Special Report: Women and Investing

International Women's Day is March 8. It's the perfect time to revisit the numbers about women and retirement preparedness--and they're sobering.

• The estimated lifetime earnings of a woman with a bachelor's degree are just 60% of the estimated lifetime earnings of her male counterpart.
• Adult daughters are nearly twice as likely as adult sons to be the informal long-term caregivers of one or more parents.
• The average annual Social Security benefit collected by a 65-year-old woman is 22% less than the annual benefit collected by a 65-year-old man.

Further, the pandemic has worsened the financial situation of many women.

• 55% of job losses in 2020 were experienced by women.
• 32% of working women ages 25-44 who say they're not working because of childcare demands.

This special report examines women and investing today. We dig into why women risk a retirement shortfall, discuss how great that risk really is, and suggest what women can do to improve their retirement outcomes. We also look at the role of women on Wall Street and shine the spotlight on female CEOs running high-quality companies.

Women and Retirement Preparedness 100 Must Know Statistics About Women and Retirement Lower lifetime earnings and longer life expectancies paint a troubling picture about the state of women's retirement preparedness.

5 Steps Women Can Take to Improve Their Retirement Readiness The data are sobering about women's retirement preparedness, but being pre-emptive can help stave off a shortfall.

How Do Women Really Invest? A closer look at the data suggest that income--rather than gender alone--may be the real determinant of women's investing choices.

What a Longer Life Expectancy Means for Women in Retirement Cindy Hounsell of the Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement thinks women should consider delaying Social Security, working longer, and more.

Podcast: Sallie Krawcheck: "Companies Should Do Better" The Ellevest founder discusses how advisors fail their female clients, the lack of gender diversity in financial services, and why firms should be working to close the gender pay gap.

Women and Wall Street

21 Standout Companies Run by Women These firms have carved out economic moats and are led by female CEOs.

What Will it Take to Close the Gender Pay Gap for Good? The numbers are improving slightly, but it won't be possible without mandatory disclosure.

Wonder Women: Why Defined-Contribution Plans Benefit from Female Plan Administrators Not only is gender diversity improving among defined-contribution plan administrators, but that shift is likely to result in better participant outcomes.

5 Lessons from the 'Witch' of Wall Street The best advice is often timeless.