MaPS' financial wellbeing segmentation

Our segmentation model groups people into one of three categories – struggling, squeezed or cushioned – based on their financial behaviour and some key life questions.  

It helps us to identify who our ‘most in need’ customers are likely to be, what traits they share, and to design services tailored to their needs. It informs our knowledge not only of what challenges people in particular groups are facing, but how we can deliver services that tackle these challenges.

In 2025 we refreshed the model to ensure a greater alignment with our newly developed Financial Fitness tool. 

The tool is available for free for organisations to use to assess the financial wellbeing of their employees or the people they support. It uses nine questions that encapsulate the key outcomes of financial wellbeing – feeling confident, resilient and empowered. They also cover the key enablers and behaviours that are shown to positively impact financial wellbeing, in particular savings, credit use and retirement planning. 

Learn more about using the Financial Fitness toolOpens in a new window

This sub-divides into:

• Struggling young adults: Mostly 18-24, private renting, working or studying, struggling to keep up with bills, and have low financial resilience
• Struggling social renters: Mostly 25-44, many with dependent children at home, lower income and education levels, struggling to keep up with bills, and have very low financial resilience
• Struggling private renters: Mostly 25-44, many with dependent children at home, average income and education levels, but still struggling to keep up with bills, and have low financial resilience
• Struggling pre-retired: Mostly 45-64, in social housing, very low income and education levels, struggling to keep up with bills, and have very low financial resilience
• Struggling retirees: Aged 65+, mostly retired, very low income and education levels, some struggling to keep up with bills

This sub-divides into:

• Squeezed young dependents: Mostly 18-24 and still living with parents whilst working or studying, many struggling to keep up with bills, and have fairly low financial resilience
• Squeezed younger renters: Mostly 25-34, in private rent, slightly better than average income and education levels, but finding it difficult to keep up with bills, and have low financial resilience
• Squeezed mortgaged families: Mostly 25-44, many with dependent children at home, in spite of above average income and education levels, many are still struggling to keep up with bills, and have fairly low financial resilience
• Squeezed pre-retired: Mostly 45-64, own their own home outright or with a mortgage, average income and education levels, financial resilience around average but many still struggling to keep up with bills
• Squeezed retirees: Aged 65+, mostly retired, low income and education levels, mostly have credit and debts under control and moderate financial resilience, but certainly not a comfortable lifestyle

This sub-divides into:

• Cushioned younger professionals: Mostly 25-34, in private rent or with a mortgage, many in full-time work with above average incomes, finances appear slightly precarious although savings behaviour is good
• Cushioned families: Mostly 35-54, own their home outright or with a mortgage, many with dependent children at home, above average income, education levels and financial resilience, albeit with moderate credit use
• Cushioned empty nesters: Mostly 55-64, own their own home outright or just finishing off a mortgage, slightly above average income and education levels, but financial resilience is strong
• Cushioned retirees: Aged 65+, mostly retired and own home outright, more likely to live in a rural setting, highest financial resilience and wellbeing of any sub-segment

The segmentation uses  CACI’s FRESCO geodemographic solution. Fresco is a financial services segmentation tool that categorises individuals within a household based on their financial behaviour, with a UK coverage of 50+ million adults i.

As well as our three high-level segments, life stage and housing type help to tease out differences among sub-segments. 

Various financial wellbeing related segmentation solutions have been produced by other organisations. Among these is the financial vulnerability segmentation developed by Fair4All Finance (F4AF) ii, which is also underpinned by FRESCO. This provides insights into six segments of people in financially vulnerable circumstances.

There is very strong alignment between the F4AF and MaPS models in the areas of financial capability, resilience and problem debt. Both segmentations make a strong distinction between groups based on financial wellbeing and vulnerability levels, as well as life stage. 

However, there are some differences. The MaPS segmentation covers the full spectrum of people, including those with higher financial wellbeing; the F4AF model focuses on the vulnerable groups and treats the rest (60%) as “unsegmented.”

When it comes to the defining characteristics of the segments, the F4AF groups are more likely to be differentiated by specific financial behaviours, such as short-term credit usage, using savings as income, food bank usage, zero hours contracts, and worries about money. Although elements of savings and credit use are present in the MaPS segments, there is wider coverage of topics such as longer-term resilience and retirement planning.