FinanciAL aRCHITECTURE

Financial Architecture & Digital Compartmentalisation

To manage money under tight constraints while preventing impulse buying and protecting against security threats, I constructed a highly structured digital banking and communication network.

Prior experience in tech support, at Citizens advice as a digital money coach and caution have developed this system.

www.linkedin.com/in/mariemeronymsmbctenant/details/experience/

💷The Monzo Five-Pot System

Using Monzo's virtual card and pot features, financial executive function is externalized into distinct, automated categories.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------------------

| MONZO MAIN – Chip and Pin only - Contactless via mobile and fingerprint scanner only |

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------------------

+---> [1. GROCERIES POT] -------> Virtual Card (Google Wallet)

| * Groceries, eating out, Uber Eats

|

+---> [2. BILLS & SUBS POT] ----> Virtual Card (Google Wallet)

| * Direct debits, automated subscriptions

|

+---> [3. TRANSPORT POT] -------> Virtual Card (Google Wallet)

| * Uber, bus, rail, parking, fuel

|

+---> [4. ONLINE POT] ----------> Virtual Card (Websites)

| * INTENTIONALLY EMPTY

| * Requires manual transfer to spend

|

+---> [5. RANDOM TAPS POT] ------> Virtual Card (Contactless Only)

* Max £5 balance, rotated frequently

* Vending machines, untrusted terminals

🛑The Online Pot Gatekeeper

By leaving the Online pot intentionally empty and linking it to online retailers, I inserted a mandatory cognitive step before any online purchase.

🤔To buy something, I must open the banking app, check cash reserves, and manually transfer funds.

If I transfer funds from another Pot I explicitly acknowledge the trade-off (e.g., "spending this £10 means cheap coffee month").

This converts an impulsive action into a considered one.

🦹The Random Taps Shield

A pot capped at £5, used for vending machines and untrusted contactless terminals.

The virtual card is rotated frequently, capping the maximum financial exposure from fraud or skimming at £5.

💸Round-Up Savings

Monzo automatically rounds up every transaction to the nearest pound, depositing the difference into a savings pot.

This automates saving below the cognitive threshold of executive decision-making, though it doesn't replace also setting money aside at the beginning of each month.

1p savings challenge was attempted but stopped in May around £1.40pd wasn’t sustainable – Savings up to that point used to purchase Air Fryer and toaster😊

🔇Communication & Inbox Triage

To prevent sensory overload and manage the high emotional load of bureaucratic communications (SMBC, benefits, housing), I maintain strict digital compartmentalisation.

📱Dual SIM Architecture:

🔇Lyca Mobile SIM (Formal): Dedicated to SMBC, benefits, and formal administration. This SIM can be turned off entirely during periods of low energy or pain, preventing bureaucratic stress from invading personal time.

💬GiffGaff SIM (Personal): Dedicated to friends and family. Remains active at all times, ensuring social connection is never severed by the need to isolate from formal systems.

📧Three-Inbox Email Triage:

📥Outlook: Reserved strictly for SMBC, NHS, DWP, WMP and formal administration.

📨Gmail (Primary): Friends and family, work and volunteering.

📩Old Gmail: Absorbs subscriptions, streaming services, and marketing emails, keeping the primary inboxes free of visual noise.