It’s Time to Support HENRYs: A New Wealth-Building Agenda for the Next Generation

By Ziad Mabsout, Co-Founder and CEO, Vennre

There’s a generation of earners at the heart of the global economy who are often overlooked by traditional financial services. They’re called HENRYs: High Earners, Not Rich Yet. And it’s time we started building for them.

In their late 20s to early 40s, HENRYs represent a highly educated, upwardly mobile, digitally native cohort. They earn well above the national average, but face significant barriers in turning income into long-term wealth. In many ways, they are doing everything “right” — investing in their careers, building businesses, making sound financial decisions; and yet, the targets of wealth creation keep moving further out of reach.

While financial inclusion efforts have focused rightly on the underserved and underbanked, there has been far less attention given to the HENRY segment. And as the economic landscape shifts, HENRYs are falling into a widening gap: too far along for traditional retail products, but too early-stage for private banking services. At Vennre, we believe this needs to change.

The Broken Promises of Traditional Wealth Building

For decades, wealth accumulation followed a familiar playbook: buy a home, invest in the stock market, and let compound interest do its thing. For previous generations, this approach created steady paths to financial security.

But today’s HENRYs are navigating a different reality. Skyrocketing property prices, particularly in global hub cities, have pushed home ownership further out of reach. Even those earning six figures are priced out of real estate markets in cities like London, New York, and Sydney, where entry-level homes often require down payments that far exceed the traditional 10%

At the same time, public markets have become more volatile, overcrowded, and short-term in nature. Retail investors are frequently at the mercy of institutional trading patterns and sentiment-driven selloffs. While equity investing remains an important part of any financial plan, it's no longer the reliable cornerstone it once was.

Inflation, rising interest rates, and geopolitical instability only compound the challenge. For HENRYs, this confluence of factors leaves them in a peculiar position: earning more than ever, but with fewer reliable avenues to grow their wealth meaningfully and sustainably.

The Private Markets Opportunity

One solution that’s rapidly gaining traction is access to private markets.

Historically, the domain of institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals, private markets — including private equity, venture capital, private credit, and infrastructure - have traditionally been out of reach for everyday investors. But that’s changing.

Technology, regulatory shifts, and a wave of innovation are now making it possible for individual investors to access these asset classes through platforms that prioritise transparency, education, and simplicity. From private market ETFs to direct access platforms like Vennre, we’re seeing a reimagining of how individuals can build long-term wealth.

Private market investments offer several benefits that are particularly aligned with HENRYs’ financial goals:

• Diversification: Private markets offer exposure to industries and companies not represented in public markets, reducing overexposure to public equities.
  
  
  
• Reduced volatility: Unlike public stocks, which are marked-to-market daily, private investments are less prone to short-term price swings — a welcome trait for long-term investors.
  
  
  
• Longer-term returns: Private assets are designed for patient capital. This matches the horizon of many HENRYs who aren’t seeking overnight returns, but rather steady, compounding growth over 5, 10, or 20 years.
  
  
  

Put simply, private markets allow HENRYs to invest like institutions — building wealth not just through income, but through ownership in the real economy.

Democratising Access: Why It Matters Now

At Vennre, we see the democratisation of private market access as a defining trend in the next decade of financial innovation. But access isn’t just about lowering thresholds; it’s about removing friction.

Too many would-be investors are still deterred by complex onboarding processes, opaque fee structures, and unclear risk frameworks. To support HENRYs effectively, we need to meet them where they are: digitally fluent, time-pressed, and seeking user-centric design.

That’s why we’re building Vennre as a platform that doesn’t just open doors to private market opportunities but helps guide users through them, offering curated products, intelligent tools, and education that simplifies complex concepts without oversimplifying the risk.

We believe that the combination of technology and trust is what will unlock this market for the next generation of investors. Because HENRYs don’t just need access, they need confidence.

A Wake-Up Call to Financial Institutions

There’s a disconnect at the heart of modern financial services. Millions of young professionals are earning well and saving diligently, yet they’re left behind by systems not designed for them. Banks focus on legacy wealth. Fintechs chase scale and volume. Somewhere in the middle sits the HENRY segment, underserved, underestimated, and full of potential.

Financial institutions must rethink their approach. That means moving beyond generic savings apps or mass-market investing platforms. It means designing for nuance; recognising that a 33-year-old lawyer in London, or a 39-year-old engineer in Berlin, has very different needs than a 22-year-old student or a 70-year-old retiree.

It also means acknowledging that income does not always equal wealth. Helping someone turn high earnings into meaningful, long-term financial independence is more than a UX challenge. It’s a policy, product, and platform opportunity.

The Future of Wealth Is Inclusive – and Intentional

There is no shortage of financial content promising hacks, shortcuts, or "alpha." But real wealth, the kind that enables life decisions, creates intergenerational stability and fosters freedom, is built with intention.

HENRYs are not looking for get-rich-quick schemes. They are looking for clarity, control, and the ability to participate meaningfully in financial growth. That’s where private market access can be a game changer, and that's why we believe platforms like Vennre are just scratching the surface of what’s possible.

The next generation of investors isn’t waiting for an invitation. It’s time we build the tools, access, and experiences that meet them where they are, and take them where they want to go.