Financial Literacy And Planning

A significant hurdle to women in asset management becoming Portfolio Managers is that the promotion decision is typically taken around the time many women have children, i.e. early 30s or after approximately 10 years as an Analyst. While most women take extended parental leave, men rarely do; in addition, women typically bear the majority of childcare responsibilities after birth. Moreover, there is an age range where, if a woman has not made PM, she likely never will and is viewed as a career analyst. Relative earnings dynamics within a family amplifies workplace dynamics. If a woman is overlooked for promotion in her early 30s while having children, her earnings may have fallen significantly behind her partner’s by her late 30s. The family dynamic may either dissuade her from returning to work or require her to bear more childcare responsibilities after returning, further increasing inequality. The career interruption from pregnancy applies outside of promotion concerns. A woman in the early stages of pregnancy or intending to become pregnant may be reluctant to take risk (e.g. by speaking up, making a contrarian investment, or switching firm) because, if she is made redundant, it will be difficult for her to find a new job as she will be at a late stage of pregnancy. One interviewee knows of women who have had abortions because they were too new in the job and being pregnant would expose them to too much career risk. This issue is highlighted in my report on Cognitive Diversity in Asset Management for Diversity Project - Investment Industry. https://lnkd.in/eASk7x3P Potential solutions are in my response to the FCA's consultation on Diversity and Inclusion in the Financial Sector at https://lnkd.in/eWgkd8qz (see p7). I would be grateful to learn of additional solutions: please leave a comment.

I hate it when powerful women remain silent in money related conversations! I have been in rooms with women who led companies, signed off on massive deals and carried influence that most only dream of. But the moment the conversation shifted to balance sheets, EBITDA and cash flow, almost everyone stayed silent. All because of years of conditioning. Growing up, money talk for women meant gold savings, grocery budgets and school fees. The bigger financial decisions like investments, insurance and retirement were handed to fathers, brothers or husbands. And that conditioning doesn’t leave easily. Even women sitting at the top often feel like outsiders in financial conversations, afraid of being dismissed or judged. This gap is about culture. When men make money mistakes, they’re told to “try again.” When women falter, they’re told they “shouldn’t have tried.” But change begins with curiosity, like asking what an unfamiliar term means, talking about investments with friends or starting a small SIP even without full confidence. Because financial knowledge is about freedom and that doesn’t wait for permission. It begins the moment women decide - money belongs to us too. Are you confident about being a part of these conversations? #culture #moneymanagement #financialliteracy #investment 

When we talk about the cost of childcare, there’s often an assumption that mom will leave the workforce if her salary doesn’t cover it. It’s treated like a short-term solution—a temporary pause to save money during the early years. But the reality? It’s anything but short-term. When women leave the workforce, they don’t just lose a paycheck. They lose Social Security contributions, retirement savings, career growth, and long-term earning potential. They risk falling behind in their field, missing out on promotions, and struggling to re-enter the workforce later—often at lower pay or in positions beneath their qualifications. This isn’t just an individual issue. It’s systemic. Women already face the motherhood penalty—earning less and being seen as less committed once they have kids. And when they step away entirely, the financial impact compounds. Research shows women hold fewer retirement assets and are more likely to face poverty in old age than men. So no, leaving the workforce to save on childcare isn’t a short-term fix. It’s a decision with lifelong consequences. That’s why we need to stop framing childcare costs as a personal problem for moms to solve and start treating it like the shared family and societal issue it is. Because when we assume moms will just “pause” their careers, we’re setting women back—and setting families up for long-term financial insecurity. Let’s rethink the way we approach this conversation. Affordable childcare isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a necessity for gender equity and economic stability. What do you think? Have you experienced or witnessed the long-term effects of taking time out of the workforce for childcare? I’d love to hear your thoughts. #affordablechildcare #workingmom

