Investments and investing seem to be key sticking points for women, and something that holds them back. When it comes to day-to-day financial decisions such as paying bills and determining budgets, men and women say they have essentially equal influence on these decisions.

However, when it comes to decisions on investments 46% of women say they have influence whereas 64% of men say they have influence. The top obstacles women say are holding them back from investing include not having savings to invest (38%), lack of knowledge (32%) and believing investing is too risky (22%).

When asked about their financial regrets, nearly half of women (44%) pointed to not saving and investing sooner. Women also say they would have invested more of their money (26%), educated themselves more around money (23%), not taken on as much credit card debt (21%), chosen a career with higher pay (19%), lived within their means (18%) and taken better care of their health (14%).

When comparing demographics and other variables among women:

Younger women paving the way for open financial conversations. Younger women (ages 22-39) are more comfortable having financial conversations than their older counterparts (ages 65+), including talking with financial advisors (73% vs. 64%), applying for new or better positions at work (74% vs. 42%), discussing new investment opportunities (65% vs. 44%) and asking for a raise (59% vs. 38%).

Being debt free seen as the top indicator of financial independence. 47% of women listed being debt-free as the hallmark of financial independence. Other top indicators included being able to weather an unexpected expense (39%), being able to support myself without financial help from my family (34%) and being able to support my family (32%).

Women's confidence levels vary for financial events during different life stages. A majority of women are confident about paying for future healthcare costs (56%) and staying comfortable in retirement (54%), but confidence levels drop as it pertains to buying a home (40%), funding children's or grandkids' education (38%) and taking care of aging parents (32%).

Financial planning varies by groups. While 82% of women have a financial plan, only 30% focused on plans of 10 years or more. Caucasian and Asian-American women are more likely to have long-term plans (35% and 37%, respectively) than Black (20%) or Hispanic (20%) women. Women who identify as LGBTQ+ are also less likely to have a long-term plan (21%).

Saving for retirement is top of mind, yet many don't have an actionable plan. Saving for retirement topped the list of short-term (49%) and long-term (54%) goals, yet one-in-five women approaching retirement do not have a financial plan.

Older women turn to Social Security to fund retirement, younger women plan to lean on savings. 90% of women 65+ plan to rely on Social Security in retirement (vs. 49% of women ages 22-39). Younger women ages 22-39 are more likely to plan on using personal savings (63%, vs. 53% of women 65+).

Women continue to look for reliable sources of advice to help them on their financial journeys. Though 35% say "a go-to trustworthy source for advice" would help make managing their finances easier and 44% see a financial advisor as a key financial resource, 55% have never worked with one.