Single women are more confident about managing money than married women: UBS

Single women feel more informed about their finances than married women, according to a new report by UBS.

The Swiss investment bank surveyed investors who had never been married, including millennials with at least $250,000 in investable assets, and Gen X-ers and baby boomers with at least $500,000 and $1 million, respectively, and compared them to married women with at least $1 million in investable assets. (UBS surveyed about 1,500 people.)

While most single millennials want to get married and 79% expect their future spouse to provide financial security, being single has its own financial rewards. Single women know a lot more about investing than married women – 45% vs. 28%. Single women are more confident that they can make long-term investing decisions and they monitor markets more regularly than married women. When it comes to long-term financial expectations, 83% of single millennial women expect to invest, compared to only 39% of married millennial women.

One UBS survey respondent who is single and 53 characterized her money management decisions this way: “For sure I am more involved than if I were married. As a single person, there is only me to make all decisions and consider all investment options.” It’s a notion that is probably representative of many in her cohort.

Single millennial women are least engaged with their finances

While single millennial women are more engaged in their finances than married women, they still lag behind single Gen X and boomer women. Sixty-one percent of millennials say they put other parts of their life ahead of finances, compared to 28% of baby boomers. While they do have investments, fewer millennial single women know exactly what types of investments they have, compared to women who are older. And fewer single millennial women know how much they’re saving for retirement compared to boomers: 69% vs. 93%.

Dollar Geldscheine und zwei goldene Eheringe
Dollar Geldscheine und zwei goldene Eheringe

While single millennial women made strides compared to married women in terms of financial knowledge, once they get married, they fall back into that trend from their mothers’ generation of relying on a spouse to make money decisions for them. Once married, 57% of women leave financial decisions to their spouse – and surprisingly, 61% of millennial women say they let their spouse make the financial decisions.

Rachel Gottlieb, UBS wealth management senior vice president, says it boils down to feeling intimidated. “Whoever you’re asking – whether it’s your financial advisor, whether it’s a spouse – if they’re not answering you in a way that you can understand, it’s human nature to…tune out after a while,” she says. “But it’s to our detriment.”