𝑰𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑺𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝑻𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒐 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑳𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒂 𝑭𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑? Are you part of a female partnership and find yourself hesitating to discuss money matters? You're not alone. While society has come a long way in challenging gender stereotypes, the question remains: is discussing money and managing finances by a female still a taboo in relationships? 49% of the women in the country are either not investing at all or are unaware of their investments, this was the key finding of LXME's Women and Money Power Report 2022. 💬 Let's Talk About It: In any partnership, be it with a man, woman, or non-binary individual, financial discussions are essential. Here's why breaking the taboo is crucial: ✅Building Trust: Open conversations about money build trust and understanding, essential elements of a healthy relationship. ✅Financial Goals: Discussing finances helps align your financial goals, paving the way for a more secure future. ✅Stress Reduction: Money is often cited as a significant source of stress in relationships. Addressing financial matters can help reduce tension. ✅Empowerment: Encouraging financial discussions empowers both partners, ensuring that financial decisions are a shared responsibility. ✅Challenges Exist: Breaking taboos is never easy. Worries about appearing materialistic, conflicts due to different financial values, and concerns about vulnerability can still linger. ✅Embracing Change: To foster open discussions about money: Create a safe, non-judgmental space for these conversations. Seek financial education together to enhance your knowledge. Jointly tackle concerns and issues, working as a team. Conclusion: In a world where traditional gender roles are evolving, discussing money and managing finances should not be a taboo in female relationships. It's an essential step toward a healthier, empowered, and financially secure partnership. Last but not the least It’s very important to ask questions and learn about finances and create their own financial independence fund. ✔️Ask Questions: Don’t be afraid of asking questions from your family or anyone you think understands better finances than you. There are ample ways of learning available. ✔️Create their own financial independence fund: However small it maybe, you should have a fund of your own. Keep on adding little savings Rs 100-Rs 500 in that. If you are earning well, separate a chunk of that to have an emergency fund for yourself. Share your thoughts: Is discussing money still a taboo in your relationship? Let's start the conversation in the comments👇 #FinancialEmpowerment #GenderEquality #MoneyTalks #Relationships #WomenInFinance

A month ago I was with IMD #EMBAs in Japan on program about resilience, where conversations about #population_decline seem to be everywhere. The country's fertility rate has plummeted to just 1.15 (2024) children per woman, one of the lowest in the world. It’s been declining since the 1970s. But here's what's fascinating: #fertility rates had decreased in Japan much more than Sweden for the same period. Why? New research (May 2025) by Nobel laureate economist Claudia Goldin reveals something counterintuitive: the #speed of #economic_development matters more than the level of #wealth. Japan experienced explosive economic growth from the 1960-80s. Per capita income quadrupled in just two decades. But here's the catch, #social_norms couldn't keep pace with economic reality. The result? A #generational and #gender_conflict: • Women gained education and career opportunities rapidly • Men largely maintained traditional expectations about household roles • Today, Japanese women do 3+ hours more unpaid household work daily than men • In contrast, Swedish women do less than 1 hour more than men This isn't just about childcare policies or economic incentives. It's also about what happens in #private, when societies transform faster than cultural norms can adapt. Countries that developed more gradually (like those in Northern Europe) gave men and women time to #renegotiate #household_responsibilities. The result? Higher fertility rates even with high female employment. The lesson is clear: #economic_transformation without #social_transformation creates demographic challenges that are incredibly hard to reverse. These findings are especially meaningful in the #current_context when gender equity becomes a political fault line, workplace norms continue to reward availability over care, and traditional gender roles make a come back. Walking through Tokyo's quiet neighborhoods, you can feel this tension a modern economy built on traditional family structures that no longer work for the #families (and #women) themselves. Goldin reframes the #fertility_crisis as a #macroeconomic and #cultural challenge. It’s not about persuading women to have more babies, it’s about redesigning the world so they can. Worth reading the full paper in comments #Demographics #Japan #GenderEquality #EconomicDevelopment #SocialChange

