Why And How Women Should Manage Their Money

Neeti Jaychander discusses why and how women should manage their money, and understand investments, savings and markets better

- Neeti Jaychander

Financial experts across the world agree that women are naturally blessed with traits that instinctively make them better financial planners than men. While some of us may be on top of our investments already, others may still be grappling with basics. Let us look at some savings schemes and tools, identify future financial goals and plan how to achieve them.

According to Magesh B, Deputy Vice President, IIFL – PReMIA (Priority Relationship Management & Investment Advisory), “Instead of investing, women prefer to keep liquid cash as an emergency fund. That is not a bad idea, but it may not take as much as you think to start investing. A regular payment of ₹5,000 a month is enough to get you started. Investing on a monthly basis, rather than putting in a lump sum, helps you spread your risk. When the stock market is doing badly, you get more shares for your money, which is good news when it bounces back.”

IDENTIFY AND STRUCTURE FINANCIAL GOALS

Praachi Gupta, a 26-year old Bangalore-based media professional wants to purchase her own apartment. However, she doesn’t have enough savings. “Around 70 per cent of the payment needs to be in EMIs. I am still figuring out the amount to set aside every month.”

Parakh believes comprehensive financial planning is a must to identify and structure your financial goals. “It will help you break down your financial goals. It will also make your decisions easier, like whether you should buy or rent your first house, or whether you should take a loan to buy your first car.”

Magesh says, “Factor in your personal goals, objectives, temperament, tax bracket and the time you can commit to managing your portfolio. The consensus is that ‘asset allocation’— the way you allocate your investment in stocks, bonds, cash and equivalents— will determine your investment results.”