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Women and investing: The strengths of women investors


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Key takeaways

  • Women investors are more inclined to stick to their investment plan.2
  • Women tend to follow proven investment practices and have a more disciplined approach to investing.
  • Women are more risk-averse than men when it involves managing their individual accounts.
  • Women tend to achieve higher returns on their investments while taking on less risk.

Overcoming obstacles and building on strengths

Understanding the strengths of women investors

Women comprise more than half of the U.S. population,1 but no two women are the same when it comes to managing their money. When we surveyed investors, women were optimistic about their ability to achieve short- and long-term investment goals and have become increasingly assured that the stock market is a good place to invest. We also found that women investors are more likely to work with an investment professional and more inclined to stick to their investment plan.2

At some point in their lives, most women likely will be in charge of their family’s finances.3 Women have increasingly become the sole or primary breadwinners for their families and often take a leading role in educating the next generation in financial matters. This report explores new trends in how women approach investing and offers guidance on how women can take advantage of their strengths as they pursue long-term financial goals.

9 out of 10 women eventually will take charge of their family’s wealth

44% of U.S. ultra-high-net-worth individuals are women

41% of women are their family’s breadwinner or co-breadwinner

Women control more than $10 trillion of U.S. personal wealth.

Women are expected to represent a $30 trillion wealth management opportunity by 2030.

Source: "Women’s Quick Facts: Compelling Data on Why Women Matter," STEMconnector®, November 2016; Statista Research Department, 2021. "Women as the next wave of growth in the US wealth management," McKinsey & Company, July 2020. Ultra-high-net-worth individuals are defined as individuals with a net worth of 30 million U.S. dollars or more; Center for American Progress analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 2019; New York Life Investment Management, 2020.