Women & wealth

Some three in four women are considering or pursuing investing in the markets, compared with 41% who are seeking more wealth through promotion or higher-paying jobs. In terms of how they approach investing, they’re pursuing bold strategies: nearly 75% said they maintain moderate to aggressive risk tolerance.

As someone who has spent my career focused on improving access, transparency and resilience in markets for investors of all types — I'm energized to see these results. The more the financial industry can expand market access, through products like exchange-traded funds, for example, the more we can help improve outcomes for all types of investors, especially women.

I think back to the women I grew up watching and am awed at how much has changed. My grandmother, for example, asked for my help in restructuring a portfolio she had held with a few stocks for many years. We knew she wanted predictable income, and therefore fixed income instruments (bonds) were a good solution for her at that time. She trusted me because in a family of doctors and teachers, I was the “finance expert.” I had recently graduated college with dual degrees in theater and finance and started my first job in the industry, but I felt anything but an expert when it came to this task.

This was in the 1990s. The bond market was geared toward professional investors and extremely laborious for an average investor to research. Together, my grandmother and I found a financial advisor to help us create a corporate bond ladder, which is a collection of bonds with staggered maturity dates, to seek a stable income stream. We balanced her desire for income with potential credit risk by buying bonds backed by U.S. Treasuries, which have historically carried less risk than bonds backed by companies. The work was tedious. I spent hours looking at bonds — their sizes, maturity dates, asset classes — to construct the ladder. But it was the best outcome for her at the time and a bonding experience for the two of us (pun intended) that left a lasting desire in me to improve the way all investors experience markets.

Today, you don’t need to be a professional investor to invest. You can be whoever you want to be and still invest "seeking" a more prosperous future, as long as you have access to the same tools, like ETFs, strategies as people who do invest for a living, and even the help an advisor can bring. In this survey, women are telling us they’re becoming bold investors, educated and empowered to take risks to grow their wealth. They’re seeking help but they’re also independent: they want to create customized financial pathways providing for both their liquidity needs and for long-term wealth accumulation. Their confidence and trust in the markets, and in themselves, is rising. Investing is an indication of hope for the future — in saving today so that tomorrow will be even better. I’m honored to keep doing all I can to help transform market access to ensure women, and all investors, have the tools they need to invest with even more confidence for their futures.

Over half (56%) say they work with an advisor, private banker or another type of financial professional to manage their portfolios. Three in 10 women said that seeking professional advice would contribute to their ability to handle a significant financial setback. This made me smile: that old adage that women tend to be the ones to ask for directions holds true as women search for opportunities.

As someone who has spent my career focused on improving access, transparency and resilience in markets for investors of all types — I'm energized to see these results. The more the financial industry can expand market access, through products like exchange-traded funds, for example, the more we can help improve outcomes for all types of investors, especially women.

I think back to the women I grew up watching and am awed at how much has changed. My grandmother, for example, asked for my help in restructuring a portfolio she had held with a few stocks for many years. We knew she wanted predictable income, and therefore fixed income instruments (bonds) were the solution. She trusted me because in a family of doctors and teachers, I was the “finance expert.” I had recently graduated college with dual degrees in theater and finance and started my first job in the industry, but I felt anything but an expert when it came to this task.

This was in the 1990s. The bond market was geared toward professional investors and extremely laborious for an average investor to research. Together, my grandmother and I found a financial advisor to help us create a corporate bond ladder, or a collection of bonds with staggered maturity dates, to provide this stable income stream. We balanced her desire for income with the potential credit risk of buying bonds that were backed by companies, rather than U.S. Treasuries, which tend to carry less risk. The work was tedious. I spent hours looking at bonds — their sizes, maturity dates, asset classes — to construct the ladder. But it was the best outcome for her at the time and a bonding experience for the two of us (pun intended) that left a lasting desire in me to improve the way all investors experience markets.

Today, you don’t need to be a professional investor to invest. You can be whoever you want to be and still invest for a more prosperous future, as long as you have access to the same tools, like ETFs, strategies as people who do invest for a living, and even the help an advisor can bring. In this survey, women are telling us they’re becoming bold investors, educated and empowered to take risks to grow their wealth. They’re seeking help but they’re also independent: they want to create customized financial pathways providing for both their liquidity needs and for long-term wealth accumulation. Their confidence and trust in the markets, and in themselves, is rising. Investing is an indication of hope for the future — in saving today so that tomorrow will be even better. I’m honored to keep doing all I can to help transform market access to ensure women, and all investors, have the tools they need to invest with even more confidence for their futures.

