Our First Independent Research Report on How People Relate to Money, Risk, and Financial Success

At Velocity Ave, we’ve always dreamed of doing research on our own terms — driven by curiosity, not business objectives. For us, research is a relational practice: a way to connect with people whose perspectives challenge and expand our own, and to elevate voices that help us imagine new ways of being and doing.

Today, that vision becomes real. We’re proud to share our first independently produced insights report titled, “It’s Not Just About the Money: Why financial products need to speak to trust, emotions, and relationships.”

To access the report, we invite you to answer four quick questions. Your responses help us better understand who is engaging with this work and shape where we take our research next.

For more context

What we set out to explore: We surveyed over 1,000 people, stepping outside the usual lens of "haves vs. have-nots" to ask deeper questions:

• What worries people about money — no matter how much they have?

• What empowers them to pursue financial and personal goals?

• How do they define financial success beyond individual wealth?

Our goal was to reveal the emotional relationship humans have with money, and what that means for those building financial services products today.

Who this is for: While this report will resonate broadly, it’s especially valuable for:

• Financial services and fintech leaders shaping products and experiences

• Innovators rethinking money beyond transactions

• Designers and strategists seeking to center human perspectives in product development

A project like this takes a village. Special thanks to our authors Risha, Nisha, and Kelly; contributors Malini and Maya; and early readers Dave, Beril, Neha, and Rae for their insight and support.

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Below: Money paints and emotional portrait of who a person thinks they are and what they value. It’s so different depending on who you’re talking to but most see it as a way of connecting to each other rather than a vehicle for individual gain. Scroll through the objects below to read some of the stories participants shared with us and jump to the report to see more!

Hammer

“My relationship with money has been up and down in my life. Sometimes it has not done me well, and I had to rebuild my life in terms of economical losses along the way– buying a house, losing it in my twenties, and then securing it, rebuilding my retirement money in in the last thirty years. And now I am trying to secure it, nail it down in the next year so I can fully retire. So the hammer and nails, probably is something that I reflect on because occasionally, you have to pull what is binding you out. Also, like removing nails, and rebuild, what was destroyed.” -Boomer

Red Heels

“Five inch red heels. Did you make a bold statement? However, it's less about that, but more about the balancing act of managing money under pressure. Walking in heels requires poise and composure and sometimes enduring discomfort to maintain appearance or just to get through the situation. The real kicker is that these heels represent more than just the balancing act. As a woman, I often deal with gender based things, like the pink tax or the wage gap–certain financial hurdles that some might not face. Being a person of color and offspring of immigrants, we sometimes have to walk through a rougher path that wasn’t made to fit us perfectly. They're more of a fashion choice, reminder of challenges, and they look cool.” -Millennial

Oreos and Ice-Cream

“A box of Oreos or a pint of ice cream. For me, food is necessary to live, but it can be a toxic relationship if I don't handle it properly. I need it. I want it. I covet it. I use it on a daily basis. I need it to survive just like food. But just like certain foods, if I mishandle my money or I'm, lax with it, it's a bad relationship. Even when I have too much of it, which seems crazy, but sometimes if I have too much of it and I use that, excess for bad, that's not a good relationship either.” -Gen X

Battery

“My relationship with money is like a battery. When it's charged, I can keep going. Like money, when I have it, it's awesome. But guess what? I can run out of battery. I can run out of money. I can't trust it. It's frustrating and stressful. You've really got to do your research to find out how much battery charges left. You have to be careful with how much battery you use, as well as money you use, or you're gonna run out.” -Gen X

Socks

“This pair of my favorite socks. When I have both of them and they're on, I feel really secure, warm, cozy. Not just relaxed, secure, grounded. I feel like I'm always bound to lose one. If I have just enough to get by paycheck to paycheck, that sense of security really goes away. And what if I lose a job or have had a recent illness, and I lose that one? And now all of the warmth and comfort I had from this item...money is gone, and it's insecure, and it can happen quickly.” -Gen X

Festival Wristbands

“Festival wristbands. While festivals are definitely expensive... sometimes $500 for a festival is not that affordable. Honestly, the fun that I have at festivals are just something you can't really get anywhere else, and it’s an experience that I'm getting with my friends. That's why we're having new memories. That's worth it. Three days hearing the best music, seeing the best sound production, the best DJ with my, like, closest friends. I feel like there's not really an actual price on that overall memory and experience.” -Gen Z

Animal Food

“Birdseed and deer corn and cat food for the raccoons and other little critters. This is what I give myself a hard time about is because I use my money for good. I think that's what money is for. I use it to feed the animals. I tell myself I'm spending too much money on feeding all of the animals, but it feeds my soul. And I think it is what my God would like me to do. He would say feed the animals. So even if I have to do without, I feed the animals.” -Boomer

Puzzle Piece

“I chose a puzzle piece because my money fits into a bigger picture, and even little bits that may not have a whole lot of particular meaning or importance on their own are very important for the bigger picture. And so, I feel like I have to be careful with all of my puzzle pieces and save them. And then when I have enough of them, I can put them all together and use them to create something bigger and better than just a little image that you can't see the full picture with.” -Millennial

Microphone

“A microphone represents the freedom to say what you want and express yourself. When you don't have enough money, you don't really have this freedom because whatever you could say, it could result in consequences for you then you might get fired. If you have enough money, you don't need that job. You don't need to listen to them. Freedom. You can do whatever you want, and you can say what you want.” -Millennial