High-income women are younger and better educated than male affluent investors, according to a new report from Spectrem Group, a research and analysis organization for financial advisors.
Defined as those with $200,000 or more in household income, the average high-income woman is 50 compared to age 63 for high income males, according to the report, released Tuesday.
The average high-income woman is also better educated than her male counterpart, Spectrem says. Ninety-three percent of high-income women have a college degree compared to 75 percent of males, and 35 percent have an advanced degree compared to 13 percent of males.
Fifty-four percent of high income women say they would be willing to take more risk in a portion of their portfolios to gain more in returns, compared to 32 percent of male affluent investors who say the same.
“High-income women make investment decisions differently based on the source of their wealth and their position in life,” says George H. Walper Jr., president of Spectrem Group. “Many of these women are business owners and are accustomed to making their own decisions.
“Financial advisors will need to be aware that high-income women don't need to be prodded to invest. They need an advisor with whom they can form a professional partnership that recognizes their knowledge and attitudes towards investment risk and return,” he adds.