When people think of investing, they often think of men in expensive suits looking at dazzling screens and shouting jargon with passion. But the reality is quite the opposite. Most investors are ordinary people who want to put their money to work. And whilst most of them are men, increasingly, you’ll also find women who aspire to boost their financial future. Here’s what it’s like to be a female investor.
Michelle Pearce-Burke, CIO & COO
“Investing has always been a passion of mine. I bought my first shares when I was 11 years old. It was a small stake in a biotech company, but sadly it didn’t perform as well as I wished. Since then, I’ve learnt that it’s a good idea to spread your money across investments and regions. I’ve also learnt that ‘if it’s too good to be true’, then it probably is. It’s often assumed that investing can make you rich overnight, but this is rarely the case. As an investor, it’s important to approach investing with a long-term view. It won’t make you rich overnight but, remaining focused on your goals and sticking with your investments for a number of years, could help you build up wealth in the long run.
Many people, especially women, think you need lots of money to invest, but again this is a common misconception. With robo-investing platforms, you can invest as little as you want. For instance, instead of putting in big lump sums, I like to invest small amounts on a monthly basis – I have a Direct Debit set up with Wealthify to do just this. This approach is known as drip feeding and it can help even out the bumps in investing.
I wish more women would invest. Not only is it a great way to give your money a chance to grow, it also feels amazing to be an investor. Since I’ve been investing, I feel in control, and I’m satisfied to see that my money is working (nearly) as hard as I am!”
Sally Allan, Chief Marketing Officer
“My earliest experience of investing must have been when I was about ten, and my older brother was selling 5- and 10-year investment plans as a side gig. He wasn’t the greatest salesman and my mum felt sorry for him, so she started one and paid into it monthly. But at the end of the term, it had actually done really well and paid for a family holiday. By then she had the bug for seeing her money accumulate, so she started doing TESSAs, then PEPs and ISAs. She’s a pensioner now and she’s still sharp as a pin when it comes to her finances.
In retrospect, she was a great role model for me and my sisters. She always had little wish lists, written on scraps of envelopes, of things she wanted to do, like decorate our bedrooms, or kit us all out in new uniforms and shoes for back to school. She was brilliant at budgeting and made not very much money go a long way. I’ve definitely got her to thank for being financially confident and knowing when to splurge and when to save.
I wish I’d understood investing risk a bit better when I was in my twenties as I’d have probably invested more or taken more risk. Back then the last thing I wanted to do was learn about investing, but something like Wealthify would’ve been great. For me it’s a no-brainer – I don’t have to do anything, and I’m not confronted with jargon, complex processes or additional fees every time I want to do something. I can keep an eye on my Plans on the app and withdraw if I need to, which thankfully I haven’t, and I’m really pleased with how my Plans are performing. My mum is very proud of me.”
Sarah Sandercott, Head of Customer Services
“Before joining Wealthify, my experience of investing was limited, and all I had was a small Cash ISA. Working for Wealthify has truly changed the way I manage my savings and think of my financial future. I now have a Stocks and Shares ISA and when I first set it up, I couldn’t believe how easy it was. All you need to do is choose how much you’d like to invest and the risk level that suits you, and the hard work is done for you by a team of experts. Who knew investing could be that effortless? I’m a definite convert! I love keeping track of my Plan via the app and I feel like I’ve learnt a lot about investing and markets in general.
I used to think that investing was just for the rich, but with services, like Wealthify, it’s possible to invest small amounts and still have access to a wide range of stocks and shares. But more importantly, Wealthify lets me invest ethically and it feels good to know you’re contributing to something worthwhile.”
Emily St Quintin, Customer Experience Manager
“I’m relatively new to investing – I’d always saved in ISAs before, but I genuinely thought that putting my money into stocks and shares was too complicated and too risky. The first time I invested, I hired an Independent Financial Adviser, and needless to say, it was quite expensive. I had no idea about the impact of fees and charges on the long-term value of my money and I thought that by paying more, I’d see higher returns. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees in investing, and as my pot steadily lost money in the first year, I felt like I had made a huge mistake. I’ve now switched and I’m paying much lower fees. It didn’t take long to see the positive effects of such a move as my pot is growing again! I’m looking into starting up another pot where I select my own funds. I’d particularly like to invest ethically so I’m doing my research about what’s available. I’m by no means an expert, but I feel better informed about where my money is invested, and much more in control of my financial situation.
In hindsight, I wish I’d started learning about investing sooner so I could have taken control of my financial future a bit earlier. But it’s never too late to start and you don’t need to be a financial wizard to invest. There are loads of options that can help you take the plunge, regardless of your experience.
I’d encourage anyone to take a couple of hours of their time (have a night off Netflix!) to really think about what their goals are as this is the most important factor in deciding whether to save or invest. Once you know where you stand, you can start making a plan that’ll help you reach your goals.”
Kelly Curtis, Customer Communications Manager
“I used to take part in a share scheme with my previous employer and I invested regularly into the company each month. But apart from this, I had no idea about investing, how it worked, or what I should actually be invested in. Since working at Wealthify, I’ve gained a greater understanding of the investing world. The blogs have particularly helped me build up my knowledge, and I now understand things like diversification, compounding, and passive investing.
I have opened two Junior Stocks and Shares ISAs to give my boys a head-start in life. I’ve decided to invest in their future whilst they’re still young because I want to teach them about the advantages of long-term investing. I believe we live in a world where everything is instant! You can listen to music, stream a film, and have same day delivery. As a result, my children might think that you don’t have to wait very long to get what you want! Hopefully, by investing for my children, I can show them that patience tends to pay off.
I’m currently paying into a Stocks and Shares ISA for a trip to Lapland – I just hope I get enough money in my Plan to get there before my boys ‘don’t believe’ anymore! I know that as soon as I have enough money, I’ll feel really proud that I was able to use my investments to do something that I’ve been wanting to do since I was a child.”
Rhiannon Maggs, Customer Support
“I’ve been investing for about five years now, putting what I can afford away. It’s often little and not as much as I’d like it to be, but it’s been working! Last year, I managed to buy a house with my savings - yay! Sometimes, all you need to do is invest small sums regularly and let time work its magic.
Like many people, I used to think investing was too risky, but there are ways to mitigate risk. For example, you can spread out your money across many investment types and markets and if you commit long-term, you should be able to ride out market bumps. Personally, I’m more of a cautious investor, but with that said my investments have always outperformed any saving account offers with the high street banks.
Also, investing is super easy! With robo-investing platforms, you don’t need any knowledge to get started. You choose how much you want to invest and select the risk level that’s right for you. You can then check how your investments are doing on your phone. Investing feels great, but more importantly, it gives me control over my future.”
Aleksandra Kraj, Digital Marketing Assistant
“I’m quite new to investing, in fact, I’ve just started my journey and I’m currently investing to build up my savings for a rainy day or a spontaneous trip abroad. I invest small amounts on a monthly basis, but I hope I’ll be able to increase my deposits when I have more disposable income.
Before becoming an investor, I had many misconceptions about investing and markets. I believed that you had to invest a lot of money upfront and that I would have to do extensive research to pick up investments. But Wealthify proved me wrong. You can invest as little as you want and you don’t need much knowledge to put your money in stock markets – the experts are here to do the hard work!
I haven’t been investing for a long time, but it makes me feel confident and I like the idea that there’s a team of experts who are putting my money to work. Also, I feel like I’m staying true to my values since I’m investing ethically.”
The tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may be subject to change in the future.
Please remember the value of your investments can go down as well as up, and you could get back less than invested.
