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New research findings published by Financial Planning Today (10 September 2026) reveal a stark gender confidence gap in retirement – even among women with more than £250,000 in investable assets.
35% of the women surveyed are concerned they’ll miss out on the retirement they want and expect, compared with 20% of men. Meanwhile, 35% of women approaching retirement are unsure how to turn pensions and investments into reliable income, compared with 19% of men.
However, there are steps women can take to improve their long-term financial security.
Keep reading to find out how financial advice could help your female clients build the wealth they need for retirement and feel confident about the future.
Visualise the retirement your clients want and set meaningful goals
The first step your female clients need to take towards planning financially for retirement is knowing what they want this stage of their lives to look like so there’s a goal to aim for.
This might seem straightforward, but imagining how life could be many years from now is often a daunting and challenging task.
A financial planner can help your female clients create a clear vision of their ideal retirement by asking questions such as, “What would you like a regular week in retirement to be like?” and “When do you want to stop working, reduce your hours, or do something different?”
Through such gentle prompting and guidance, your clients could build a picture of:
- Their main goals and priorities
- Their essential needs and lifestyle choices
- The values and motivations underpinning these objectives
- The concerns and uncertainties they need to address.
This conversation could turn a broad idea of “the retirement I want and expect” into meaningful goals that shape financial decisions. Your clients and their planner can then work together to make an informed estimate of their future income needs and explore how their resources might support this.
Structure your clients’ assets to create a sustainable income strategy
Your clients may have many different sources of potential income, including:
- Private or workplace pensions
- A State Pension
- Savings
- Investments
- Property
- Business interests
Once they know how much money they need to support their chosen retirement lifestyle, a financial planner can explore how their assets could work together to provide a sustainable income.
For example, one option might be to buy an annuity with some of their pension savings to provide a guaranteed income, while keeping other funds invested and taking an income through drawdown.
The most suitable approach will depend on your clients’ specific needs, preferences, and wider financial plans.
A planner can also explain how different income strategies could affect their tax liability and suggest ways to manage this as efficiently as possible.
Use cashflow modelling to explore different scenarios and test your clients’ plans
Life rarely progresses in a straight, predictable line; there are often twists and turns along the way. As such, even the most carefully made retirement plans can be thrown off course by an unexpected event or change in circumstances.
That’s where cashflow modelling comes in. A financial planner can use this sophisticated software to test how well your clients’ retirement plan could hold up in different situations – the “what-ifs?” of life. For example, what if the market dips? What if they become ill and unable to work? What if they need later-life care?
Cashflow forecasts also help women make informed decisions about their future by answering questions such as, “Can I afford to retire earlier?” and “Will funding private education for my child jeopardise my retirement plans?”
While no one can predict exactly what will happen, cashflow modelling offers a practical way to explore potential outcomes and show how income needs may change over time. Planners and clients can then work together to address shortfalls, create a financial safety net, and weigh up different approaches.
Regularly review and update your clients’ plans
Retirement planning is not a one-off exercise; your clients’ goals, income needs, and circumstances may change throughout their lives. Equally, external factors such as investment performance, inflation, and tax rules could affect how well their original plan meets their needs.
As such, regular reviews are crucial to ensure your female clients’ plans remain relevant and meaningful.
Moreover, financial advice can help to address the gender confidence gap in retirement by helping women understand their position, make informed choices, and take decisive steps towards their goals.
Get in touch
If you have female clients who are concerned about their retirement finances and might benefit from professional advice, please get in touch.
Email hello@sovereign-ifa.co.uk or call us on 01454 416653 to find out more.
Please note
This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at retail clients only.
All information is correct at the time of writing and is subject to change in the future.
Please do not act based on anything you might read in this article. All contents are based on our understanding of HMRC legislation, which is subject to change.
The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate cashflow planning or tax planning.
A pension is a long-term investment not normally accessible until 55 (57 from April 2028). The fund value may fluctuate and can go down, which would have an impact on the level of pension benefits available. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
The tax implications of pension withdrawals will be based on your clients’ individual circumstances. Thresholds, percentage rates, and tax legislation may change in subsequent Finance Acts.
Workplace pensions are regulated by The Pensions Regulator.
Approved by Best Practice IFA Group Ltd on: 20/10/2026