Women may be less likely to invest than men, but not for the reasons often given by experts.
A new poll indicates that 70 per cent of women say they don’t have any investments, compared to 59 per cent of men.
Yet, while it is often claimed that women are less likely than men to invest because they are more risk averse, nervous of doing something they don’t fully understand and more likely to put others ahead of saving for their own long-term future, the research by wealth platform Hargreaves Lansdown suggests otherwise.
Cautious: A new poll indicates that 70 per cent of women say they don’t have any investments, compared to 59 per cent of men
The most common reason given for not investing was exactly the same for both men and women: not having enough money.
When asked about investment knowledge and risk, there was little difference between the two sexes.
Almost a third (32 per cent) of men said they thought investing was too risky, marginally higher than the 30 per cent of women.
Meanwhile, just six per cent of women said they would rather spend any surplus income than invest it. But men were twice as likely to spend.
Sarah Coles, personal finance analyst at Hargreaves, says there are a few simple steps people can take to start investing. She says: ‘Commit five to ten minutes each week to learning more about investing.
‘And start small – £25 a month is a decent first step, preferably in a tax-friendly wrapper such as an Isa.’
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