Women: any advice for your younger self?

Few women take an interest in long-term financial topics. For instance, only 20% of Swiss women are interested in building their wealth, and only 15% in the development of the financial and stock markets. These are the findings of the “UBS Women’s Wealth Study 2021". The same can also be observed among younger women aged between 18 and 34. In addition, as many as 57% of younger women surveyed believe that they should take a greater interest in investments and financial products. However, topics like these often seem far away for younger generations. They often not only lack interest in dealing with their finances, but also the time to do so.

As with many things in life, hindsight is 20/20 vision. As part of the UBS Women’s Wealth study, we thus asked women what financial advice they would give to their younger selves.

70% of women surveyed agreed with this statement because of the particular challenges faced by women when saving for retirement. This is due to a higher life expectancy, a greater tendency to work part-time, career breaks and a more cautious approach to investing.

If you start planning and saving money for retirement early on, you will have more set aside to enjoy life in your golden years.

To find out how, read the article “Planning your retirement as a woman”. We also recommend the “Retirement” learning path – it contains six modules to help you learn more about retirement planning for women.

Looking back, 3 in 5 women recommend insisting on an equal distribution of housework, childcare and earning money within their families. In many respects, the traditional allocation of family roles is changing more and more, and increasing progress is being made in women’s rights. The study shows that 8 in 10 women advocate making joint decisions in the relationship, including when it comes to finances. However, only 50% of women do so proactively. As such, this advice is still valid.

As well as the desire to make joint decisions, the study also shows that 9 out of 10 women want transparency about finances within their relationship; 78% would like to discuss their finances with their partner proactively.

What can you do? Talk to your partner about these topics – especially about finances. The article “7 financial points couples should clarify” is a good place to start.

Modest financial investments also require planning. It is a good idea to keep an eye on your budget and to follow a plan – even with day-to-day finances.
This is a straightforward way of identifying potential areas where savings can be made. This advice is shared by the women surveyed, of whom 58% recommend setting up a budget plan.

Read the article “Achieving goals thanks to good planning” to find out what you should be aware of when drawing up a budget.

53% of the study participants believe that you should begin planning your finances early on. Whether buying a home, achieving a long-held ambition or saving for retirement, this can all seem a long way off when you are still young. However, planning your finances early on with a view for the future will help you achieve your goals later on.

Long-term investments often yield the returns you would hope for, while also minimizing risk if well planned. Discover how this works in the learning path “Assets” – here you can learn in six modules more about building your wealth.

Want greater financial security and fewer worries about the future? Start planning now!

What are the benefits of following these tokens of wisdom? The study also has an answer to this. Women who are actively involved in long-term financial decisions together with their partner feel more financially secure and are less worried about their financial future.

Take your finances into your own hands – it will pay off! We will be happy to help, for example with a personal consultation.