What You Need to Know
- Welcome to Connecting the Dots, Marcia Mantell's column on real-life decisions tied to Social Security claiming and retirement.
- Many more married women are working and paying into FICA than ever before.
- Single women may find waiting as long as possible to claim benefits is the best financial decision.
March is Women’s History Month, and this year, more than ever, the financial services industry is recognizing women.
The Investments and Wealth Institute’s theme for 2024 is Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress. Many large financial firms are offering programs and events focused on women. And a handful of financial advisors have posted on LinkedIn their support of women.
That is important progress in an industry in which:
- About 15% of all financial professionals are women;
- 23% of CFPs are women; and
- 48% of women report that they feel patronized by financial advisors.
That’s not great. But we can get better.
Clear and Focused Discussion
Start by shining a spotlight on the women you are trying to build relationships with. One way is to focus on their most important source of retirement income: Social Security. But do women know and understand just how valuable this resource will be?
Social Security considers each woman in one of four categories at the point she claims her retirement benefit. She will be:
Many fall into several or all of these categories, complicating claiming strategies. How you explain their options and claiming decisions can make or break each woman’s financial success in their 80s, 90s and beyond.