Men Wait, Women Don’t — Who’s Right When It Comes to This One Financial Tactic?
Written by
Gabrielle Olya
Edited by
Levi Leidy
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Women are more willing than men to seek financial advice when they are earning less money and have fewer assets, a recent GOBankingRates survey found. According to the survey, 38% of women believe it’s worth seeking professional financial advice even if you earn less than $50,000, while only 27% of men agree. In addition, 23% of women would consider paying for financial advice with less than $1,000 in savings and investments, while only 13% of men would pay for advice at this threshold. But who is right?
In this “Financially Savvy Female” column, GOBankingRates spoke with Kelly Regan, CFP, vice president and financial planner at Girard, a Univest Wealth Division, to better understand these findings. She shared her thoughts about when it’s really worth it to pay for financial guidance.
Is there an income threshold you believe clients should reach before seeking out advice from a financial advisor?
I think it depends on what advice you’re looking for. There are tools online that could guide you on things such as budgeting and how to begin investing, but if your questions are less general, then seeking help makes sense. Think of it like home improvement projects — you can probably get away with unclogging your drain yourself, but if you need your sink taken apart, you’re probably calling a plumber.
Typically, I would recommend keeping your investments simple and utilizing index funds or ETFs until you get to maybe $50,000 of investable assets — then think about introducing a more complicated strategy.
I find there is more value in paying a professional for advice when they can offer you holistic financial advice — more than just investments. This could include financial planning that touches on debt management, education savings and retirement planning.
What are the benefits of seeking out advice when you are still early on in your earning years?
The benefit is time. Getting started with a financial plan and investing your money earlier gives you more time to let that plan fall into place and your money to earn money. It’s amazing how the power of compounding will increase your chances of success.
Some advisors have a minimum asset threshold for clients. If you don’t meet this threshold, what are some options for financial guidance?
Not all advisors and planners charge on assets under management. Some have financial planning for a fee or charge hourly for their work. This might be an option for those who don’t have a ton of investable assets or immovable assets — like a 401(k) that is held at their company — but still want advice.
Methodology: GOBankingRates surveyed 1,001 Americans ages 18 and older from across the country between July 3 and July 9, 2025, asking 13 different questions: (1) At what annual income level do you think it starts to make sense to get professional financial advice?; (2) How much money (in savings or investments) would you need to have before you’d consider paying for financial advice?; (3) What is the minimum amount of money you’d need to inherit before seeking professional financial advice?; (4) How would you describe your level of trust in financial experts (advisors, entrepreneurs, educators)?; (5) Does a large social media following make a financial expert more trustworthy to you?; (6) Does a large social media following make a financial expert less trustworthy to you?; (7) Of the following, who do you trust the most for financial advice?; (8) Which statement best reflects your view on financial advice in general?; (9) How confident are you in your ability to make smart financial decisions without expert help?; (10) What makes you most likely to trust someone giving financial advice?; (11) Which platform do you most trust for financial advice?; (12) Which platform do you least trust for financial advice?; and (13) What prevents you from following financial advice more often? GOBankingRates used PureSpectrum’s survey platform to conduct the poll.
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