In my book titled “Memoirs of a Financial Advisor”, just joking — I have no such book! However, over the years, dealing with men and women has been a fascinating exercise. And certain key things have been consistent over the last 17 years.

Firstly, the vast majority of my clients are male. Without fail, this is the one area in Jamaica where men are the majority.

In my experience, men take their investments very seriously; they really get to know their investment advisors and are always enthused about the latest exciting venture.

Sorry to say it, but oftentimes, men are very impatient. The worst thing you can tell them is that you are not seeing anything attractive on the horizon. Even if the timing is poor, they dislike the idea of staying in a cash investment. They prefer something with risk, preferably something that their friends are also investing in.

The research has shown that men tend to go for shorter-term investments, and trade far more often than women. This can work to their disadvantage, as more fees are incurred than those associated with a longer-term strategy. They also tend to be more confident in their decisions, whether rightly or wrongly (or to put it another way — occasionally overconfident!)

While it may appear that this article is criticising the way men invest, the truth is that men are generally far better prepared for retirement than women, they have far more funds invested, and they tend to be more knowledgeable about investments.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sunday-finance/the-battle-of-the-sexes-Overcoming_the_gender_differences_in_investing8212-_117408