If you were to guess which issue women worry about most right now would you guess kids, family, our partner being faithful, health, time management, mental health or stress, or maybe even equal rights?
The answer is...... our finances.
This response may or may not surprise you now, but consider the following list of financial issues unique to us:
- We are more intimidated than men about financial issues
- We earn less money than men (82 cents in the $)
- We are less prepared for retirement as we have less money to retire on
- We live on average 8 years longer than men
- We don't know who to trust with our finances so we tend to leave it in the bank or spend it
- We are more conservative investors than men
- It is more challenging for single mothers, even more if you are a working parent
- We are caring for elderly parents
- Our health insurance plans cost us more
- We tend to defer to men regarding long term financial decisions, even though we manage the daily household finances
- Money may have been managed by our spouses when married and then we do not know how to manage money if we end up divorced
- The finance Industry doesn't really cater for women and we generally don't trust the men in suits
- Women of Colour are the most dis-advantaged statistically when it comes to equality and earnings
A study by the National Center for Women and Retirement Research showed that women investors were more worried than men about running out of money in old age, preferred more conservative investments, wanted fixed/steady returns, were more unnerved by stock fluctuations and worried more about investment decisions.
Due to this, our retirement years are severely impacted as we have earned less money, therefore we have less to retire on whilst we live longer.
Most and Anthes note that according to the Administration on Aging "...half the elderly widows now living in poverty were not living in poverty before their husbands died.
The picture is even worse for older women in many minority groups.
The next generation of retirees may have been raised in an environment in which men handled the money decisions.
Despite more women actually pay the weekly bills, we tend to have little knowledge of the larger family finances such as retirement plans, insurance, annuities, etc. because we defer this to our spouse's to make the decisions.
It is essential for women to understand the 'big picture' of their finances, especially for retirement, divorce, or death of their spouse.
Because we earn less than men, we are less prepared for retirement, and receive smaller retirement benefits, we need to make sure that our husband's retirement benefits will pass to us if our husband dies first.
Because we may be more intimidated about asking questions of our attorney or financial advisor, we may miss crucial details (such as single-life annuity which may bring higher levels during the husband's life but that ends when the husband dies first), or incorrect beneficiaries on life insurance policies.
During a divorce, we may be more concerned about custody issues and keeping the house than our future retirement and may agree to forgo retirement plans.
Single parenting brings a whole host of financial challenges, including lost wages from parenting responsibilities and childcare and babysitters.
If the extra expenses and possibly lower income are not included in the divorce settlement, as single mother may find that she is unable to keep the house and she loses the two most valuable assets: the house and her retirement plan.
Women not only make less money than men, our health plan may cost more than for men due to mammograms, the cervical-cancer vaccine, Pap tests and pregnancy related services.
This is unfair, but while the inequity exists, we must make an extra effort to contribute the difference to a Health Savings Account or savings program to avoid using credit to pay for the added medical bills if needed.
Another huge drain on women's finances is caring for our aging parents.
More women care for aging parents than men.
However distasteful it may be to condense a daughter's love for her parents into a discussion of money, this issue must be addressed so that women can prepare.
Because of the aging baby-boomer population, these numbers will soon become staggering.
If you add caring for young children into the mix at the same time, the financial results can be devastating.
Because of the special issues facing women, it is crucial that we educate ourselves about finances and the realities of financial gender inequity and plan for our future.
The male-dominated financial services industry is just beginning to realise the unique financial planning issues for women.
This is where we come in ladies, to ensure you have the financial education so you have the knowledge you need to become financially fabulous.
We support you with the basics of financial education and ensure that you find trusted advisors that understand your issues and are helping you plan accordingly.
Don't be afraid to ask your advisors questions (we put a guide together on this exact topic so you know what questions to ask and are fully aware of the process).
Now is the time to begin planning for the future:
- Have a plan
- Increase your knowledge and understanding of financial matters
- Utilise trusted professional advisors to implement your plans
- Regularly monitor your progress
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