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Investing is a highly relevant topic for many women, no matter if you are young or old, student or successful business owner or manager. Yet, when you ask women whether they invest, many sigh and admit that they would love to invest, and even know they should, but…
Clearly, investing is something women think about a lot. However, there seems to be an invisible barrier that prevents many from taking that crucial step - to simply start investing.
I’ve often wondered about this. I firmly believe that the issue isn’t a lack of education, knowledge, or even time. In my opinion, women are overwhelmed by deep-seated prejudices that discourage them from investing.
Over the past more than twelve years of actively investing, I’ve encountered countless situations that women have to navigate. So, let’s take a look at some of the most common prejudices that keep women from investing. I call them prejudices deliberately - because I truly believe that they can be overcome and changed with new positive habits.
If you were to give yourself a point for every prejudice that applies to you, I’d bet that even highly successful, well-educated women who are professionals in their fields would score surprisingly high on this list.
For women with full-time jobs or businesses outside the finance industry, this often feels like a big deal. Balancing work, life, and other responsibilities leaves little room to study finance and markets.
While financial education is certainly an advantage, it’s by no means a requirement. After all, none of us went to university to study parenting, yet we manage to raise children just fine. Investing is no different - it’s a learnable skill that doesn’t require perfection from day one.
Many professions like doctors, lawyers, accountants, tax advisors are built on the principle that mistakes can have serious consequences. A single error can result in financial loss, lawsuits, client issues, or, in medicine, even life-threatening situations.
As women, we often strive for perfection - at work, as mothers, in managing our households, and as partners. We aim to have everything under control while still looking good and practicing self-care. And if we fall short, we feel guilty.
But this mindset doesn’t work in investing. Markets are irrational. You will make mistakes. And that’s okay. Mistakes are how you learn and gain valuable experience.
I often felt like Mike Tyson taking a brutal knockout punch. But over time, I’ve realized that even painful experiences teach invaluable lessons. That said, there are certainly less painful ways to navigate the markets than the path I took.
The key lesson? Success in investing isn’t about being perfect and avoiding mistakes. Investing is about making money and letting your money work.
Women are natural multitaskers: we manage careers, businesses, employees, children’s schedules, households, and more. Without structure and control, some parts of our lives would collapse (at least in mine! 😅).
However, this need for control can work against women in investing. Markets cannot be controlled, they do what they want. The more you try to gain control, the more frustrated you’ll become.
The best approach? Accept the market as it is and let it flow at its own pace. When you do, you’ll feel a sense of relief—after all, there are plenty of other areas in life where you can still maintain control.
This is one of the most common objections, and I completely understand why. With our long to-do lists, investing often feels like a “nice-to-have” rather than a necessity.
Many women believe that investing requires a significant time commitment. Yes, you can spend hours a day analyzing the markets, but you don’t have to. It all depends on your investing style and your expectations regarding returns.
Even with just an hour a month, you can invest successfully. In fact, less can sometimes be more: checking the market once a month may actually save you from unnecessary stress caused by watching daily price fluctuations.
Money is a deeply emotional topic, especially for women. Many of us grew up under economic constraints, influenced by family models shaped by scarcity and financial insecurity.
Women who grew up under communism, for example, were often raised in environments where money was limited. Many accepted financially restrictive beliefs from their families, often from single mothers who struggled financially.
Even today, despite managing household budgets, vacation planning, and daily expenses, many women don’t see themselves as decision-makers when it comes to investing. Investing is still largely seen as a “man’s domain.”
Uncovering these deep-seated money beliefs requires self-reflection and honesty. But once you identify the subconscious blocks holding you back, you can start working through them.
Sometimes, just realizing what’s stopping you is the first step toward financial empowerment.
Inspiration is crucial—whether you’re already investing or just starting out.
Join us at the Financial Wellness Event, organized by Femme Palette, on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at 5:00 PM at Zenwork in Prague.
You can look forward to insightful discussions, expert insights, and practical tips to boost your financial confidence.
Learn more & register:
https://www.femmepalette.com/financial-wellness-event
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