Fintech Insider · Oct 15, 2026 · 49m · 39m saved
With Matt Ford, Co-Founder and CEO of Sidekick · Tamara van den Ban, Managing Director of Premier Banking at NatWest Group
Sidekick's research found that people start treating money as serious once they hold just over £50,000 in assets, regardless of what they earn.
Matt Ford, co-founder and CEO of Sidekick, made that case on the Fintech Insider podcast from 11:FS, in an episode on the UK's "Henrys," the high earners who are not rich yet. Banks sort these customers by salary, and financial advisers by the £150,000 to £200,000 in assets they need before taking someone on. Matt argues both thresholds miss the moment people actually want help.
"We set up Sidekick five years ago. We are a digital wealth manager servicing exactly the segment we're talking about today, the Henrys. We were built because we felt there was a big gap between the private banks at the top end and the entry-level investment platforms at the bottom." — Matt Ford
Matt has spent those five years serving this group as a business, and he told the panel what Sidekick got wrong at launch. Tamara van den Ban, who runs NatWest's premier banking arm, joined him with the view from one of the UK's largest banks.
The full episode is covered here so you can skip it. 49 minutes of audio, 10 minutes of reading.
Here are the 11 insights that matter.
Key Takeaways
Assets of just over £50,000, not salary, mark the point when Sidekick's clients start taking money seriously
Most advisers will not take on a client below £150,000 to £200,000 in assets, which leaves Henrys with nowhere to go
One in two Henrys expected to feel more secure at their current salary than they do
Sidekick launched with ultra-wealthy products and found clients wanted a plan and a relationship instead
NatWest says a premium relationship is not about perks but about connected help at key life moments
AI makes a human adviser affordable for this group, because it cuts the cost of meetings and calls
Advisers spend most of their time helping clients work out their goals, not picking products
1. Money Gets Serious at £50K
Ross Gallagher, Head of Consulting at 11:FS, opened on the paradox the episode was built around. Banks can see a customer's salary, spending and savings, yet the customer is still left to assemble their financial life alone.
Banks see more about high earners than ever, and still leave them on their own
"Financial institutions potentially know more about these customers than ever before. They can see salaries coming in, spending changing, savings growing, and new financial needs emerging. Yet many customers still end up piecing together their financial lives across different banks, investment platforms and providers." — Ross Gallagher
Kate Moody, Customer Strategy Director at 11:FS and Ross's co-host, put the UK definition of a Henry at a salary of about £100,000. In the US, where an analyst coined the term, the line sits nearer £350,000. Matt said Sidekick's own research pointed to a better marker than income.
Sidekick's research found the trigger is assets, not income
"We identified the trigger point being just over £50,000 of assets. That's the sense that money is now serious — you can have a really good salary as a late-20s-year-old and spend it and feel okay, but just over 50k of assets, regardless of income, felt like the moment you need to think more seriously about this." — Matt Ford
Age matters too. The average Sidekick client is in their mid-40s, but Matt said the trigger starts to arrive in the mid-30s. He and Ross also agreed that almost no one calls themselves a Henry; Matt called the label dated marketing language from the 1980s.
