When we refer to “investors,” it’s often in a way that includes people of all genders, ages, and socioeconomic statuses. However, it can be valuable to pull back the curtain and take a peek at how certain groups, like women, view their relationship with wealth—especially considering the difference between men's and women’s investment styles.
Studies have found that men are generally more confident investors and willing to take greater risks than women—particularly if it can yield personal gain. The catch? Greater risk and higher confidence haven’t always served them well. Male investors as a group lack composure and are prone to impulsive decision-making when it comes to managing investments.1,2
Charles Schwab recently released its Women Investors Survey 2025, which collected data from 1,200 women across the country with at least $5,000 in investable assets. Notably, participants were required to be primary or joint financial decision-makers within their households. What they discovered was eye-opening—in contrast to men, women are patient, disciplined, and confident investors, who aren’t afraid to talk about money with others.
Let’s take a closer look at the findings and consider what lessons everyone can learn from them.
The Virtues of Women Investors
The majority of women investors share a few key traits, which we believe are critical attributes for those looking to maintain a long-term, goal-based investment strategy.
Patience
The survey found that 50% of respondents consider their patience and willingness to wait for their investments to grow as their biggest strength.3
Not so coincidently, this perfectly reflects the sentiment so famously shared by investor Warren Buffett: “The stock market is a device to transfer money from the impatient to the patient.”
When it comes to long-term investing, having patience is perhaps an investor’s greatest asset. Why? Because patience can mean you’re able to give your investments more time to grow and ride out periods of volatility.
In fact, to us time and patience are what make compounding such an effective wealth-building tool. When you invest, the money you use to fund an account (like your 401(k)) is called the principal. As the value of your initial investment grows, the account eventually consists of both your principal and earnings or interest. Moving forward, your future earnings will be based on both the principal contribution and past earnings. As a result, your growth will compound at a faster rate.
Speaking of time, the average woman investor began her investing journey at age 31, though 51% began investing even younger.3
Time is the key ingredient to multiplying your earnings and giving your portfolio the ammo it needs to grow over time—and, hopefully, achieve your long-term financial goals. The sooner you start investing on a regular basis (even if it’s small increments every month), the more you should be able to benefit from the power of compounding growth.
Discipline
Of the investors surveyed, 45% considered themselves disciplined. More specifically, they indicated their greatest investing strength was being able to “stick to a plan and avoid emotional or impulsive decisions.”3
Notably, 58% also said their biggest investment lesson was learning to stay invested despite market ups and downs. This is further emphasized by the fact that 80% of women surveyed are focused on their long-term investing goals, while only 20% consider the short-term goals to be a bigger priority.3
Being disciplined in your investment approach is an important attribute for any long-term investor, as market conditions can take your portfolio on a wild ride between now and retirement (or any other important milestone you’re working towards). When you’re able to stay cool, calm, and collected in the face of uncertainty, you’re less likely to make impulsive, emotionally-driven decisions based on short-term movements.
Empowerment
The vast majority of respondents (90%) said that managing their investments gives them a feeling of empowerment, while 83% said they simply like investing. Another piece of encouraging news? Nine out of ten respondents are either very or somewhat confident that they’re on the right track to achieve their financial goals.3
An investor who feels empowered and confident in their financial decision-making will likely be more steadfast in their beliefs and willing to maintain a forward-focused approach despite short-term challenges.
Empowered investors may be more willing to take some calculated risks, stay invested, and uplift others throughout their wealth journey. In fact, some of the top factors increasing confidence in women included:3
- Investing has been made more accessible, thanks to online brokerage firms and other easy-to-use investing tools.
- Women feel they’ve been able to more clearly define what their financial goals are.
- There are more opportunities to build wealth now than before
- More investment options exist now, such as alternative investments, mutual funds, and ETFs.
- Financial education is more available for women and other investors.
How Women Approach Risk
Despite some common assumptions about gender roles and risk, women might not be as risk-averse as people think. 61% of women investors are fine taking on some risk, as long as they believe the potential returns are worth it. Of those investors, 15% said they even enjoy taking on risk with their investments if it means achieving potentially higher returns.3
With that being said, over half of respondents (57%) said that identifying their risk tolerance and sticking to it was one of the biggest investment lessons they learned.3
As an investor, it’s important to set realistic investment goals and have a clear understanding of what it’ll take for you to achieve them. Investments generally don’t come with guaranteed returns, as every investment carries some level of risk—though the exact level varies greatly. As an investor, your job is to balance those riskier growth opportunities (stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and other equities) with the stability and portfolio protection of more conservative assets (cash equivalents and treasury bills, for example).
When you take on too much risk, your portfolio is exposed and vulnerable to market movements. If you’re overconcentrated in equities, for example, one bad market downturn could wipe out the earnings your portfolio’s been building for years. Keep in mind that the opposite is true as well. If your portfolio includes assets with little risk, you may be missing out on the growth opportunities that are key to building wealth long-term.
As the survey suggests, it seems the majority of women investors are aware of this challenge and confident in their abilities to balance growth, risk, and portfolio protection.
DIY or Professional Advice? Women Prefer a Mix of Both
While 61% of women have a financial advisor, 42% prefer to take a hybrid approach to managing their investments. Doing so enables them to combine their independent research with the guidance of a professional advisor.3
This tells us that women like to be informed decision makers and active participants in their financial lives. While they’re comfortable offloading some components to a professional, they’re still interested in understanding what they’re invested in and what opportunities are available.
It also appears that the topics of money, wealth, and investing are less taboo for women than they may have been in the past. Around 86% of respondents reported discussing financial topics or advice with their family, friends, colleagues, and other acquaintances. Of those respondents, 19% said they did so frequently in order to:3
- Learn new financial information or get advice
- Support others during financial challenges
- Feel more confident in their own financial decisions
Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to investing. Receiving and sharing financial education or knowledge can help you, your family, and friends make more informed decisions about your investments. Just be sure to do your own research or speak to a professional before selecting investments and making changes to your portfolio.
Women, Wealth, and Long-Term Investing
The Schwab survey shared some valuable insights into how women today are investing, working towards their financial goals, and managing wealth.
Regardless of your gender, we believe the traits this study revealed—patience, discipline, confidence, goal-setting, and thoughtful risk analysis—are traits that will serve all investors well.
5 min read
