A record number of Americans turn 65 this year, and more women are set to outlive their husbands as female lifespans lengthen relative to men’s. As a result, women aren’t only stockpiling wealth from their own careers but also getting the final word on how the family nest egg is parceled out.
That’s according to The Wall Street Journal, which reported this week that women over 60 currently control $8 trillion in liquid assets and are reshaping the biggest wealth transfer in modern history.
- Women are more likely to put money toward long-term healthcare and charity and invest with more of a focus on protecting capital by holding stable assets and bonds with long-duration yields.
- Nearly $40 trillion of wealth will transfer to widowed women who are baby boomers or older in the coming decades, and many are taking a more active role in managing finances before their husbands die to avoid family disputes.
