Women are often the money managers of today, but not always the financial planners of tomorrow, according to new research from St. James’s Place (SJP), which highlights the important role advice can play in helping women feel more confident, resilient and in control of their financial futures.
SJP’s Women and Wealth report, which surveyed 6,000 individuals across the UK, finds that women are far less likely than men to lead on decisions that shape long-term wealth, be it investment (34% of women vs 53% of men), retirement planning (32% vs 48%) or wills and estate planning (28% vs 36%).
In contrast, more than four fifths of women (84%) are actively involved in managing daily finances and are more likely than men to say they lead on day-to-day spending decisions (45% vs 33%) and household budgeting (46% vs 39%).
Women lack confidence over future wealth
While women are set to inherit more than half (56%) of transferred wealth globally by 2048, and with more women building wealth through careers and entrepreneurship, SJP’s research suggests this growing influence is not yet matched by confidence or engagement with longer-term financial decisions.
Just over half of women (54%) say they would feel confident managing a significant inheritance or financial windfall alone, compared with two thirds of men (66%). Confidence drops even further when it comes to investing a windfall, with 44% of women saying they would feel confident doing so, compared with 60% of men.
More broadly, the research shows that the gender investment gap remains wide, with only a quarter of women currently investing (27%) compared with more than two fifths of men (43%). Women are also less likely to have a plan in place to manage their money (33% versus 42% of men). This lower uptake is mirrored by lower confidence with only 44% of women feeling confident making changes to investments on their own, compared with 63% of men, and just 45% feeling confident changing pension contributions versus 59% of men.
Advice helps women build confidence, engagement and financial wellbeing
Against this backdrop, SJP’s research highlights the role advice can play in helping women build confidence and take positive steps with their long-term finances. Women receiving ongoing advice are significantly more likely to say they feel confident managing a substantial inheritance or financial windfall (82% vs 52%) and investing it (76% vs 41%) than women who do not receive advice.
They are also significantly more confident making changes to investments (74% vs 41%), adjusting pension contributions (68% vs 43%) and making changes to a will (84% vs 55%).
The research also shows that women who currently receive ongoing financial advice are almost four times as likely to invest than those who do not receive advice (77% vs 22%) and more than twice as likely to have a financial plan in place (65% vs 30%).
This comes as investing and planning continue to be associated with better financial outcomes. Women who invest are more than twice as likely to describe themselves as financially comfortable than women who do not invest (53% vs 23%) and are also more likely to say they’re financially resilient (75%) versus 48% among those who don’t invest. Similar trends exist among those with a financial plan in place.
More than four in ten (45%) women with a financial plan say they feel financially comfortable, compared with 25% of women without a plan in place, while almost three quarters (72%) of those with a plan say they feel financially resilient against less than half (47%) of women without a plan.
Claire Trott, Head of Advice at St. James’s Place said:
“The gaps we can see aren’t driven by women lacking interest in money. In fact, women are highly involved in managing all aspects of daily finances. The challenge is that too few are managing longer term financial decisions that shape their future wealth, from investing to estate planning to pension decisions.“This is where financial advice can make a real difference. As highlighted by our research, advice can help women build confidence, understand their options and take practical steps towards their long-term goals, whether that is investing, planning for retirement, managing an inheritance or passing wealth on.
“As women’s influence over wealth continues to grow, advice needs to reflect the realities that shape their financial lives, from career breaks and caring responsibilities to changing family circumstances. Helping women connect financial planning and investing to the life they want to build will be key to increasing long-term engagement and improving financial outcomes over time.”
- SJP’s full Women and Wealth Report is available here.
- Opinium surveyed 6,000 UK adults nationwide between 17th March and 9th April 2026. Quotas and post-weighting were applied to the sample to make the dataset representative of the UK adult population.
- Capgemini World Wealth Report 2025