I speak with a lot of people about gender equality. Sometimes people ask if “things are better for …. women who’ve made it to the top, the next-generation women who grew up thinking they could be anything, women with elite credentials, etc." Unfortunately, research mostly shows that the answer is “no”--gender inequality is at play at every level of organizational life, from early career to the C-suite. For example, I listened to a very interesting webinar hosted by Russell Reynolds Associates about their research study: Time to Tell a Different Story. They used media as a proxy for public sentiments about CEOs and tracked 20,000 news articles, covering almost 750 CEOs across FTSE 100, S&P 500, and Euronext 100 companies. What they discovered is that, even at the CEO level, patterns of language describing and telling the story of women differs from those for men. Here is one pattern from their study: The media tend to use very different adjectives to describe women CEOs versus their male equivalents. Based on the proportion of mentions across media, men were twice as likely to be described as ‘innovators,’ whereas women were 72% more likely to be described as ‘inspirational.’   Research at the Stanford VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab also showed gendered, and often disadvantaging, language patterns in performance reviews. (https://lnkd.in/gG2zy8vX) So, it’s not just the media. These patterns reflect societal norms and can lead to disparate outcomes for strong performing women. What can you do? First, you can catch gendered language patterns. Here are a few: 1️⃣ Using more people-oriented skills for women and more task-oriented for men (see RRA research) 2️⃣ Using more doubt-casting language, such as “seems to” or “managed to”. For example, instead of saying “They produced outstanding results” using “They seemed to produce outstanding results. (Do a doubt-check. See this post I wrote: https://lnkd.in/g_655tc2) 3️⃣ Using or not using stand-out language. Notice if your industry or role has some terms that indicate stand-out impact. Then notice if you only use those words to describe certain kinds of people. 💡 🌟 Once you catch these patterns, then you can find ways to remove doubt, equally use task-oriented and people-oriented descriptors and try stand-out language for all top performers. While language often reflects societal norms and stereotypes, a strategic use of language can help set the conditions for folks to succeed. https://lnkd.in/gEJJRsXS #words #language #performancemanagement #media

In 2021, I became the first woman to head a unicorn in Israel, AKA Startup Nation. In many parts of the world, women are excluded from even the most basic financial services, so leading a fintech company is far from their reality. United Nations data estimates that 3.8 billion women live in the world, 50% of which are adults. According to the World Bank’s Global Findex Database, 1.4 billion of those 1.9 billion adult women, are unbanked. That’s 73.65%. Visit that statistic again. It represents a disturbing gender gap in financial access, with women being far less likely than men to have bank accounts or access formal financial services. This financial exclusion has personal impact. It diminishes women’s economic empowerment by restricting access to education and limiting their potential for personal growth and independence. It makes women more financially dependent, and therefore, more vulnerable. There's economic impact, too. Research by McKinsey highlights the economic loss due to financial exclusion of women, noting that closing the gender gap in labor force participation could add trillions to global GDP. Financial inclusion isn’t just a matter of equality – ensuring the same opportunities for all. It’s a matter of equity - ensuring women have the tools and access they need to fully participate in the global economy. That’s where technology enters the picture to level the field. The rise of mobile banking is a great example of innovation enhancing financial inclusion. According to a report by the International Finance Corporation, mobile money accounts are more popular among women in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, where access to traditional banking is limited. Various fintechs provide financial literacy resources, helping women understand financial products, budgeting, and saving strategies. Other solutions include AI-driven platforms that offer personalized recommendations and advice, empowering women to make informed financial decisions. Aside from personal apps and solutions, fintechs can facilitate community-based lending and saving initiatives, allowing women to support each other through group savings or microfinance schemes, fostering a sense of solidarity and shared purpose. This International Women’s Day’s theme is "accelerate action". In my mind, nothing accelerates action like innovation. As we mark International Women's Day, let’s advocate and innovate to enhance financial inclusion for women worldwide. #IWD2025 #financialInclusion Papaya Global

