Researchers are beginning to look at whether women invest differently from men.
How are we different from men? Studies of behavioral investing have found that women invest their portfolios more conservatively. Women generally have lower risk tolerance and do not tend to move in and out of their investments when volatility in the market is great. Playing the market with retirement funds is not an option for most female investors. Staying the course over time is their pattern, and this can lead to greater returns.
In a 2011 study about women and investing, commissioned by Vanguard, the following four observations were reported:
