As women control more household wealth, promoting accessibility and empowerment is key for financial firms
Before the 1970s in Canada, women could not get a credit card or secure a loan without their father, brother or husband signing on their behalf — a practice many financial institutions continued even decades later.
“Compared to men, when it comes to investing and money, women are in catch-up mode,” says Christina Zalzal, senior vice president, head of online brokerage and digital wealth at Aviso Wealth.
Ms. Zalzal is one of the few women to have led an online brokerage business in Canada — Qtrade Direct Investing — and she does her job with a keen awareness of how gender impacts Aviso’s customer base. She sees on the job how women handle money, and how they need a financial services industry that understands them. “Women and men have a different approach to investing and I think financial services could better support these differences,” she says.
Given how women were historically marginalized when it comes to finances, it’s somewhat ironic that today women control more wealth than ever. A 2020 McKinsey & Company report says women control one third of household financial assets in the U.S. – a percentage that’s about to dramatically increase. And not only are women increasing their influence on household financial decisions, they’re also making significant forays into the stock market.
That’s why, as a leader in the online investing space, Ms. Zalzal is determined to make investing more accessible – not just for women, but for anyone seeking financial empowerment.
About Qtrade
Qtrade offers self-directed investors a choice of platforms to achieve their financial goals. Qtrade Direct Investing is among Canada’s top-ranked online trading platforms, having secured more than 24 first-place wins over the past 16 years in industry evaluations of online brokerages. It is currently rated the number one online broker by The Globe and Mail.
With more than 20 years’ experience, Qtrade operates direct to consumer and through over 200 strategic partnerships with some of Canada’s largest financial services institutions. Qtrade believes that Canadian do-it-yourself investors should have confidence in their financial decisions, confidence in the tools we provide to help them make those decisions and confidence in the support we offer.
Online brokerage services are offered through Qtrade Direct Investing, a division of Credential Qtrade Securities Inc. Qtrade and Qtrade Direct Investing are trade names and trademarks of Aviso Wealth.