You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby (copy)

In honor of Women’s History Month, let’s reflect on how women’s financial lives have evolved over the years. Decades ago, my grandma was thrilled when she learned that I would study Economics in college. She thought I meant Home Economics, and imagined I’d learn to cook and sew. She soon realized I was pursuing a career in the world of finance. Looking back, the landscape for women investors has changed more than either of us could have imagined.

U.S. News & World Report stated that 67% of women now invest outside their retirement accounts, up from just 44% in 2018. Younger women are driving the trend: 71% invest in stocks, with even higher rates among Gen Z and millennials. Access to digital tools certainly helps, but more importantly, financial literacy allows women to approach investing with knowledge and confidence.

It’s hard to believe that before the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974, lenders could legally require a husband’s signature for a mortgage, loan, or even a checking account with overdraft features. Fortunately, the financial influence women hold today represents extraordinary progress.

Women now control over $10 trillion in U.S. household assets, and that’s projected to reach $30 trillion by 2030 according to valuesages.com. This isn’t just about accumulated savings; it highlights women’s increasing leadership roles, longer life expectancies, entrepreneurial growth, and a rising presence in corporate and financial decision-making.

Performance

Women are effective long-term investors. Fool.com reports that women outperform men by 0.4% to 1.8% annually. These results are meaningful when compounded over decades. Reasons include that women typically trade less, stick to their plans, and avoid emotional decision-making. In other words, when women invest, data supports the fact that they do well.

Despite this progress, challenges remain. Women still invest 29% less per month than men. According to fool.com (https://www.fool.com/research/women-in-investing-statistics/), wage gaps, career breaks, and caregiving roles contribute to the reality that retirement savings are below men's, with the median balances at $50,000 for women versus $157,000 for men. Attention to financial literacy, proactive planning, and equitable pay are essential in closing these gaps; all areas where CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professionals can make a meaningful difference.

Knowledge is Power

As a CFP® practitioner, I’ve had the privilege of working with women taking ownership of their financial lives. What I’ve seen matches the research: knowledge leads to confidence. Women are better positioned than ever to shape their financial futures. Women’s History Month is the time to celebrate how far women investors have come and the potential ahead.

Women control roughly one-third of all U.S. retail financial assets, according to Yahoo Finance, with this expected to grow to 40–45% by 2030. From 2018 to 2023, global financial wealth increased 43%, while women’s wealth grew an even faster 51%. Many women are also in a position to become “double inheritors,” receiving wealth from both parents and spouses as part of the projected $100+ trillion generational transfers expected by 2048.

According to the 2025 Charles Schwab Women Investors Survey, 90% of women investors say they’re on track to meet longterm goals. Strengths include patience (50%), discipline (45%), consistency, and planning (32–33%), traits aligning closely with longterm investing. Sallie Krawcheck, an influential voice in finance, puts it bluntly: “The research indicates that when we women invest, we tend to be more patient, take a longerterm perspective, and as a result tend to be better investors than men.”

Education plays a major role. Women now surpass men in higher education; 47% of women ages 25–34 hold a bachelor’s degree compared with 37% of men, a big shift from the 25%/25% mix back in 1995, according to marketsfinancialcontent.com. Higher education correlates with stronger earnings, higher financial literacy, and more engagement in planning and investing. But it all begins with action.

Do you want your money to support retirement, caregiving, lifestyle flexibility, legacy planning, or all the above? Automatic contributions may help keep you disciplined. Job changes, business sales, inheritances, and the loss of a spouse are moments when getting guidance pays off, especially as more women become double inheritors. Focusing on risk management, asset allocation, retirement income planning, tax-efficient withdrawals, and long-term health care strategies may help close the knowledge gaps.

Women have evolved from being underrepresented in the world of finance and investing to becoming one of the most influential forces in the future of wealth. The progress is extraordinary, accelerating and exhilarating. The more women invest, lead, inherit, and advise, the stronger our economy becomes. Stay focused, stay confident, and plan accordingly.