If you’ve ever stared at an unopened bill, forgotten about a free trial until it charged you, or felt a wave of shame over an impulse purchase, you’ve probably had this thought: “I’m just bad with money.”

We want to tell you something: It is not your fault.

For millions of people, especially those in the neurodivergent community (like individuals with ADHD or Autism), the daily struggle with money isn’t a character flaw or a lack of willpower. It’s a genuine neurological mismatch. The modern financial world simply wasn’t built for how your brain works.

At Bill-e-Buddy, we’re building a tool to fix this problem. But first, we want to share the science that proves you’re not “bad with money”—you’re just playing a game with a system designed for a different set of rules.

Your Brain’s CEO is Overworked

Think of your brain as having a management system, a “CEO” in charge of planning, organizing, and, crucially, starting tasks. In neuropsychology, these skills are called Executive Functions. If you’re a part of the Neurodiverse community, you already know this, but it’s always worth a reminder to stop the thoughts that it’s because of something else.

Financial stability relies heavily on executive functions. But for many neurodivergent people, this system works differently. It’s not broken; it just has a different operating manual. This is why tasks like organizing tax paperwork or just starting a budget can feel physically exhausting and overwhelming.

It’s also why traditional advice like “just make a spreadsheet” often fails. It’s asking someone to use a manual tracker that overloads their working memory, which makes sustained financial monitoring feel next to impossible.

The Science Behind “Impulse Spending” and Forgotten Bills

Two major cognitive factors are at play that traditional banks completely ignore:

The “Now” vs. “Later” Brain (Temporal Discounting)

This is a big one. “Temporal discounting” is the scientific term for the brain’s preference for a smaller, immediate reward over a larger, delayed one.

Research in behavioural economics has shown that adults with ADHD have a much stronger preference for that immediate reward. This isn’t a choice—it’s a hardwired predisposition.

This is why “saving for retirement” can feel impossibly abstract, while a small, instant purchase feels necessary. Modern consumer culture, with its one-click checkouts and buy-now-pay-later options, is built to exploit this very trait.

“Out of Sight, Out of Mind” (Time Blindness)

This is the phenomenon where if something isn’t part of an immediate routine, it can simply disappear from your memory.

This is the direct cause of the dreaded “subscription tax.” You sign up for a free trial, and the executive function needed to remember and cancel it just isn’t there. For the general consumer, this adds up. One report found people spend an average of $2,600 annually on subscriptions, with nearly half admitting they’re paying for services they forgot they had. For a neurodivergent brain, this problem is amplified.

The Real-World Cost is Staggering

This isn’t just a minor inconvenience. This cognitive mismatch has severe, measurable consequences.

A landmark study that tracked the real-world financial data of an entire population found that while adults with ADHD started with normal credit, their default rates grew exponentially in middle age. This confirms the struggle isn’t about understanding money, but the systemic failure to manage repetitive, long-term tasks.

Most soberingly, that same study found that this specific financial distress is linked to a fourfold higher risk of suicide among adults with ADHD. This isn’t just a budgeting problem; it’s a public health crisis.

Why Current Banks Are Failing Us

You might think, “Won’t earning more money fix this?” Research says no. One study found that these financial capability difficulties exist regardless of income level. Standard financial literacy courses simply don’t work. The solution must be assistive.

Even regulators know there’s a problem. The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has rules that explicitly include neurodiverse conditions as a driver of vulnerability. They state that firms must avoid causing “poor or inconsistent outcomes.”

Yet, most banking apps do exactly that. They are often visually cluttered, complex, and full of dense text, which increases cognitive load, triggers anxiety, and makes you want to avoid the app altogether.

This Is Why We’re Building Bill-e-Buddy

The problem isn’t the person. The problem is the tool.

You can’t solve a problem of executive function with a tool that requires more executive function.

This is why we’re building Bill-e-Buddy. We are creating a neuro-affirming financial tool that acts as your friendly, external “management system.” Our goal is to use automation and visual simplicity to bypass these cognitive hurdles entirely.

We want to build a “sidekick” that:
Automates your bills so they get paid on time.
Centralises and tracks your subscriptions so nothing is forgotten.
Uses visual, colour-coded “jars” to make budgeting tangible, like a digital version of the cash-envelope system.
Provides positive, non-shaming feedback to build your confidence.

You don’t need another app that tells you what you’re doing wrong. You need a partner that handles the hard stuff for you. That’s what we’re here to build.

If you want to share your experience, please take a look at our survey. Your input to this project is vital, and we hope that we can make a difference for everyone who’s struggling.