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Japanese Women Are Empowered and Eager to Invest

Women, Investing and Pursuit Of Wealth-Life Balance
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Japanese women are having an increasing impact on the economy – a trend that will likely continue to grow. To better understand their views on money, wealth and investing, PIMCO commissioned a survey of 1,506 Japanese adults with more than 10 million JPY investable assets.1 The results offer valuable insights into the motivations and preferences of Japanese women.

Women Are Empowered

More than half of women expect to increase their wealth over the next five years, moving towards their goal of being financially successful.

79%

79% circle chart
79% say they want to be rich and are not apologizing for it.

76%

76% circle chart
76% acknowledge they are responsible for taking control of their investments.

Women Are Eager to Invest

The vast majority of women see investing as a tool for creating life choices, which explains why 71% feel the need to invest.

Most women agree investing can be used to meet short-term and long-term goals.

69% agree investing can be used to meet long-term goals.
69%
51% agree investing can be used to meet short-term goals.
51%

Yet Women Are Over-Allocated to Cash

Japanese households hold over 50% of their assets in cash and are underinvested in higher-risk securities, compared to other advanced economies.

Assets held by households

  • Currency & deposits
  • Insurance, pension & standard guarantees
  • Equity
  • Other
Japan (1,835 trillion yen)
53.3% 28.6% 10.0% 8.2%
Europe (24.5 trillion euro)
34.0% 34.0% 18.8% 13.3%
United States (88.9 trillion dollars)
12.9% 31.7% 34.3% 21.2%
Source: Bank of Japan Flow of Funds Accounts: Federal Reserve Board Financial Accounts of the United States; ECB Euro Area Accounts. As of 2019 March end.

Obstacles to Investing

Women cite several reasons they continue to hold back assets in cash.

Reasons to hold back assets as cash

32%

32% circle chart 
I am not confident in the economy

29%

29% circle chart 
I want to save a set amount to leave to my family

29%

29% circle chart 
Cash feels more secure while investing feels risky

24%

24% circle chart 
I am not sure how to time the market to maximize return on my investments

23%

23% circle chart 
I am not sure which assets can best help me achieve my goals

About the Survey

At PIMCO, we believe that diverse perspectives generate deeper insights, drive greater innovation and yield better outcomes for investors. That conviction, combined with our research-driven culture, led us to commission this large-scale market survey.

The objective of the survey was to collect and analyze data that would illuminate the investment needs of Japanese women, including their motivations, goals, performance expectations and investment philosophy, to help ensure that the financial goals of this important segment of the investing population are being met — both here at PIMCO and throughout the financial services industry.

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Please download full research report “Women, Investing and the Pursuit of Wealth-Life Balance - Japanese women are empowered and wish to invest- ” from here.

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Disclosures

Tokyo
PIMCO Japan Ltd
Toranomon Towers Office 18F
4-1-28, Toranomon, Minato-ku
Tokyo, Japan 105-0001
813-5777-8150

Financial Instruments Business Registration Number: Director of Kanto Local Finance Bureau (Financial Instruments Firm) No.382. Member of Japan Investment Advisers Association and The Investment Trusts Association, Japan.

Investment management products and services offered by PIMCO Japan Ltd are offered only to persons within its respective jurisdiction, and are not available to persons where provision of such products or services is unauthorized.

Past performance is not a guarantee or a reliable indicator of future results. PIMCO as a general matter provides services to qualified institutions, financial intermediaries and institutional investors. Individual investors should contact their own financial professional to determine the most appropriate investment options for their financial situation. This material contains the opinions of the manager and such opinions are subject to change without notice. This material has been distributed for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy or investment product. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed.
Methodology:
1The investable asset level is above the national mean, which is 4 million JPY (The Central Council for Financial Services Information, “Public Opinion Survey on Household Financial Assets and Liabilities.” (2019)), but represents the portion of the population that PIMCO considers most likely to require services from the financial industry. All references to “Japanese women” refer to this segment.

Focus Groups:
In October 2019, three salon discussions were conducted in Tokyo among women investors across varying age ranges and life stages.

Financial Decision-Maker Survey:
This survey was conducted within Japan by The Harris Poll on behalf of PIMCO In December 2019 among 1,506 Japanese adults ages 18 and older, including 682 women and 824 men. All respondents had at least 10 million JPY in assets and at least some financial decision-making responsibility within the household. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

Past performance is not a guarantee or a reliable indicator of future results. All investments contain risk and may lose value. This report is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy or investment product, nor construed as a solicitation or offer to buy or sell any securities or related financial instruments in any jurisdiction.

Statements concerning financial market trends are based on current market conditions, which will fluctuate. The survey results contain the opinions of the respondents and not necessarily those of PIMCO. All investments contain risk and may lose value. No representation is being made that any investment strategy will or is likely to achieve its objectives.

This material contains the opinions of the manager and such opinions are subject to change without notice. This material has been distributed for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy or investment product. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission. PIMCO is a trademark of Allianz Asset Management of America L.P. in the United States and throughout the world. ©2020, PIMCO.