Women are ramping up their efforts to meet financial goals in 2011 and feel more hopeful about the economic outlook, but they’re still less certain than men are in their ability to actually meet those goals, a survey from TD Ameritrade shows.

Sixty-eight percent of women said they resolve to save more money in 2011, a steady climb from 66 percent in 2010 and 60 percent in 2009. Only 62 percent of men plan to do the same thing next year.
So what accounts for the difference? “I think women really tend to give more of themselves than men do. They seem to know that saving is in the best interest of their families and they want to make sure their families are taken care of,” offers Nicole Sherrod, managing director at TD Ameritrade.
Their shaky confidence may have to do with their financial positions: of those who said they were less likely to make a financial New Year’s resolution this year than last year, only 29% of women said they were in a better financial situation this year compared to 50% of men.
This might not come as surprise, given the gender-gap that still exists: women in full-time wage and salary jobs still earn only 80% of what men do, according to U.S. Department of Labor. (The figure rises to 93% among young workers aged 16-24.)
The solution, Sherrod says, is to get educated. “There’s so much out there in terms of free research, free help and free information. Confidence really comes from education,” she says.
Their expertise will come in handy down the line: A report from the National Center for Women and Retirement finds that 9 out of 10 women will be solely responsible for their finances at some point. The same report found that 75% of women are widowed at an average age of 56.
(Source: Reuters)