What Makes Women Investors Tick? Money Pros Weigh In.

(Illustration by Janne Iivonen)

Four top-ranked female financial advisors share their secrets to retaining widowed women clients, why some women are better investors than men, and more.

Women control an increasing portion of U.S. wealth, and that amount is expected to nearly double by 2030, according to McKinsey & Co. That means that women’s importance as investors and wealth management clients will only continue to grow. For this Barron’s Advisor Big Q, we asked four female financial advisors who are ranked in Barron’s 2025 Top 100 Women Financial Advisors four questions about women investors.

Barron’s: What is the key to keeping women as clients after their spouses pass away?

Ali Flynn Phillips, president and chief investment officer, Obermeyer Wealth Partners (Courtesy of Obermeyer Wealth Partners)

Ali Flynn Phillips: Keeping widows as clients starts long before a spouse passes away. It starts by building trust, involving both spouses in meetings, making sure they’re comfortable asking questions, and making sure that you’re speaking to both people. Then, when somebody passes, it’s offering to help right away, to be that coordinator, that sounding board, counseling them to not make any significant life decisions for the first year. And working not only with them but also with their other stakeholders, who are often their kids, and perhaps their accountants. If everybody feels they’re on the same page, widows may not feel like they have to make a change.

What qualities make some women better investors than men?

Marla Petti, regional president, family office, MAI Capital Management (Courtesy of MAI Capital Management)

Marla Petti: Women are more likely to seek and listen to professional advice. I think men tend to be a little bit overconfident in their ability to time the market, and that can result in poorly timed decisions that lead to less consistent returns over time. Because they’re often relying on professionals, women are more likely to stick with their investment plan and avoid reacting to market fluctuations. They’re more likely to weather the storms. I also think they’re generally less risk tolerant, and they prioritize wealth preservation over aggressive investing. Women tend to focus more on their financial goals versus how the market did, and their disciplined approach often translates into steadier returns.

Why do some women prefer to work with female financial advisors?

Deborah Montaperto, private wealth advisor, Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management (Courtesy of Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management)

Deborah Montaperto: I think there’s a sense of female advisors listening, being attentive, and being empathetic. Many women have experienced having an advisor speak just to the person they think is making the decisions. That can often be a male advisor speaking to the husband, thinking he’s the person pulling all the strings. And that might be true, but that can be offensive to the other person in the meeting. As a woman, having had that experience, I’m always very conscious of speaking to everyone in the room and not making assumptions.

What makes successful professional women more confident as investors?

Debbie Jorgensen, senior consultant, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management (Courtesy of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management)

Debbie Jorgensen: Women’s ability to understand financial markets is usually driven by where their wealth has come from. They may have been early employees in a company that went public or was sold. So they understand the financial markets. And as women executives, they are delegating, they’re directing, they’re communicative. They’re comfortable with risk, but they’re also comfortable with delegating risk. So I think that type of investor is aligned with understanding capital markets, and they’re comfortable with the movements of markets because of where they sit.

Write to rankings@barrons.com