Millionaire women take a more conservative and holistic approach to their finances and investments compared to men, who are more interested in investment returns, according to a Fidelity survey.
Among those who work with a financial advisor, women are twice as likely to want holistic financial guidance and planning to meet a specific lifestyle or goal than millionaire men, the study shows.
At the same time, millionaire women are more risk averse than men and prefer certificates of deposit and domestic bonds, among other conservative investments, while more than twice as many men add domestic stocks to their portfolio, according to the survey.
Women also make better clients than men, being more willing to acknowledge they need assistance and an advisor they can trust. Among women using a financial advisor, 45 percent say they would be very likely to move their assets with the advisor while just 23 percent of men say they would go with the advisor if he or she changed firms.
“Based on these findings, it is important for financial advisors to recognize that women may be looking for different investment strategies or have a different set of financial concerns that deserve consideration,” says Alexandra Tausig, senior vice president National Financial, a Fidelity Investments company. “The reality is that nine out of 10 women will be solely responsible for their finances at some point in their lives so it is critical to not only engage women early, but regularly, to retain the relationships.
Fidelity kicked off a campaign focused on how advisors can attract women clients with a conference in Boston last week called “Engaging Female Clients.”
Fidelity advises engaging both people in a couple, in part because of the differences in attitude and partly because a woman is likely to be the sole decision maker on finances at some point.
“With married clients, it’s imperative that financial advisors involve both spouses in all planning,” says Meg Kelleher, executive vice president Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services. “With approximately $2 trillion in motion each year due to divorce and death, the reality is that your married clients could become single clients. Involving both spouses in planning gives both partners the skills to manage financially through a transition and can help protect your client relationships.”
