According to Jason Zweig of the Wall Street Journal, most of this financial crisis can be attributed to the decision making of men. Zweig’s article “For Mother’s Day, Give Her Reins to the Portfolio” suggests that the innate tendencies of men cause them to incur more risk, avoid asking for advice, and reek of overconfidence. Women, on the other hand, tend to look to safety before all else. They are less likely to be overconfident, seek information instead of assuming that they know it all, and attribute success to outside factors rather than themselves. Zweig suggests that more of the female perspective in the marketplace might bring some stability to the male dominated booms and busts that have occurred for hundreds of years.
Taking a female perspective into account with your 401k annuity and other retirement plans just may help you to get a better outcome once retirement rolls around. The more risk averse, fearful, and cautious tendencies of most women usually lead to portfolios containing more diversity and less risk. Instead of jumping out of the market and making rash decisions when the going got tough, women tended to research and do their homework before making a move. For this reason, a lot of them left their money where it was and saw a 35% rise in stocks from March to May. Over time, men and women working together to invest and make decisions will most likely lead to greater wealth for all.
