March 27, 2012 JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Pershing LLC, a BNY Mellon company, released a new guidebook today entitled, "Women Are Not a 'Niche' Market. They Are a Significant Business Opportunity," which highlights the increasingly complex and relevant role women play in the consumer investment market. The guidebook, based on the findings from the Sullivan Trust Study, examines women as a key market for advisors to grow and maintain their business.
Once viewed as a niche market in the investment industry, significant social and economic trends are gradually putting more women investors in the driver's seat.
As women now comprise nearly 60% of the U.S. workforce and more than half of married women with business-related degrees out-earn their husbands, advisors without successful approaches for serving this market are at a clear disadvantage.
"Women represent a crucial client opportunity, both because of their expanding economic power and their frequent dissatisfaction with the service they currently receive," said Kim Dellarocca, director at Pershing, "As women’s financial situations have changed, so have their ability to entrust significant assets to investment professionals who are able to serve their needs."
Women Are Less Satisfied Than Men
According to the Sullivan Study, women as a group are less satisfied than men with the performance of their investment professionals. 49% of women said their advisors focused on "making me a smarter investor," compared with 60% of men.
And only 57% of women said their advisors "clearly articulate downside risks of investments," compared to 66% of men.
Women want equal treatment from their investment professional. The findings show an opportunity for advisors to build trust with women investors by opening the channels of communication and providing holistic advice on their investments.
Increasing Spending Power
Additionally, the study finds that women control roughly two-thirds of annual spending in the U.S., which adds up to about $12 trillion.
About 80% of women will be solely responsible for household financial decisions at some point in their lives. Considering that financial professionals today are concerned with ways to stay competitive, stay profitable and grow their business, this is an area that should not be overlooked.
The guidebook, which is the first of a three part series by Pershing providing insight and advice on specialty markets, offers several ideas to develop strategies that can help advisors secure and service women clients at every stage of their lives.
Pershing also provides insight from women investors that can help advisors change their approach to their clients and prospective client base and break down the barriers that keep women unsatisfied with the performance of their investment professionals.
Pershing LLC (member FINRA/NYSE/SIPC) is a leading global provider of financial business solutions to more than 1,500 institutional and retail financial organizations and independent registered investment advisors who collectively represent more than five million active investors. Located in 21 offices worldwide, Pershing and its affiliates are committed to delivering dependable operational support, robust trading services, flexible technology, an expansive array of investment solutions, practice management support and service excellence. Pershing is a member of every major U.S. securities exchange and its international affiliates are members of the Deutsche Börse, the Irish Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange. Pershing LLC is a BNY Mellon company. Additional information is available at www.pershing.com.
BNY Mellon is a global financial services company focused on helping clients manage and service their financial assets, operating in 36 countries and serving more than 100 markets. BNY Mellon is a leading provider of financial services for institutions, corporations and high-net-worth individuals, offering superior investment management and investment services through a worldwide client-focused team. It has $25.9 trillion in assets under custody and administration and $1.2 trillion in assets under management, services $11.9 trillion in outstanding debt and processes global payments averaging $1.6 trillion per day. BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation.