The first thing many women lose in marriage, relocation for his promotion, or pausing her career for maternity leave isn’t ambition; it’s authorized access to the money that ambition once earned. She goes from being seen as “a professional with a future” to “someone supported.” 📥 My inbox tells the story. I’ve received over a hundred DMs from women who pressed pause, maternity leave, caregiving, and moving countries for his promotion. They’re ready to rebuild, join a program, re-enter powerfully, but they hesitate: “I want to join the program, but I am not working now.” Motherhood or migration didn’t erase their capability; it erased their access. 🧪 Money is never neutral. When you’re on maternity leave, caregiving, or reinventing yourself after relocating for his job, you often become a permission-based spender while he remains an entitlement-based earner. But wasn't his career acceleration only possible because of your unpaid infrastructure?! • Moving countries, • resetting networks, • handling domestic chaos, • covering daycare waitlists, • absorbing the identity shock of starting from zero.    👉 His runway is paved with your time. 💳 Practically, that means his salary should hit a joint account by default, where both of you have equal, direct access and equal decision rights. Assets are titled in both names. Major financial moves require joint consent. If that sentence makes him flinch, the relationship has a governance problem, not a romance problem. 🧷 If you move countries for his job, demand relocation parity: his package covers a runway for your reinvention, upskilling, credential transfer, coaching, childcare buffer, funded upfront, not “when we can.” If the move has a budget for boxes, it has a budget for your "becoming." 🗣️ Language audit: ban “his money.” Use “family revenue” and “our cash flow.” Stop asking, “Can I spend on…?” Start with, “Here’s how we’re allocating this quarter.” You’re not seeking permission; you’re exercising authority. 📈 Three moves to make if you don't know how to start the conversation: 1. Schedule a money governance talk:    joint account as the default deposit, both cards, spending thresholds, and asset titling under both names, if needed, a postnup that reflects the real division of labor.     2. Set autonomy capital:    a personal account in your name funded monthly while you’re on leave/stepping back, amount tied to household cash flow, not to your guilt.     3. Fund your rebound:    Allocate a visible line item (courses, childcare support, coaching, networking travel). Your reinvention isn’t a hobby! 🧲 Final thought: Women don’t “choose less.” We’re conditioned to underwrite someone else’s “more.” If motherhood or his promotion pressed pause on your income, your access must go up, not down. What’s your percentage today? 👊 If it’s under 50, that’s your next conversation at the kitchen table, before another year goes by with your power waiting in someone else’s wallet.

The Financial Times recently published a piece on two papers from my Ph.D. dissertation. The first paper was written in collaboration with Anantha Divakaruni, Alan Morrison, and Howard Jones (https://lnkd.in/ezMMpw5R), and the second in collaboration with Aharon Cohen Mohliver and Anantha Divakaruni (https://lnkd.in/eekm66KT). Many thanks to Anjli Raval for showcasing our research! Using audio recordings, we study uptalk (rising intonation) by executives in earnings calls. Together, we find that female executives are penalized not only for what they say during quarterly earnings calls, but also for how they say it. Male executives do not face the same scrutiny. Some key findings: 💡 Unexpected uptalk by female, but not male, executives predicts lower earnings. Analysts respond to female uptalk with lower recommendations and earnings forecasts, and bid-ask spreads widen when female executives speak and use uptalk. 💡 #MeToo did not alter the market response to female uptalk, but it engendered a favorable response to male uptalk. 💡 Negative market reactions occur only when an incoming female CEO uses high levels of uptalk. Male CEOs using uptalk face no negative reaction. 💡 Both studies demonstrate how vocal analysis methods to voice data can help practitioners, educators and researchers gain a deeper understanding of the tenacious "gender penalty" faced by women. 🚨 For online version, see https://lnkd.in/eMnW-f7Z.

I'm happy to share the release of the #WiSER White Paper, "Igniting a Global Sustainable Economy," following the impactful discussions at the WiSER Annual Forum during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week - ADSW 2025. This report highlights the critical role of female entrepreneurs in driving climate solutions and provides actionable strategies to bridge gender gaps in finance, scalability, AI, mentorship, and accessibility—especially for women in the Global South. Why This Matters: Women-led ventures are key to unlocking innovation in sustainability, yet systemic barriers persist. This paper outlines 5 recommendations: 🔹 Increase Gender-Focused Investment : Boost funding, financial literacy, and microloans for female-led climate projects. 🔹 Scale Women-Led Ventures : Streamline policies and partnerships to accelerate growth. 🔹 Harness AI & Digital Tools: Bridge the AI literacy and access gap to empower business expansion. 🔹 Strengthen Mentorship and Networking: Build cross-sector collaborations to provide women with the resources to succeed. 🔹 Empower Women in the Global South : Address legal and financial barriers, invest in STEM education, and improve access to markets and resources. Dive into the full report below or on Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company)’s website for insights on turning these strategies into action: https://lnkd.in/dyAFPEP2 Thanks again to my fellow roundtable participants: Lawratou Bah, CFA, Mirella Amalia Vitale, Natasha Shenoy, Hajar Alketbi, Manal B., Mariam Alnaqbi, Shaima Al Mulla