It’s been nearly a decade since Kelly Jansen of Ottawa took her first tentative steps into the world of financial investment.

She was, at the time, admittedly cautious. Overly so.

Fresh out of a marriage where she took a backseat on financial matters, Jansen didn’t know how to build a portfolio, nor did she have much confidence in her ability to make the right decisions around money and her future. She tended to drift towards the safest options, earning the lowest returns.

“I just couldn’t imagine losing what I put into an investment,” Jansen, 49, said in an interview with Yahoo Canada Finance.

Sound familiar? If you are a woman, and a Canadian at that, chances are you share a similar attitude towards investing.  Read More…

7 Comments

  1. I use to be the same way and avoided risk like the plaque but i think for most women we aren’t taught to be taking crazy risks like our male counterparts.

    Thankfully things are changing. I find i have learned enough to do more potentially risky investments than my husband. And it feels great!

  2. How about those who seek out and pay for advisors? Is that better and not considered avoiding risk? Sure these advisors aren’t any better at picking the winners but at least it gives one peace of mind.

  3. Women still out number men when it comes to opening new small businesses which seems to indicate that they are willing to take risks as long as their is quantifiable expectations of returns.

    Opening a business is far more risky than investing in stocks.

  4. Never knew that was true. I always figured for women they just didnt care to invest. I don’t know any woman in my life that invests beyond their bank accounts.

  5. What i find funny though is that most canadians still sock their hard earned money in really safe things and so saying women are risk adverse is saying that men aren’t which isnt true. They are also.

  6. Wow the gap in Canada is 61 with women and 41 with men. That is gigantic! Education is indeed the key issue.

  7. I think the study is off quite a bit because there are many who are being just as aggressive with their finances.

    I teach my children about investing at an early age because i want them to be more responsible when they get older. I never had this when i was young which was a shame because i never knew the value of saving until late in life. I won’t make that mistake again with my kids.

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