For financial advisors, this is a particularly resonant time, as more women than ever are seeking financial advice. It takes more than being knowledgeable in your field of expertise. It’s understanding the underlying things that are important to women and one of the key drivers is often overlooked. 

This year’s International Women’s Day was celebrated on 8 March, with “Give To Gain” as the theme for 2026.  

This put the spotlight on the power of supporting gender equality, challenging stereotypes, and shifting mindsets to offer new opportunities to women.  

The Great Wealth Transfer, along with life expectancy, makes women a prime demographic for financial advice 

Part of the “Give To Gain” theme is the concept that when women thrive, we all rise. Previous models of male-centric advice, or advice directed towards a male partner even when both parties are present, are fast becoming obsolete. Shifting attitudes and changing patterns of wealth possession mean the male-centric model is outdated. 

The ongoing Great Wealth Transfer – in which an estimated $124 trillion globally is expected to be passed from older generations to younger generations – is likely to cause a huge shift in wealth dynamics.  

According to Forbes, women are expected to receive around 70% of this wealth. 

This new wealth dynamic is also resonant in the UK. According to Professional Adviser, around 60% of the wealth in the UK is currently held and controlled by women. And, crucially, inherited wealth doesn’t just come from the previous generation: many women inherit when their spouse passes away. 

While this can put women in the driving seat of their own finances, financial advisors are not yet stepping up to the mark. According to IFA Magazine, 80% of women fire their financial advisor within a year of their spouse’s death.  

This could be for several reasons, including:
– Feeling unheard or underestimated
– Lack of confidence in meeting their financial goals
– High dependence on personal recommendations from friends and family. 

Even still, many financial advisors are slow in catching up. According to Schroders, in 2025, just 7% of firms had a specific strategy for regaining, attracting, and advising women, and over 90% of firms consistently report having no targeted approach.  

This could be an issue in light of the clear evidence that women are a demographic with a fast-growing need for advice.  

Rethinking the retirement living conversation to place women at the forefront 

Women have a longer life expectancy than men, with the latest UK figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) citing 83 years as the average for women and 79 years for men.  

This should serve as an urgent reminder to financial advisors that financial planning conversations, and specifically retirement living conversations, need to be retargeted towards women.  

As women are likely to survive longer and live alone in their later years, the opportunities presented to them by Integrated Retirement Communities (IRCs) are many. One of the key elements that most advisors miss when talking to female prospects and clients is around friendship and community. Financial advisors can tap into this opportunity in early conversations, pointing out the community and social benefits an IRC could bring.  

Conversations can also revolve around the independent nature of an IRC: specifically in clarifying these are not “old people’s homes” or “care homes”, but rather a property investment that is also a later-life wellbeing investment.  

According to research from RFI Global, women take a different approach to finances, which means financial advisors also need a new approach to their conversations.  

Offer equal time to both partners 

When dealing with a heterosexual couple, make sure you listen to both voices, rather than defaulting to the man. Consider both sets of attitudes, risk tolerance, concerns, and goals.  

Creating an early relationship with both parties means that, should the wife become widowed, she will feel she already has a natural affinity with you.  

Having a conversation around what either one of them would do when the other passes away, and what it may mean for the remaining party, is a good driver to help your clients plan now, so as to reduce the issues and stress it causes in later life. And knowing the benefits of IRC’s could help change your client’s lives for the better. 

Deal with bereavement empathetically 

After a spouse or civil partner dies, having a specific process to support the bereaved partner can make a world of difference in establishing trust. This could focus on new goals, different timescales, and a new focus on retirement living opportunities, when the time is right.  

Develop your referrals process 

As women often rely on recommendations from family and friends, make sure you’re someone who will be recommended. Set up a referrals process for your clients to introduce others: adding an incentive here can help, such as a voucher scheme or a charity donation.  

Talking to women about their wealth, and its potential for their later life living and wellbeing opportunities, is a vital part of a financial advisor’s role. And it’s only set to get bigger and bigger over the years.  

In addition, the demographics of retirement living are strongly skewed towards women. This makes it more imperative than ever for financial advisors to understand the best ways to talk to women about their retirement living opportunities, including Integrated Retirement Communities (IRCs).  

Looking at your own model and its appeal to women is a good starting point for further learning and growth to match evolving wealth dynamics and demographics.  

Get in touch 

Riverstone Living can offer assistance to advisors in reviewing retirement journey for your clients.  We can also offer tailored support to your clients across all aspects of retirement living, with wellbeing and fulfilment at its heart.  

To find out more, please visit https://www.riverstoneliving.com/advisors, email bruce.ely-johnston@riverstoneliving.com, or call 0207 993 9061.  

Please note 

This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at individuals only. 

All information is correct at the time of writing and is subject to change in the future.