Women need to maintain risk appetite, report finds

Women need to sustain investment risk appetite into later life to secure a longer-lasting retirement income, according to a report from Fidelity International.

The investment and retirement firm found that 26 per cent of millennial women are willing to invest in a stocks and shares ISA, and more than one in ten said they would invest in peer-to-peer lending.

However, the study also highlighted that almost half of women aged 55 and over describe themselves as “cautious”, choosing to minimise loss over potential gains.

And citing data that over a quarter of newborn girls are now expected to live until at least 100, Fidelity also noted that while 37 per cent of millennial women see investment could improve their financial situation, this fell to 14 per cent for those aged 55 plus.

Maike Currie, investment director at Fidelity International, said: “It’s encouraging to see financial confidence among younger women, but it’s crucial that this momentum is maintained.”