South African women spend much of their lives managing other people's financial wellbeing, often at the expense of their own. From household budgets and school fees to groceries and unexpected expenses, women frequently act as the de facto CFOs of their families. Yet when it comes to building long-term wealth, the demands of everyday life leave little time or mental energy for investing.
The consequences are becoming increasingly clear. Sanlam’s 2025 Financial Confidence Index shows that women are 21% behind men in reaching their retirement goals, while the latest DebtBusters Money-Stress Tracker records women’s highest stress levels in five years.
“The issue isn’t a lack of interest in investing. It’s a lack of mental bandwidth,” says Colleen Wagner, CFO at Satrix. “As a woman, there are so many things you have to think about in the day. Where are the kids? Are lunches packed? What are the school fees? What’s for supper? That mental load shows up as a lack of headspace for finances – and for investments especially. When you’re tired, drained and experiencing decision fatigue, investments and retirement just don’t seem as important, in the moment, as your day-to-day decisions.”
This, says Wagner, leads many women to delay investment decisions, with the result that their retirement savings and investment portfolios aren’t reviewed often enough to achieve the best long-term outcomes.
Women also tend to focus on downside risks, where worries about losing money outweigh the possibility of positive investment returns. “As a mom myself, I can relate,” says Wagner. “When you’re the caregiver, caretaker and family CFO, you don’t want to make a bad financial decision. So what ends up happening is you don’t make any decision at all.”
How, then, can a busy, overwhelmed woman carve out space in her day for financial planning? Wagner has a few suggestions.
1. Build your financial education
“Knowledge builds confidence, because now you’re no longer guessing – and it expands your investment universe,” says Wagner. “If you know how markets work, you won’t make emotional decisions if the markets drop. You’ll also be more aware of the products available to you – and rather than avoiding something unknown, you might find that it’s not as risky as you’d feared. It’s actually a good way to diversify your portfolio.”
2. Automate your investments
An easy way to lighten your mental load is to treat your investments like a monthly subscription. “Set a monthly debit order so that you don’t have to constantly think about where to invest or how much to invest,” says Wagner. “You’re probably doing this already for things like Netflix or Spotify … so why not your investments as well? It’s all about making your life simpler.”
3. Share the load
Once a month, Wagner meets with a small group of women friends and colleagues to talk about finances and investments in general. And while this doesn’t replace the role of a trusted, qualified financial adviser, it does help to reduce the sense of isolation that many women feel. “Sometimes as women we think we’re alone in our situations,” she says. “But the truth is, you’re not the only person in the world who doesn’t know where to invest. Everybody has these uncertainties, and it helps to talk through them with trusted friends.”
4. Simplify
“You don’t have to invest big amounts, and you don’t have to invest in complicated products,” says Wagner. “Start small and keep things simple.” For example, Satrix ETFs have easy debit order amounts and clear descriptions of what you’re investing in – whether it’s the top 40 shares on the JSE or the world’s biggest tech firms. “Pick what you prefer and go with that,” says Wagner. “That’s one less complicated decision that you have to make in your day.”
5. Start early (or start today)
The best time to start investing was yesterday. The second-best time is right now. “That’s no old wives’ tale,” says Wagner. “Start as early as possible with however much you can afford. It’s not about how much you invest; it’s about how much time you’re invested in the market. And you don’t need to review your investments every month. Set a date with yourself, once or twice a year, when you review your investment portfolios and retirement savings. Then see if you can afford to invest more, and whether you want to diversify into something new. Just remember to keep things simple. As women, we have enough other things to worry about.”
Disclaimer
Satrix consists of the following authorised Financial Services Providers: Satrix Managers (RF) (Pty) Ltd and Satrix Investments (Pty) Ltd. The information does not constitute financial advice. While every effort has been made to ensure the reasonableness and accuracy of the information contained in this document (“the information”), the FSPs, their shareholders, subsidiaries, clients, agents, officers and employees do not make any representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or suitability of the information and shall not be held responsible and disclaim all liability for any loss, liability and damage whatsoever suffered as a result of or which may be attributable, directly or indirectly, to any use of or reliance upon the information.
