Married or single, women are
finding that taking an active role in their financial futures is critical. About
80% of married women outlive their husbands, and nearly half of all widows say
they wish they’d been more involved in managing their finances when their
spouse was alive.¹

Whether you have a career or rely
on someone else for income, are retired or still dreaming of retirement, don’t
take your financial future for granted. It takes work. We can help. Schedule
time with us to review your situation and create a financial strategy you can
feel confident about — whether you have a partner or not.

The reality is women, on average,
earn less than men over their lifetime and spend more time out of the workforce,
often caring for children or aging parents. They therefore tend to save less,
invest less and receive a lower Social Security benefit, putting women more at
risk of outliving their money in retirement.² However, over the long
term, women who invest earn a higher rate of return than men, on average.³

Several studies have shown women’s
portfolios outperformed men’s by an average of 0.4% to 1.8% annually.⁴
Industry watchers have theorized several factors that could account for this
boost:⁵

• Women generally
  are patient, choosing long-term, buy-and-hold strategies versus reactive moves.
• Women often take
  a balanced investing approach, diversifying their assets across varied
  financial products and risk levels.
• Women are
  information-seekers, researching their options beforehand and looking for guidance
  from financial professionals.
• Women often have
  more time to invest, because they live longer than men, on average.

Make your longevity an advantage.
Start today to work toward the retirement you’ve envisioned. We’d love to help.

Content prepared by Kara Stefan
Communications.

¹  Jean
Chatzky. The Balance. March 14, 2019. “How Women Can Plan for Outliving Their
Husbands.” https://www.thebalance.com/retirement-plan-for-women-outliving-husbands-4139845. Accessed Nov. 7, 2019.

² Merrill Lynch. April 22, 2019. “Women’s Guide to
Social Security.” https://www.ml.com/bulletin/womens-guide-to-social-security.recent.html. Accessed Nov. 7, 2019.

³  Merrill
Lynch. Sept. 27, 2019. “What We All Can Learn from Women Investors.” https://www.ml.com/bulletin/learning-from-women-investors.recent.html. Accessed Nov. 7, 2019.

⁴ Ibid.

⁵ Ibid.

We are an independent firm helping individuals create
retirement strategies using a variety of insurance and investment products to
custom suit their needs and objectives. This material is intended to provide
general information to help you understand basic financial planning strategies
and should not be construed as financial or investment advice. All investments
are subject to risk including the potential loss of principal. No investment
strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining
values.

The information contained in this material is believed to be
reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed; it is not
intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions. If you are
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