Women are more conservative investors than men and want safer investments: Study

TORONTO — It seems that it can still be a man’s world when it comes to investing.

A new survey says 83 per cent of Canadians believe that investing has traditionally been viewed as a role for men, and 48 per cent contend that women are intimidated by investing.

But the survey by the Bank of Montreal notes that times are changing and women currently control one third of all wealth in North America, and that’s increasing by eight per cent annually.

It found that women focus primarily on putting their money into safe investments and avoiding big losses, while men tend to focus on building and accumulating wealth.

The survey also found that 68 per cent of women feel confident when investing, versus 83 per cent of men.

The online survey by BMO InvestorLine was done by market research firm Pollara on Sept. 3-4 with 1,308 Canadians.