Single Women: Assets in the Next Decade

A number of demographic changes—such as Revolving Retirement, Boomerang Households, and Singletons—presage the next decade. Another presaging change: Single Women with Assets. Among households with only one head, the incidence of households headed by women with investable assets of $100 000 or more—Single Women with Assets—has almost doubled since 1994. This increase occurs despite the differences in wages between women and men, the recent recession, and the decline in real income for the majority of US households.

Whether by choice or because of circumstance, Single Women with Assets' priorities differ from those of other Singleton households and from those of single-men-with-assets households. Single-Women-with-Assets households are more likely than other types of asset-rich households to hold various kinds (and amounts) of assets, debt, and insurance; they also tend use different channels and intermediaries. In addition, they have several distinctly different financial attitudes. Some differences are attributable to their financial needs and goals. One important difference is due to the way in which the majority of women prefer to interact with others and the important role that personal touch will continue to play in the increasingly connected marketplace.

To learn about where to locate Single Women with Assets and about their projected growth by state, see Single-Women Investors, the second in the collaborative report series between Consumer Financial Decisions and Information Asset Partners (IAP). The report will be issued early in 2013.

MacroMonitor sponsors may access a Segment Summary—Single Women with Assets—on Strategic Business Insights' CFD website and may request a full presentation about these households. To learn more about Single Women with Assets, or for answers to other questions, please contact CFD.