Women - naturally good at investing

The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report ranked Australia 44th out of 153 countries in its gender gap index. It proves that there is still work to be done. But when it comes to managing money, women are arguably better than men.

A recent report by Finder shows that women tend to be more conservative with their money, leading to lower levels of debt, better credit scores and better-performing stock portfolios.

Women are also better savers, are more risk averse, and are financially motivated by their family’s needs and long term goals.

On the flipside, women can face particular challenges. Among them are broken employment patterns from raising children or caring for older relatives, a well-documented pay gap, and a greater propensity to work in casual or part-time roles.

Despite this, when it comes to investing, women can have a significant edge.

As Finder points out, a wealth of research shows female investors are more successful, on average, than male investors. These studies often highlight the key strengths women have. This includes taking a long term view rather than selecting speculative stocks, and refusing to be distracted by the daily flow of information on asset markets – what the experts call ‘market noise’.

In addition, one ASX study found women are almost twice as likely as men to review their portfolio quarterly or less often. That can be a good thing as it may mean less knee-jerk responses to short term market movements. By contrast, one in five men check their portfolios daily, behaviour more consistent with a short term strategy.

Long story short, women have what it takes to enjoy investment success. Yet two in five women are not investing their money at all.

On one hand this isn’t surprising. We tend to hear widely about the men who are successful investors or who have made it to global rich lists. Much less is said about women who’ve nailed long term investing.

So why not be among those who buck the trend? It doesn’t take much to start investing, and exchange traded funds offer an easy way to build a low-cost, diverse portfolio even if you don’t have a lot of spare cash. Add to your super – it could also give you extra savings at tax time. Or gradually drip feed money into the shares of companies you know and trust.

It’s all about finding the investment strategy you feel comfortable with, and sticking to it. There’s plenty of free information and apps to help women – and men, get started on the road to a financially secure future.

For more information on your saving journey click here www.investsmart.com.au/what-we-offer/wealth-planning 

Or check our Bootcamp program for those new to investing here: https://www.investsmart.com.au/bootcamp