As we enter Women’s History Month, Fidelity Investments offers newly released data to uncover insights into the current state of women’s financial health.
According to Fidelity’s 2025 Financial Resolutions Study, women are feeling optimistic as they enter the new year, with 61% saying they will be better off financially in 2025 than they were in 2024.1 68% of women say they have a plan to reach their financial goals, and 80% say they plan to build up their emergency savings. Looking to the future, women’s top financial resolutions for 2025 are to save more money (46%), pay down debt (41%), and spend less money (33%).
Following are the trends we’re seeing for women’s financial wellness in 2025:
Rethinking Retirement
50% of women who retired in 2024 took a phased approach to retirement by working part-time, taking on less responsibility, or transitioning to more flexible work, compared to only 19% of women 20 years ago. Similar to men, this signals a shift of more women easing into their retirement years.2
While most women are focused on short-term financial goals this year, younger generations in particular plan to increase their annual retirement savings contribution in 2025 (48% of Gen Z, 45% of Millennials).*
Among women retirees, nearly half are currently working, have worked, or are thinking about working in retirement. Women are also significantly more likely than men to transition to retirement by working reduced hours or days.3
Tackling Health Care Costs
Women can expect to spend an average of $175,000 on health care costs and medical expenses throughout retirement, which is more than 10% higher than what men can expect to pay and up nearly 17% since 2019.4
Among women who feel worse about their finances today than they did five years ago, encountering unexpected health care costs was one of the top contributing factors. It’s no surprise, then, that a quarter of women say rising health care costs is one of their top financial concerns going into 2025.
For those with a high deductible health plan, a health savings account (HSA) can be a helpful savings vehicle to help cover health care costs in retirement. While Fidelity customer data shows the number of women contributing to an HSA is on the rise5, women are less likely than men to invest those funds. Among women who do invest their HSA funds, their top reason is to help grow a medical fund for retirement.6
Juggling Caregiving Needs
Women caregivers continue to report higher levels of financial turmoil, with 41% describing their relationship with money as “stressful.” Their top concerns going into 2025 are unexpected expenses (41%), inflation’s impact on day-to-day expenses and savings (40%), and economic uncertainty/recession (32%).
Caregiving responsibilities impact women into retirement as well – recent research shows women retirees are three times more likely than men to say they left the workforce to help care for loved ones.7
Despite these challenges, most women caregivers are looking to the future, with 81% planning to build up their emergency savings, aligning with the top resolution for all women who say they plan to save more money in 2025.
An Opportunity for Employers
Women are more likely than men to say their benefits don’t meet their needs mostly due to cost, inadequate coverage, difficulty understanding their benefits, and difficulty getting specialty care.8
While better pay is the most important factor women caregivers in particular say they look for in a new job, better work/life balance (30%) and remote working opportunities (27%) also score high, pointing to the need for greater flexibility from employers.
Resources to Help
In recognition of Women’s History Month, Fidelity is bringing together various accomplished female leaders for a free, month-long event series to help inspire women to take the next step with their money and achieve their financial goals. Conversations will focus on how to make the most of unexpected changes, women’s health needs and the costs associated with them, and how to create and achieve life and career goals.
Fidelity’s Women Talk Money community offers a forum year-round for real talk about money, investing, careers, and other topics top of mind for women, through live events, on demand content, and other actionable resources to help members take their next best steps with their finances. It’s free to join for everyone.
*Unless stated otherwise, all datapoints cited are from Fidelity’s 2025 Financial Resolutions Study
*Keep in mind that investing involves risk. The value of your investment will fluctuate over time, and you may gain or lose money.*
Fidelity Investments and Fidelity are registered service marks of FMR LLC.
Views expressed are as of the date indicated, based on the information available at that time, and may change based on market or other conditions. Unless otherwise noted, the opinions provided are those of the speaker or author and not necessarily those of Fidelity Investments or its affiliates. Fidelity does not assume any duty to update any of the information.
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[1] Fidelity Investments 2025 Financial Resolutions Study
[2] Fidelity Investments 2024 Evolving Landscape of Retirement Study (completed July 2, 2024). The study includes 10,517 individuals that have or had a Workplace Retirement Savings Plan.
[3] Fidelity Investments 2024 Evolving Landscape of Retirement Study
[4] Fidelity Investments 2024 Retiree Health Care Cost Estimate
[5] Established retail and workplace Fidelity HSA accounts funded with at least $1, September 2019-September 2023
[6] Fidelity Health Thought Leadership Benefit Plan Participant Survey, fall 2023
[7] Fidelity Investments 2025 State of Retirement Planning
[8] Fidelity Health Thought Leadership Health Benefits Consumer Survey, fall 2022, Q37: “How strongly do you disagree or agree that your health benefits meet your/your family’s needs?”