Financial professionals have work to do to win the trust of women investors.

Financial professionals generally feel confident in their ability to help women investors realize their long-term financial goals. Women investors, according to a recent Nationwide Retirement Institute® survey, tell a different story—most are happy with the guidance they receive, but many feel their financial professional doesn’t always understand where they’re coming from.

Financial professionals can help close the gap in understanding by recognizing the differences between men and women in their financial lives and focusing on the specific challenges women face in achieving their financial goals.

Present-day economic worries lead to doubts about the future.

Women investors express concern about the economic and financial market outlook, but many are not taking steps to plan accordingly.

Among women investors:

33%

say they don’t have a strategy in place to protect their assets against market risk.

33%

say not knowing how much they actually need to retire comfortably is a top retirement concern.

Woman sitting at desk and looking at her laptop.

How financial professionals come up short with women investors.

The vast majority of women investors feel respected by their financial professional, but there are areas where financial professionals can do better.

Among women investors with a financial professional relationship:

say their financial professional can be condescending when explaining recommendations or responding to questions.

say their financial professional assumes they know less about finances than they actually do.

say their financial professional sometimes “mansplains” concepts to them in a way they don't always appreciate.

2 women talking while sitting at a desk in an office

Learning from the examples of women financial professionals.

Women financial professionals are responding to the unique needs of women investors by tailoring the guidance they offer to their women clients.

Among women financial professionals:

47%

have developed strategies specifically for women going through major life transitions.

44%

have studied the unique retirement challenges women face (e.g., longevity, caregiving, wage gaps).

43%

have increased their focus on protection and guaranteed income solutions.

Help close the planning gaps with women investors.

While the business of financial advice remains a male-dominated field—most financial professionals are men—many see women clients as key to their future practice growth. But as our survey shows, there’s work to do in order to build trust and confidence among women clients.

As a place to start, focus on building engagement and trust by understanding the different needs of women investors and personalizing your guidance around those needs.

Find resources from Nationwide to help you address the planning needs of women investors.

Disclosure

Nationwide conducted this Harris Poll among 528 advisors and 2,012 investors 1/15-26 to 2/6/2026. This included 882 women investors and 119 women advisors.

For financial professional use only.

This material is not a recommendation to buy or sell a financial product or to adopt an investment strategy. Investors should discuss their specific situation with their financial professional.