the hidden architecture of money: who really gets to navigate the system?
Before I stepped into asset management, my entire understanding of banking came from being a school banker for HSBC (back when it was still Midlands Bank) and having a basic savings account. Put money in, take money out - that was the extent of it.
Then I entered a world of hedge funds, PE, VC, and wealth management. Each door I opened revealed another corridor, another room, another level of complexity I hadn't known existed. Even now, after years in strategic advisory, I'm still discovering new passages in this elaborate house of money.
The Hidden Blueprint
Think about an old mansion with its secret passages behind library walls. The financial system is built exactly like that - with deliberate doors, designed passages, and intentional barriers. But unlike a physical building, this one comes with an unwritten etiquette about who gets to know what exists behind each wall.
The Language of Exclusion
Listen to how we talk about money across gender lines:
For men, the language expands into power:
"Wealth building"
"Portfolio growth"
"Market dominance"
"Strategic risk"
For women, it contracts to containment:
"Good with budgeting"
"Careful spender"
"Investment in family"
"Financial security"
This isn't coincidence - it's design. The system of money was built by men, for men. Women, women of colour and Black women didn't just face barriers to entry; we weren't even considered in the original blueprint.
The Power of Deliberate Complexity
You know that feeling when terms and conditions seem deliberately incomprehensible? That's because they are. I remember someone trying to explain the "game" of credit card balance transfers to me years ago. It was my first glimpse at how the system rewards those who know its unwritten rules.
The Risk Aversion Myth
Here's a revelation: We often hear that women are more risk-averse investors. But what if that's not about risk at all? What if it's about a system designed to be opaque, where what we call "risk aversion" is actually a rational response to deliberate lack of transparency?
Breaking Through the Walls
Understanding this architecture matters because:
Women are 30% more likely to retire into poverty than men
The pension gap continues to widen
Access to capital remains dramatically unequal
Power stays concentrated by design
The Path to Change
Like any architect will tell you, before you can renovate a structure, you need to understand how it was built. That means:
Mapping the invisible passages
Understanding the power flows
Identifying the structural barriers
Creating new access points
Progress won't come from the current centres of power - it has to start with recognition, lead to collective action, and result in systemic change.
The Future We're Building
This isn't just about financial literacy. It's about recognising that the house of money was built with certain people in mind - and others deliberately excluded. Only by understanding this can we begin to architect real change.
Want to explore more about how we can architect change in financial systems?
Join me every Friday for Architecture of Change, where we continue to deconstruct systems and design solutions for a more equitable future or click here to listen.