Three-quarters of respondents said securing savings for retirement is a top goal. At the same time, their savings and emergency fund balance is the top factor influencing their financial confidence. If they were to meet their financial goals, respondents said they're prepared to take risks in their own lives: retiring early or changing careers (46%), traveling more frequently (75%) or pursuing new hobbies or interests (39%).

As someone who has spent my career focused on improving access, transparency and resilience in markets for investors of all types — I'm energized to see these results. The more the financial industry can expand market access, through products like exchange-traded funds, for example, the more we can help improve outcomes for all types of investors, especially women.

I think back to the women I grew up watching and am awed at how much has changed. My grandmother, for example, asked for my help in restructuring a portfolio she had held with a few stocks for many years. We knew she wanted predictable income, and therefore fixed income instruments (bonds) were the solution. She trusted me because in a family of doctors and teachers, I was the “finance expert.” I had recently graduated college with dual degrees in theater and finance and started my first job in the industry, but I felt anything but an expert when it came to this task.

This was in the 1990s. The bond market was geared toward professional investors and extremely laborious for an average investor to research. Together, my grandmother and I found a financial advisor to help us create a corporate bond ladder, or a collection of bonds with staggered maturity dates, to provide this stable income stream. We balanced her desire for income with the potential credit risk of buying bonds that were backed by companies, rather than U.S. Treasuries, which tend to carry less risk. The work was tedious. I spent hours looking at bonds — their sizes, maturity dates, asset classes — to construct the ladder. But it was the best outcome for her at the time and a bonding experience for the two of us (pun intended) that left a lasting desire in me to improve the way all investors experience markets.

Today, you don’t need to be a professional investor to invest. You can be whoever you want to be and still invest for a more prosperous future, as long as you have access to the same tools, like ETFs, strategies as people who do invest for a living, and even the help an advisor can bring. In this survey, women are telling us they’re becoming bold investors, educated and empowered to take risks to grow their wealth. They’re seeking help but they’re also independent: they want to create customized financial pathways providing for both their liquidity needs and for long-term wealth accumulation. Their confidence and trust in the markets, and in themselves, is rising. Investing is an indication of hope for the future — in saving today so that tomorrow will be even better. I’m honored to keep doing all I can to help transform market access to ensure women, and all investors, have the tools they need to invest with even more confidence for their futures.

Some 71% of women report having confidence in their financial decision making abilities, and two-thirds report that confidence has increased in recent years. Nearly a quarter said they had taken a more active role in their household's financial decision making in the past year.

As someone who has spent my career focused on improving access, transparency and resilience in markets for investors of all types — I'm energized to see these results. The more the financial industry can expand market access, through products like exchange-traded funds, for example, the more we can help improve outcomes for all types of investors, especially women.

I think back to the women I grew up watching and am awed at how much has changed. My grandmother, for example, asked for my help in restructuring a portfolio she had held with a few stocks for many years. We knew she wanted predictable income, and therefore fixed income instruments (bonds) were the solution. She trusted me because in a family of doctors and teachers, I was the “finance expert.” I had recently graduated college with dual degrees in theater and finance and started my first job in the industry, but I felt anything but an expert when it came to this task.

This was in the 1990s. The bond market was geared toward professional investors and extremely laborious for an average investor to research. Together, my grandmother and I found a financial advisor to help us create a corporate bond ladder, or a collection of bonds with staggered maturity dates, to provide this stable income stream. We balanced her desire for income with the potential credit risk of buying bonds that were backed by companies, rather than U.S. Treasuries, which tend to carry less risk. The work was tedious. I spent hours looking at bonds — their sizes, maturity dates, asset classes — to construct the ladder. But it was the best outcome for her at the time and a bonding experience for the two of us (pun intended) that left a lasting desire in me to improve the way all investors experience markets.

Today, you don’t need to be a professional investor to invest. You can be whoever you want to be and still invest for a more prosperous future, as long as you have access to the same tools, like ETFs, strategies as people who do invest for a living, and even the help an advisor can bring. In this survey, women are telling us they’re becoming bold investors, educated and empowered to take risks to grow their wealth. They’re seeking help but they’re also independent: they want to create customized financial pathways providing for both their liquidity needs and for long-term wealth accumulation. Their confidence and trust in the markets, and in themselves, is rising. Investing is an indication of hope for the future — in saving today so that tomorrow will be even better. I’m honored to keep doing all I can to help transform market access to ensure women, and all investors, have the tools they need to invest with even more confidence for their futures.