Welcome!
If you have found yourself on this page, I am going to guess that you are a woman (or you know and love a woman..) who is interested in learning how to invest but isn’t sure where to start. If this describes you, rest assured you are in the right place.
I have been in the financial and investment industry for over 20 years and the number one concern I hear over and over again is, “I am afraid I might not be saving enough for retirement. I am worried that I will run out of money. I know I should get started and learn more about saving and investing, but I don’t know where to start—it is hard to know who to trust.”.
I could not agree more.
“I am afraid I might not be saving enough for retirement. I am worried I will run out of money.”
And studies from the last few years confirm my coaching clients are not alone in their concerns, but also that their fears may be valid.
The 2015 Investors Pulse from Blackrock found that only 39% of women know how much they will need to save for retirement. In addition, 62% of Canadian women responsdents, replied that they would not be prepared to take any risks with their money—a belief that is causing many women to park their savings and investments on the sidelines.
This single action alone, holding too much cash for too long, exposes women to longevity risk, which is yes, the risk of outliving their money.
Why do women not save more or learn more about investing?
Well, we can start with the income gap. If we earn less money than men, it is predictable that we will have less money to invest. (women have savings and investment accounts that are 46% lower than men).
And with a lack of investor literacy available to women—delivered to them in a method and form where they feel comfortable learning—it is not surprising that fewer than half of female respondents (45%) reported that they would be interested in learning more about investing.
What?!
“Survey results show an emerging picture of women investors who feel that they do not have the knowledge or the money to take control of their finances, and who are turned off from taking a greater interest in doing so.” —Karrie Van Belle, Blackrock Canada
Ok, so with all the nasty statistics out of the way, how can we change all that and get comfortable with our investing plans for retirement so we can be, well, comfortable in retirement.
(…and, importantly, have peace of mind today and stop worrying about the future.)
The absolute next action you can take is to learn the basic building blocks of investing.
Just this last week I spoke at an event for #ladyinvestors and after speaking for 45 minutes on the difference between mutual funds and ETFs, a lovely young 30-year old came up to me afterward and said, “It really isn’t that complicated, is it?”
No, it’s not.
But more importantly than that, it’s actually pretty fun. (or at least empowering)
I like to compare learning to invest to learning how to drive. At first, it feels a bit daunting and like, there are so many buttons and things to remember (blind spot? What blind spot?!) but after a few weeks, did you not love driving?! Did it not give you an incredible sense of freedom that you could now not imagine ever giving up?
When I learned how to drive (and to invest), over 25 years ago, I did not have the options that we do today. What I mean is that, take a chance (it’s free and you can opt-out at any time) on Investing Bootcamp, and then you can decide whether you keep driving on your own (and if you prefer a Volvo or a Mercedes), whether you prefer UBER, or whether you are going to do something completely different with your time and just hire a full-time driver.
Imagine—having peace of mind today knowing you are on track for a worry-free retirement tomorrow.
Next step?
Click here to learn more about Investing Bootcamp, my FREE 30-day course for new investors.