A Financial Paradox: How Women Think of Themselves as Investors

I'm not one to distinguish investors based on gender -- I believe that investing is gender-neutral. However, a number of studies raise some valid points about women's comfort with investing.

Are women confident of their ability to save? Is saving different from investing?

A Vanguard national survey of more than 1,000 women, conducted in April of this year, found that the vast majority (71%) of women felt somewhat or very confident in saving money. But the picture reverses when the topic of investing is introduced. Around 1 in 2 (52%) said they felt not very or not at all confident as investors (tinyurl.com/3yuujahm). Vanguard is an investment management company.

The Federal Reserve "Economic Well-Being of Households in 2025" survey of nearly 13,000 respondents reported that only about 2 out of 5 (39%) women were mostly or very comfortable choosing and managing their investments. Men are not that much further ahead -- only 55% of men surveyed were mostly or very comfortable (tinyurl.com/bdsuvz4n).

Surveys also considered safety and risk.

The Vanguard survey indicated that when it came to saving money, approximately 65% of the respondents "cited safety and the ability to access money" as being reasons for keeping funds in traditional bank savings or checking accounts or in physical cash, even though higher-yielding savings accounts are available that could offer "similar levels of security."

An examination of Vanguard investors during the market volatility between January and mid-April of 2026 found that women were less likely to trade than men but more likely to be net buyers if they did trade, as reported in the Vanguard investor behavior article "Discipline prevails during geopolitical shocks" (tinyurl.com/2vs75s9c).

Also, a study of Wells Fargo Advisors accounts indicated that female-led accounts outperformed male-led accounts in risk-adjusted investment returns between January 2018 and December 2024, and the same was true for single female accounts when compared with single male accounts (tinyurl.com/27p8zvv5).

If you are a woman who might have a lower confidence level when it comes to investing, the Wells Fargo Investment Institute report "Women and Investing" offers two keys to becoming a better investor: Know yourself (What is your investment "personality"? How do you relate to money?) and be familiar with key investment concepts (for example, make sure your assets are strategically diversified).

When Charles Schwab, a financial services company, surveyed 1,200 U.S. women in 2025 who were ages 18 or older and had at least $5,000 in investible assets and asked what their top strengths were when it came to investing, 50% said patience (willing to wait for their assets to grow) and 45% said discipline (sticking to a plan and avoiding emotional or impulsive decisions). In addition, when asked what the biggest investing lessons were that they had learned, 58% said staying invested despite the ups and downs of the market, and 57% selected "Choose your comfort level with risk and be disciplined about it" (tinyurl.com/ydfnd4nm).

Those attributes are important in preparation for what is to come. As I've written about in the past, Cerulli, a research, consulting and analytics firm that focuses on the financial services industry, has projected that $124 trillion in wealth will transfer through 2048, and women are expected to receive most of the money (if you missed my column "Surprise -- You're a Millionaire!", write to me at readers@juliejason.com and I'll send you a copy).

The bottom line is this: Don't hold back. There is no gender-based reason to think you are not a confident investor. But be aware that, male or female, one must learn how to make sound financial decisions with long-term impact in a future that is unpredictable. The beginning stages are experiential -- trial and error -- and to successfully engage in trial and error takes patience ... and confidence.

Seasoned investment counsel (tinyurl.com/52nus8hz) and award-winning columnist and author, Julie Jason, JD, LLM, promotes financial literacy and investor protection. Read her latest book, "The Discerning Investor: Personal Portfolio Management in Retirement for Lawyers (and Their Clients)" (tinyurl.com/4u7h9pjs), published by the American Bar Association. Write to Julie at readers@juliejason.com. While all questions cannot be answered, each email is read and reviewed and can lead to discussion in a future column.

COPYRIGHT 2026 Julie Jason, DISTRIBUTED BY ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106; 816-581-7500