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Women and Investing

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Women and Investing
  • Know Yourself
    • Are You an Investor or a Saver?
    • Understanding Investment Goals
  • Build on Your Investing Confidence
    • Stories From Women Inside the BCSC
    • Gender Pay Gap
  • Getting Advice on Investments
    • Working with a Registered Investment Advisor
    • Working with a Robo-advisor or on Your Own
  • Tips for Your Investment Journey
  • You’ve Got This

Welcome to a space dedicated to women and investing – a place where investment empowerment takes centre stage. Financial independence is a critical aspect of personal growth and security. That’s why we believe it’s meaningful for women to actively engage in the world of investing.

Why come to us? Because we’re an independent provincial government agency that provides unbiased investing information. We’re not here to sell you products or sway you toward a specific investment strategy. Our goal is to arm you with knowledge and information you need to invest with confidence.

Our resource is based on research that addresses the unique needs and perspectives of women. We know women face distinct challenges and opportunities when it comes to investing, and we’re here to provide you with the guidance and knowledge you need to succeed.

Let’s embark on this path to investing with confidence together.

Know Yourself

No one’s investing journey is straightforward and no two investing journeys are the same. So it’s important to know your financial self – this means understanding your financial goals, risk tolerance, time horizon, and investment knowledge. It takes time and patience to build a good long-term investment plan. Be honest with yourself and be open to learning – overestimating your investment knowledge can lead to problems.

Let’s start with a basic question to help you learn about your financial self.

Are You an Investor or a Saver?

BCSC Illustration Online ResourcesIdentifying as an investor is significant and can make a big difference when it comes to managing your financial goals.

Fact: Women consistently feel the word ‘investor’ doesn’t describe them (only 22% described themselves as an investor).

People who identify as investors are more likely to understand the risks and benefits of their investments, be on track to meet their investment goals, and have an understanding of the fees and charges associated with their investments.

You’re an investor if you’ve placed money in any type of account or product that has the potential to earn more than the interest a traditional savings account provides. You’re a saver if you put your money in a savings account and nowhere else.

Understanding Investment Goals

Investment GoalDecide what you want to accomplish with your money and when you want to accomplish it.

Your financial goals are unique to you, so whatever your situation, it’s important to consider where you are now and where you want to be in your future. Setting goals is an important first step toward becoming financially secure.

Without goals, it’s harder to be persistent and strive toward a better financial situation. When you have a specific goal, you’re more likely to take the necessary steps to achieve it.

Fact: The top three investment goals identified by women are retirement (55%), vacation/travel (41%), and paying down debt (30%).

Retirement in Focus: The sooner you set your retirement plan in motion, the more time your savings have to grow. Starting to save early is one the most impactful components of a successful retirement strategy because your money has more time to earn interest or gains on the earnings that you make in the account (also known as compounding).

Once you’ve figured out your goals, start thinking about your time horizon and risk tolerance.

  • Time horizon is the amount of time you have to meet your financial goals and to make up for any losses you might experience. An investor with a long time horizon may be more willing to accept risk than someone who is saving to meet a short-term financial goal.
  • Your risk tolerance is how willing or comfortable you are to risk losing your money on an investment in order to achieve your investment goals, and it’s different for each person.
Build on Your Investing Confidence

Crypto Quiz

Test Your Crypto Asset Knowledge.

i
This quiz is designed to introduce you to the basics of crypto assets. It is not intended to provide investment or financial advice, and should not be relied upon as a substitute for such advice.
1
QUESTION 1/10

Cryptocurrencies and blockchain are the same thing.