyday decisions can help your child remember and use what they learn.
Talk with your child about protecting their account, debit card and personal information. Remind them never to:
- Share their password or PIN
- Send anyone a picture of their debit card
- Share a verification code
- Respond to an unexpected request for money
- Click unfamiliar account or payment links
- Make online purchases outside your family’s rules
Ask your child to tell you immediately if their card is missing, someone asks for their account information or they notice a purchase they do not recognize. You can freeze the card through Michigan First Mobile while you determine what happened.
A purchase may be declined if:
- There is not enough money available
- Your child has reached a spending limit
- The debit card is frozen
- The PIN was entered incorrectly
- The type of purchase is not permitted
Encourage your child not to continue trying the card repeatedly. Instead, help them check their balance and card status in the app. If the cause is not clear or the problem continues, contact Michigan First for assistance.
Your child’s Finley debit card uses money available in their account and is subject to the spending controls you establish.
Before your child begins using the card, help them understand how to:
- Check their available balance before buying something
- Keep their card in a safe place
- Protect their PIN
- Review the purchase amount before paying
- Take their card and receipt after a purchase
- Review completed purchases in the Finley app
Early purchases can be a good opportunity to practice together. As your child becomes more confident, you can gradually give them more independence while continuing to monitor their activity through Michigan First Mobile.
Encourage your child to explore the Finley app and become familiar with their account. Depending on their age, they can:
- Check their balance
- Review their purchases
- Set and track savings goals
- View and complete chores
- Complete lessons and quizzes
- Earn badges and track their progress
- Customize their avatar
Reviewing the account together can help your child connect their purchases and deposits to changes in their balance. As they grow more comfortable, encourage them to check their account independently before spending.
You will create your child’s username and password when opening their Finley account. Your child will use these credentials to sign in to the Finley app.
Your child does not need their own phone. They can use Finley on a shared or parent-owned device. If multiple children use the same device, remind each child to log out completely before the next child signs in.
If your child forgets their password or becomes locked out, you can reset their password or unlock their account through the Michigan First Mobile app.
The Finley account may be converted manually beginning at age 17 and will convert automatically when the child turns 18.
At conversion:
- Access to the Finley app ends.
- The young adult begins using Michigan First Mobile.
- Their existing login credentials remain the same, but they will be prompted to change their password.
- The Finley debit card closes and a new debit card is issued, but there is no period in which your child is without a working debit card.
- The account number and transaction history remain the same.
- Parents remain on the account automatically.
- Automatic payments must be updated with the new debit-card information.
Each child has their own Finley account and debit card. Parents can switch between children by selecting the appropriate account in Michigan First Mobile.
Multiple children can use the same device, but each child must log out before another child signs in.
A second parent may be added as a joint owner and manage the account. This must be completed at a Michigan First branch.
Parents can reset their child’s password and unlock their account through Michigan First Mobile.
If the child cannot sign in:
- Confirm they are using the username and password established during account opening.
- Check whether the account is locked.
- Reset the password or unlock the account through Michigan First Mobile.
- Contact 365 Live if the Finley app will not open, load or work correctly. Call us any day, any time, at 800.664.3828.
Use the guidance below to check declined purchases, understand balances, replace a card or report an unfamiliar transaction.
What should I check if my child’s card is declined?
Check the card controls in the Michigan First Mobile app to confirm:
- The card has not been turned off
- A spending limit has not been reached
- A card control is not preventing that type of transaction
Declined transactions and the reasons for them are not displayed in Michigan First Mobile or the Finley app. If the problem continues, contact 365 Live at 800.664.3828.
What is the difference between my child’s available and actual balance?
Both Michigan First Mobile and the Finley app display the account’s available and actual balances.
The available balance reflects the money currently available to spend. The actual balance may include transactions that have not yet fully processed. Help your child check the available balance before making a purchase.
What should I do if my child’s debit card is missing?
If your child cannot find their debit card, turn it off through the Michigan First Mobile app to prevent additional purchases.
If the card is still missing after 24 hours, contact 365 Live at 800.664.3828. You can also visit a Michigan First branch for assistance.
If you believe the card was stolen, contact Michigan First immediately rather than waiting 24 hours.
How do I replace a lost, stolen or damaged debit card?
Replacement cards cannot be ordered through the app. Call 365 Live at 800.664.3828 or visit a Michigan First branch to request one.
Replacement options include:
- Standard replacement by mail in 7–10 business days: $12 or 3,000 Michigan First Rewards points
- Rush delivery of the card by FedEx: $30 or 4,000 points
- Rush delivery of the PIN by FedEx: an additional $30 or 4,000 points
- Instant-issue blue card at a branch
The standard replacement fee is waived when fraudulent activity has been confirmed. Rush-delivery fees still apply if you choose expedited delivery.
After receiving the replacement card, update any subscriptions or automatic payments with the new card information.
What should I do if I notice a transaction I don’t recognize?
If you or your child notices a transaction you do not recognize:
- Ask your child whether they recognize the purchase.
- Turn off the card through Michigan First Mobile.
- Contact 365 Live as soon as possible at 800.664.3828 so the card can be blocked.
- Once the transaction has posted, file a dispute with Michigan First.
- Complete and return the dispute packet within three days of reporting the suspicious activity to receive provisional credit, if applicable.
Parents can manage their child’s debit card through Michigan First Mobile, including freezing or unfreezing the card and changing the PIN.
Through Michigan First Mobile, parents can:
- View balances and purchases
- Set spending limits
- Freeze or unfreeze the debit card
- Manage chores and allowances
- Reset the child’s password
- Unlock the child’s account
- Change the child’s PIN
Changes such as spending-limit updates and card freezes take effect immediate
Parents manage Finley through the Michigan First Mobile app. After signing in, select your child’s account to view their balance, purchases and parental controls.
Each child has their own account, with the parent added as a joint owner. Parents with multiple children can switch between their individual accounts within Michigan First Mobile.
A second parent can also be added as a joint owner, but they must be added at a Michigan First branch.
More Ways to Help Your Child Succeed
Finley gives your child a place to practice earning, saving, spending and managing real money. Continue building those skills together with these tools and resources from Michigan First.
Introduce Budgeting
Help Your Child Learn to Save
Explore practical ways to introduce saving at different ages.
Plan a Savings Goal Together
Choose a goal and timeline, then use our financial calculators to see how much your child may need to save each month.
Practice Safe Money Habits
Visit the Security Center for fraud alerts and information that can help you teach your child to protect their card, account and personal information.
Need Help?
Whether you are setting up Finley, managing your child’s account or troubleshooting an issue, our team is here to help. Contact 365 Live at 800.664.3828 for additional support.