Connect with us

Markets

Unlocking the Power of Women in Investing

Published

on

Unlocking the Power of Women in Investing

Unlocking the Power of Women in Investing

The financial services industry is undergoing a dramatic shift.

The next generation of investors will be younger and much more diverse, with women taking an increasingly prominent role in building and growing family and personal wealth.

Today’s infographic comes to us from New York Life Investments, and it showcases how this new paradigm will shape the future of products and services on offer in the industry, as well as how wealth managers can cater to these changing needs.

Growing Economic Might

Women are underrepresented in the investing world, but this is changing fast. While various cultural and societal reasons are contributors to this, there is also a more simple driver: rising economic might.

  • Women-controlled wealth in the U.S. will increase from $14 trillion to $22 trillion between 2015-2020
  • Women control 51% of all personal wealth in the United States today
  • Women are set to inherit $28.7 trillion in intergenerational wealth over the next 40 years

Women are becoming more important drivers of income and wealth for their families, as well:

  • Women are now the primary breadwinners in 40% of U.S. households – a 4x increase from 1960.
  • Women own 30% of all private businesses in the U.S.
  • Women now hold the majority of management, professional, and related positions (52%)

Finally, women now make up the majority of recipients of Associate’s degrees (61%), Bachelor’s degrees (57%), Master’s degrees (60%), and Doctoral degrees (52%) in the United States.

The Wealth Management Gap

As women increase raise their level of economic influence to new levels, how will they manage this wealth?

Interestingly, studies show that women think about money and wealth differently than men – and differently from precedents already set in the financial services industry:

The Good NewsThe Bad News
Women are better savers, saving 9.0% of their salary in comparison to men (8.6% of salary)
Women consistently tend to score lower on financial literacy tests
Some research points to women generating better returns (+0.4%) off of investmentsSome research points to women investing up to 40% less than men

Changing Concerns

Data from a recent survey by New York Life Investments sheds light on why women may be underserved by the financial services industry.

Reasons why women switch financial advisors:

  • 33% poor performance
  • 29% lack of personal connection
  • 27% poor customer services

In other words, women don’t switch investment advisors simply because of poor performance – there are other, more complex factors involved. Part of this is likely because 62% of women say they have unique investment needs and challenges:

Perceptions of women and investing:

  • Financial professionals treat women differently – 40%
  • Women feel patronized by financial advisors – 36%
  • Financial advisors are less likely to listen to investing ideas from a woman – 30%
  • Financial advisors push women out of financial conversations – 28%
  • Women have less access to financial education – 26%
  • Financial professionals find it hard to relate to women – 26%
  • Financial advising is a man’s world – 24%

A Deeper Dive

It is crucial for advisors to understand that women are not one large, homogeneous group.

In fact, research shows that there are four unique segments of women that each approach investing differently – and they all have different sets of needs.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this infographic series, which will detail the differences between these segments.

Click for Comments

Markets

Visualizing Portfolio Return Expectations, by Country

This graphic shows the gap in portfolio return expectations between investors and advisors around the world, revealing a range of market outlooks.

Published

on

Visualizing Portfolio Return Expectations, by Country

Visualizing Portfolio Return Expectations, by Country

This was originally posted on Advisor Channel. Sign up to the free mailing list to get beautiful visualizations on financial markets that help advisors and their clients.

How do investors’ return expectations differ from those of advisors? How does this expectation gap shift across countries?

Despite 2022 being the worst year for stock markets in over a decade, investors around the world appear confident about the long-term performance of their portfolios. These convictions point towards resilience across global economies, driven by strong labor markets and moderating inflation.

While advisors are optimistic, their expectations are more conservative overall.

This graphic shows the return expectation gap by country between investors and financial professionals in 2023, based on data from Natixis.

Expectation Gap by Country

Below, we show the return expectation gap by country, based on a survey of 8,550 investors and 2,700 financial professionals:

Long-Term Annual
Return Expectations
InvestorsFinancial
Professionals
Expectations Gap
🇺🇸 U.S.15.6%7.0%2.2X
🇨🇱 Chile15.1%14.5%1.0X
🇲🇽 Mexico14.7%14.0%1.1X
🇸🇬 Singapore14.5%14.2%1.0X
🇯🇵 Japan13.6%8.7%1.6X
🇦🇺 Australia12.5%6.9%1.8X
🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR12.4%7.6%1.6X
🇨🇦 Canada10.6%6.5%1.6X
🇪🇸 Spain10.6%7.6%1.4X
🇩🇪 Germany10.1%7.0%1.4X
🇮🇹 Italy9.6%6.3%1.5X
🇨🇭 Switzerland9.6%6.9%1.4X
🇫🇷 France8.9%6.6%1.3X
🇬🇧 UK8.1%6.2%1.3X
🌐 Global12.8%9.0%1.4X

Investors in the U.S. have the highest long-term annual return expectations, at 15.6%. The U.S. also has the highest expectations gap across countries, with investors’ expectations more than double that of advisors.

Likely influencing investor convictions are the outsized returns seen in the last decade, led by big tech. This year is no exception, as a handful of tech giants are seeing soaring returns, lifting the overall market.

From a broader perspective, the S&P 500 has returned 11.5% on average annually since 1928.

Following next in line were investors in Chile and Mexico with return expectations of 15.1% and 14.7%, respectively. Unlike many global markets, the MSCI Chile Index posted double-digit returns in 2022.

Global financial hub, Singapore, has the lowest expectations gap across countries.

Investors in the UK and Europe, have the most moderate return expectations overall. Confidence has been weighed down by geopolitical tensions, high interest rates, and dismal economic data.

Return Expectations Across Asset Classes

What are the expected returns for different asset classes over the next decade?

A separate report by Vanguard used a quantitative model to forecast returns through to 2033. For U.S. equities, it projects 4.1-6.1% in annualized returns. Global equities are forecast to have 6.4-8.4% returns, outperforming U.S. stocks over the next decade.

Bonds, meanwhile, are forecast to see 3.6-4.6% annualized returns for the U.S. aggregate market, while U.S. Treasuries are projected to average 3.3-4.3% annually.

While it’s impossible to predict the future, we can see a clear expectation gap not only between countries, but between advisors, clients, and other models. Factors such as inflation, interest rates, and the ability for countries to weather economic headwinds will likely have a significant influence on future portfolio returns.

Continue Reading

Subscribe

Popular