It’s time to stop arguing about money
and start building a life together.
Relational Media empowers people to build the life they want. Our goal is to help people understand what money means to them so they can align their values with their dollars.
Ready to start? Explore the first session for FREE by tapping the
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Course Curriculum
REAL Benefits of More Than a Budget
Develop Confidence
We know financial problems in a relationship often feel unsolvable. MTAB helps connect couples by
uncovering their shared goals and allows them to both contribute to problem solving and success.
When you solve your toughest problems as a team, the result is real confidence in your future together.
Build Trust
Trust in a relationship is fostered by both partners consistently investing in the shared needs of the
couple. Repeated arguments about money – or any shared resource – erode that trust.
MTAB helps couples align their values, work as a team to solve problems together and implement
solutions for the good of the couple. When that happens, trust builds.
Create Resiliency
Real life doesn’t fit in a budget. Unknowns can dismantle the best laid plans, which is why couples need to have a strong sense of identity – both individually and as a couple – that is rooted in shared goals.
A resilient couple has the ability to “re-route” their future while still maintaining core values. MTAB helps you develop an identity that cannot be easily broken by life’s inevitable changes.
Testimonials
"More than a Budget shares the wisdom of a certified financial professional and a licensed family therapist, a uniquely helpful combination. John and Jeff will walk you through a process that reveals the beliefs behind the behaviors that so often cause friction when it comes to money. You will end up closer as a couple, with a realistic understanding of your finances that reflects your shared goals. Being on the same page about money and feeling that your spouse has listened to you and understands you better – that sounds pretty good, doesn’t it!. I highly recommend More than a Budget for couples of all ages."
– Scott (Wichita Falls, TX)
My marriage has significantly improved after completing this program on money and relationships. I have a good marriage, but like many couples, we often fought about money. We argued about never having enough money (even though we did have enough, it never felt like enough). We were frustrated about not saving money, and we disagreed about how each other wanted to spend money. Money was a tense topic. To avoid fighting, I let my husband take care of the bills and I spent money without much thought. As a result of never talking about money, we eventually built up credit card debt, had very little savings, and few financial goals. We decided something needed to change, that we needed help. Because if we could have solved the financial challenges by ourselves, we already would have. So we enrolled in the class offered by Relational Media. In the privacy of our home and working at our own pace, we spent several months learning about ourselves and each other. We focused on what we learned in our families about money, and how these teachings impact our spending as adults. Eventually we clarified what we each value most, and we created a list of shared values. Now our shared values guide us in thinking about money and planning for our future. We no longer argue because we see money as a shared resource to use to create the life we want. There are tangible benefits as well. We have paid off all of our credit card debt, we save money weekly, and we no longer argue about money. We make big financial decisions jointly, and without tension. Completing this course has improved our finances, and has been life-changing for our marriage as well.
– Wendy (Edmond, OK)
Meet Your Teachers
John Mitchell, CFP®, and Jeff Fine-Thomas, LMFT, have come together to combine the strengths of their separate disciplines to fill the gap so many couples find themselves stuck in.
Meet John
John Mitchell, CFP® grew up in Clackamas, Oregon. After studying at Oklahoma Christian University, John began his professional career with Mutual of Omaha and a short time later joined LPL Financial in 1994 as a financial advisor, where he continues to serve his clients. In 2007, after completing a multi- year, rigorous financial planning education program, John earned his Certified Financial Planner® certification, awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.
Today, John serves a select number of individuals and families. His mission is to help his clients identify and align their personal values with their financial decisions and goals.
He lives in Edmond, Oklahoma with his wife and three children. John enjoys volunteering at his church and in his local community. In his free time, John is a cyclist, fly-fisherman and martial arts student.
Meet Jeff
Jeff grew up in Pasadena, California and graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. He has been working as a psychotherapist since 1991 when he graduated with a Master of Arts in marital and family therapy. He then worked in private practice, college counseling centers, and at the Harvard Macy Institute at Harvard Medical School. He completed a second Master of Arts in clinical psychology in 2005.
He now works in private practice in Oklahoma helping people who have experienced trauma. He served as the president of the Oklahoma Society for Psychoanalytic Studies where he regularly continues to teach in their continuing education program for therapists.
He and his wife live in Edmond, Oklahoma and have two adult children, one in Colorado and the other in Oklahoma. Jeff has a love for martial arts and earned a second degree black belt from 2016 Olympic Coach Jason Poos at Poos Taekwondo. Shortly after that, he developed a comprehensive curriculum combining the social science of sexual assault risk reduction with martial arts. With his co-instructors, Jeff has taught hundreds of women in Oklahoma how to better reduce their risk of assault.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should take this course?
This course is specifically for couples in committed relationships. If you find yourselves having the same arguments about money over and over without a lasting solution, MTAB can help you get on the same page financially – and in other areas of your relationship.
How does this course change our outlook on money?
How we choose to use money as individuals is complex on its own. Add another person with a different way of doing things to the mix and you’re bound to get stuck having the same, well-rehearsed arguments. MTAB helps couples clarify what is most important to them as a couple so that current financial distractions become less disruptive to accomplishing long-term financial goals.
We have gone through financial training in the past.
Will this course still be beneficial?
Yes! MTAB is a unique curriculum that combines the fields of personal finance and psychology to help couples improve their relationships. Unlike other programs currently available, MTAB is not a pre- fabricated system or multi-step process that forces your unique situation into a one-size-fits-all mold. Together, couples will dive deeper than their financial issues to discover what is more important than money – and by doing so will reveal the possibilities of what can be accomplished together.
Can I gift this course to someone I know?
Yes! Many couples who have gone through the course told us they wish they had done something like it sooner. To gift MTAB to someone you think could benefit, simply go through the purchasing process as you would for yourself, but input the recipient’s email address instead of your own. They will receive an email with a link to sign in and begin the paid-for course on their own.
We're engaged. Is it too soon to go through the course?
No! Learning how to communicate about money is one of the first challenges a married couple will face. MTAB initiates the discussions that help couples set goals and organize financial processes that will launch them toward building a successful family.
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