【International Women's Day】Fidelity Survey: Only 32% of women believe their retirement planning is good; only 20% are confident in their investments

On the eve of International Women’s Day, Fidelity International released its latest “Global Sentiment Survey,” revealing that women are feeling more confident in their daily financial management and life aspects. However, there remains a significant gap in retirement planning and long-term financial security. Insufficient retirement savings, rising living costs, and health-related expenses are the three key factors affecting women’s financial health.

Hong Kong women are generally optimistic about the next six months, with 62% feeling optimistic and 22% feeling pessimistic. Compared to the previous year, women have shown improvements in various aspects of life and finances. The percentage who believe they have a good work-life balance has increased from 43% to 50%, those feeling positive about their daily financial situation from 36% to 44%, and those satisfied with their savings from 35% to 41%. However, only about 32% of women consider their retirement planning to be good, with nearly half describing their retirement preparations as average.

45% of women say their primary goal is to increase savings and investments

Regarding long-term financial goals, 97% aim to prepare for retirement and later life, 96% want to maintain financial comfort after retirement, and 97% seek to sustain their current standard of living. However, only about 40% of respondents are confident in achieving these goals, highlighting a clear gap.

In terms of specific financial skills, 20% feel confident in investing, 24% in retirement savings, and 21% in preparing for long-term health needs. In contrast, Hong Kong women are more confident in debt repayment (38%) and managing daily finances (31%), indicating they are generally better at short-term and essential financial management but feel less confident about long-term investments and retirement strategies.

When asked about their most urgent financial needs, 45% said increasing savings and investments is their top priority, higher than budgeting (22%) and debt management (13%). The survey also shows that Hong Kong women actively seek financial advice, most often through banks, financial advisors, friends or family, and social media. Additionally, the use of AI tools for financial consulting among Hong Kong women has increased from 10% last year to 12%.

More than half of women feel anxious about long-term planning

Regarding financial stress, anxiety about living costs and inflation among Hong Kong women has slightly decreased from 72% to 69%, and anxiety about meeting immediate financial needs has dropped from 49% to 43%. At the same time, over half of women feel anxious about long-term planning, including meeting long-term financial needs (57%), whether savings can support retirement (59%), and health-related issues (57%). This indicates that long-term financial goals and healthcare expenses also exert significant pressure, highlighting the close link between retirement preparedness and health risks.

Fidelity International Hong Kong Retirement and Personal Investment Director and Regional Managing Director, Chen Yuxin, stated that Hong Kong women are showing improvements in emotional and financial confidence and are clearly aware of the importance of long-term financial planning and retirement preparation. However, their confidence in achieving long-term financial goals remains low.