Becoming financially strong and stable is important for both women and men. However, because men have been involved in the workforce for a longer time than women, men have more knowledge about investing and preparing for retirement funds. Now that women are taking the lead in the workplace, it is important for them to invest. It has not gone unnoticed that younger women are now taking interest in investing more than ever and women, particularly in the age group of 35 and above, are also catching up.
The Financial Research
According to Fidelity’s 2022 Money Moves study, around 36% of women above the age of 36 years referred to waiting too long to start saving for retirement as their biggest financial mistake and regret. The research surveyed 2,015 American adults that belonged to the age group of 18-40. When it was time to study the research findings, the researchers divided the test subjects into two groups.
It showed that most of the older women didn’t make their investment accounts until they were in their 30s while, on the other hand, the younger generation of women started investing by the age of 21. When studing female retirement accounts, it was observed that this age gap only widened; younger women started opening their retirement accounts by the age of 20 while older women opted to open their retirement accounts by the age of 34.
What Does This Mean?
Lorna Kapusta, head of women investors at Fidelity, spoke with CNBC and stated that younger women are now learning from the financial mistakes made by the previous generations. This notion was further solidified due to the pandemic, which brought out financial insecurity and instability. Now, younger women understand the need and importance of investing in order to protect themselves from falling below the poverty line.
Kapusta concluded that with the help of the abundant financial information that is now available online, younger women are greatly benefiting from financial advice and are now planning to invest and save up for their future. This economic education is also helping them in making sound decisions and proper investment plans.
Women are finally taking control and making the right decisions for their future.