Hidden Money Lessons in Bridgerton

When it comes to finances do you feel powerless? Do you feel like you have limited investment choices and your prospects in general are fading? Consider yourself lucky you are not living in England during the regency period which is where Netflix's hit series Bridgerton is set because women and younger sons had limited choices in life. Perhaps the greatest lottery of life aside from the family you were born into was your gender and birth order. First born male son in a wealthy family? Your prospects couldn't be brighter. You will inherit the bulk of the family estate and the income it generates, your financial future is largely assured as long as you don't mismanage your inheritance. Your siblings? Less fortunate, but each person had to make the most of the hand they were dealt.

In case you were not one of the 63 million people and counting who watched Bridgerton in the first few weeks of its release let me catch you up. Bridgerton is a bodice ripper from Shonda Rhimes, screen writer, producer and all round mega talent who seems to have the Midas touch. Legend has it Shonda stumbled across Julia Quinn's books whilst on holiday, saw the potential to adapt them into a televised production and the rest as they say, is history. Bridgerton has been wildly successful, it seems it was just the panacea we needed after 2020. However intertwined in the froth were some sage lessons about money matters that are still relevant in the 21st century.

During the regency period before marriage a female was under the care of her father or the prevailing male head of the house. If you wanted a pleasant life the man responsible for you better be a good one. Women of a certain standing in society were not expected to work rather their opportunity in life was secure a good marital match (and bear heirs) in order to sure up their long term financial futures and their place in society.

Bridgerton kicks off with the seasons debutantes being presented to the Queen. Debutantes are young ladies of a marriageable age entering society. Essentially debuting is a lovely advertisement to all the eligible men that these young ladies are now available for marriage. The main character Daphne has a triumphant debut, impressing the Queen who declares her "flawless" which augurs well for her future marriage prospects.

Is a man a financial plan?

When Daphne debuts and becomes available for marriage her brother as the most senior male of the house is responsible for negotiating the right match. He takes this responsibility very seriously and it seems no one is good enough for his sister. Unfortunately he single handedly manages to scare off eligible suitors despite Daphne receiving the Queens endorsement.

Eventually realising he has botched the matching process, Anthony hurriedly brokers a terrible deal with the last man standing, Lord Berbrooke who is entirely unsuitable. Whilst Daphne is horrified it seems like her fate is sealed….until a Duke in a dark velvet tail coat comes to her rescue, sort of.

Whilst marriage was the most appealing option available it was was not without risk. The very act of marriage resulted in the wife giving up her legal identity and entrusting all legal decisions to her husband. This is because in the early 1800's common law determined a husband and wife as one legal person, the person who represented the partnership in the eyes of the law was the male. That meant a married woman couldn’t enter into legal contracts, legally sign documents, buy property, take custody of children etc. severely curtailing her ability to live an independent life. Whilst on face of it marriage was desirable it was also a risk; how could you be certain the man you were marrying was capable of making good decisions on your behalf.

Understanding the legal rights within marriage provides some understanding as to why the bulk of a family's wealth such as income producing properties were inherited by sons. It was the only way to ensure these valuable assets stayed within the family control. Women were provided for but they tended to inherit cash in the form of dowries, a portable asset that could be brought to their new family to assist covering their ongoing upkeep so they wouldn't be a drain on the family's finances.

As a female, could you remain unmarried and financially secure? Yes, but it was rare. The only examples of independently wealthy women in the series were widowers or heiresses. A fan favourite, Lady Danbury is a widower of substantial means and so can do as she pleases. Cressida Cowper an unmarried heiress, allegedly not a great beauty but never mind, she had great wealth instead and therefore options. Ironically unmarried women and widows had more legal rights and by default more independence than their married counterparts.

Til debt do us part

Bridgerton demonstrated how precarious a woman's situation can become if her husband manages the family finances poorly. Unfortunately Lord Featherington had a gambling problem, over time he amassed large debts resulting in the Featherington family being put into a difficult financial situation. Having dug himself into a debt hole he kept on digging, gambling more and more to try and recover his losses to the point he had even gambled away his daughters dowries. 

Lady Featherington had no idea her family were facing money issues until the Modist refused to make new dresses unless their overdue accounts were paid. This was the catalyst for Lady Featherington to uncover what was going on with the family finances. Shocked with what she finds she confronts her husband and says “I know everything...what are you going to do about it?” He buckles under the shame and admits he does not know what to do. Ultimately the mismanagement of his family's finances and his subsequent attempt to recover them, cost him his life.

What were the money lessons in Bridgerton?

1. Choose your partner in life carefully, keep on top of your joint finances or suffer the consequences.
2. Don’t overextend yourself, taking on too much debt is hard to recover from and may well ruin not only you but also your family's long term prospects.
3. Avoid “get rich quick” schemes.
4. When you are losing, don’t double down.
5. Gambling is not investing.
6. (Financial) Dishonesty cannot be concealed forever. You will eventually get found out and have to face the consequences. 

Today there are far fewer hurdles in place for men and women to achieve financial independence. Modern laws are more equitable, the playing field levelling. Regardless if you are a first born son, a third born son or a daughter you have independence and the opportunity to make your own way in life, to work and manage your finances how you see fit. Best of all you don't have to be chaperoned wearing a restrictive corset or a fitted tailcoat and a top hat when you go about your daily business. Thank goodness for that!