Need a better investment strategy? Listen to a woman

The world of hedge fund managers remains an old boys' club, with women making up less than a fifth of all C-suite members polled recently in a study by financial services firm Rothstein Kass. Despite this, female hedge fund managers significantly outperform their male counterparts; in 3Q 2012, women scored a net return of 8.95 percent compared to a 2.69 percent net return overall on the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index. Not surprising, really, says the study's author, who notes that women tend to be more risk averse and as a result, are better able to avoid market downturns and deliver value over the long term.