Women and investing is a topic that doesn’t get mentioned often enough, but it is extremely important. Women’s financial plans are unique, so their investing strategies should be, too. Find out more about women and investing, and discover ideas for creating your own investment plan.
Women investors are doing great financially, proving that women are equipped with the skills needed to be successful investors. More women are taking charge of their finances by creating a financial plan and working towards building wealth.
Women make fantastic investors, keep reading to learn why. Plus get five key tips for how women can invest smartly!
Why women investors are amazing
There are a lot of things that set women and investing apart. And women can have great success with investing because of the unique way they view finances. For example:
Women approach investing with a cautious mindset
Women sometimes approach investing with a different mindset than their male counterparts. They tend to be more careful when considering investments.
Although action is necessary for investing, this cautious approach can pay off and help women make great financial choices.
Another thing that makes women great investors is that they don’t spend too much time trading. The Motley Fool explains that men tend to trade a lot more frequently than women, and that this contributes to their investments not doing as well. Women, on the other hand, tend to trade less and have better results over time.
They make fewer emotionally driven investments
Another key differentiator between men and women in investing is emotion. It may be surprising, but men can be more emotional about making investments than women.
In a survey, Adam Hennick of Hennick Wealth Management found that men who make a higher income are more likely to buy stocks based on a gut feeling at 13.7%, whereas women are less likely to do this at 7.5%.
Making a hasty emotional decision when it comes to investing often leads to regret, and it’s better to take the time to research to be sure you have the best chance of financial success.
Women give their investments time to grow
According to an analysis by Fidelity, female investors are starting to invest when they are younger, for example, between ages 18 to 35, women are opening a brokerage account by age 21 on average.
The older generation tended to wait longer to open a brokerage. It was also found that millennial women are investing outside of their retirement more often than previous generations.
This is great news because investments that are made sooner have more time to grow, and more investing beyond retirement may also be beneficial. All of this can result in more wealth for women.
5 Tips for how women can invest smartly
Before choosing an investing platform, investment products, or financial assets, consider how you can be sure that you are investing smartly. These 5 ideas will help you achieve your goals.
1. Set financial goals
If you are going to invest your money, then you want it to grow. And you probably have a good reason!
For instance, you might be thinking of retirement savings, long-term goals like saving up for a house or saving for vacation, irregular expenses, or education costs.
When making investment decisions, setting financial goals can allow you to know how much money you need to set aside. So think about how much money you want to make over how many years.
To start, try to think of 1 or 2 big long-term goals and then maybe a short-term goal or two. Then consider how much money you need for each.
After that, determine how long the money needs to stay invested. Having all of these numbers in front of you and knowing your goals can make it much easier to start the investing process.
For example, you may want to save $1 million by the time you retire and suppose that’s in 30 years. Now that you have that larger number, you can break it down by how much you want to save each year and then each month.
2. Research
Rather than simply choosing the first investments that come along, it’s important to form an understanding of how your money will be invested.
According to the Motley Fool, you should understand investing metrics and both types of stock analysis when researching stocks, in addition to looking at trends and management when you research the stock companies, and researching other important information.
Above all, don’t make a decision about your money without first thinking it over and doing your due diligence.
3. Understand your risk tolerance
Not everyone is comfortable with the same amount of risk for their money. When it comes to women and investing, you need to know if you are more risk averse or if you prefer to take more risk in favor of a potentially higher return.
If you are risk averse, you might prefer safer investing routes like CDs or high-interest savings accounts.
However, while it is important to try to minimize risk, know that just keeping your money in savings accounts is unlikely to help you become wealthy.
Find more information about investing and become comfortable with the idea. Then you may find that, while investing does have risks, it isn’t as scary as it seems.
On the other hand, if you are okay with a lot of risk, you may choose to invest in single stocks in hopes of a high return.
However, just because there could be a high return on something doesn’t mean there will be. Another option could be investing with index funds, which invest in multiple things like bonds and stocks. Mutual funds are another good option.
As you can see, there’s a lot to consider with risk tolerance. You also need to take into account things such as personality, your age, and how long you plan to keep the money invested. These things could make you more or less risk averse.
4. Have a strategy and diversify
Before you make your investment choices, be sure to have a plan and diversify your investments.
An investment strategy involves the values you use to determine the investments you make, which ultimately lead to you reaching your money goals. You’ll need to take into account some of the things that were mentioned above, like how risk averse you are and what you plan to do with your money.
Diversifying means you choose several different investments, so you don’t have all of your money invested in one type of asset, and then you are likely to see more consistent returns.
Considering your values and strategy, in addition to diversification, is important for your investment portfolio and your future. You might consider an all weather portfolio, which will help you diversify without being overly risky.
5. Seek professional guidance
Imagine jumping into a huge decision like a career change or a big move without asking for any advice first. You probably wouldn’t do that – so don’t invest without getting some guidance.
Reading and research is a good way to begin getting guidance. You might ask other people you know who are savvy investors to give their advice, as well.
Consulting financial professionals can also be a smart choice, but be careful of fees. They may not be worth it in some cases.
The main point is that you don’t want to begin investing without knowing what you are doing to some extent. Although you don’t need a degree in finance to get started, understanding basic information and getting your questions answered is important.
Expert tip: Don’t rush the investing process
Whether you think that investing is difficult or you feel like you understand it pretty well, it pays to take the time to learn more.
Rather than jumping into new investments or opening accounts, first research, read for informational purposes, learn investment terms, and talk to others to get investment advice.
Don’t wait too long, but taking a few weeks or months to find out more about the basics and be sure of your investment choices is well worth it.
Why are women investors important?
Women investors EW important for their own futures and others. Not only are many women the female breadwinner for their families, but they have big financial goals and dreams to accomplish!
Women need to be great investors for their own futures and their families and to create greater awareness for others about what women are capable of with money.
And since women are not as confident in their investment knowledge, according to Morning Star, it’s vital that women learn all they can about finance and investing. Not only will this help their own futures but also the generations of women who will invest in the future.
If women today can make a huge impact, then they will likely increase confidence for other women about women’s wealth and what they can do financially.
How do women invest differently than men?
Not only are women more likely to be careful investors and make fewer changes to their investments, but they also care about investing in things that benefit other women.
For example, women investors more often invest with women entrepreneurs than men do. Women care about helping other women to succeed, and they’re willing to use their money to make this happen. Which can help to create a better financial environment for all women in the future.
Who are some popular women investors?
Some popular women investors include Barbara Corcoran, Mellody Hobson, and Melinda Gates.
Barbara Corcoran has a net worth of approximately $100 million, and she made a large portion of her money from her real estate company, as well as her investments with Shark Tank.
Mellody Hobson is the co-CEO of Ariel Investments, of which she owns 40%, in addition to owning a large portion of J.P. Morgan Chase and Starbucks shares. Ariel Investments manages over $17 billion in assets.
Melinda French Gates’ net worth is around $10.1 billion, and she received $2.4 billion worth of stock after her divorce from Bill Gates. She is also co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
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There’s a bright financial future for women and investing!
The one thing women investors can improve on is their investing confidence! It’s apparent that women are amazing investors and can be very successful in reaching their financial goals. Women’s ability to invest wisely sets them up for a secure financial future.
You can be an amazing investor, too! It’s all about educating yourself and getting the right financial advice to get you on track towards your money goals.
Are you ready to become a successful woman investor? Increase your financial literacy by enrolling in our FREE investing course bundle to learn how to grow your money and achieve financial success!
