Women as Investors

Women, though often better educated than men overall, may need to learn more about investing, reports Jonathan Clements in The Wall Street Journal. Many women investors overrate the long-term risk of losing money in stocks, while underestimating the long-term risk (or near certainty) of losing purchasing power in bonds.

Men, meanwhile, still need to learn to limit their get-rich-quick trading.

Does the millionaire woman approach investing differently than the millionaire male? The Millionaire Corner surveys that question here.

Turns out some women really are different in dealing with their advisers:

. . . 70% of men said that once they are satisfied with a financial brand or provider they would not switch, while only 54% of women said the same.

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Women define “quality service” differently than men do, marking themselves as possibly finicky and definitely discerning consumers. Women are less forgiving of things like a lapse in advisor communications or weak printed materials, and inadequate online content and tools. Men tend to overlook these things more, and focus on the one-on-one relationship with their advisor.

Fifty years ago, women were largely a forgotten market segment in the investment world. But not entirely. Here's one of the classic Chase nest egg ads from The New Yorker of February 1, 1958:


Love those old Chase nest-egg ads? You'll find more here and here.