INSIGHTS FOR GROWING YOUR BUSINESS WITH WOMEN
A playbook for helping them achieve financial well-being.
Insights
Engagement
Resources
Women's purchasing power is growing as is their need for life insurance
Women are no longer just a segment. They're a powerful force directing how finances are managed, protected, and transferred. Even as you have a vital role in helping them succeed, they're foundational to growing your business.
69%
$34T
46%
of women are the primary investment decision makers in their household.*
of assets will shift into the hands of U.S. women by 2030.**
of U.S. women own life insurance–-compared with 57% of U.S. men.***
* Investment News, Women take the lead in most households' financial decisions, CFP Board finds, February 2025. ** McKinsey, The new face of wealth: The rise of the female investor, May 2025. *** LIMRA, 2024 Life Insurance Fact Sheet.
The information above is based on research from the 2025 Insurance Barometer Study by LIMRA and Life Happens.
women have a life insurance needs gap.
52M
of women report any knowledge of underwriting.
10%
of women report that they are knowledgeable about life insurance.
23%
You can help women get the financial education and life insurance protection they need. The data underscores that education-first, empathetic outreach—especially focused on affordability, protection, and long-term financial confidence—can resonate strongly with women and help close one of the industry’s most important protection gaps.
Closing the life insurance gap
ACTION TIP
Life insurance has been a security blanket. It's allowed me to focus on the kids and continue working on the life Ryan and I dreamt of.
Racquel Pleasents
whose husband died at 41
Life insurance is issued by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Newark, NJ, and its affiliates. © 2026 Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities. For Financial Professional Use Only. Not For Use With Consumer. ISG_DG_ILI549_01 1091372-00001-00 Ed. 05/2026
Accessibility
“
Educate
Explain why coverage matters in real-life terms (income protection, caregiving impact, financial independence). Use plain language and visuals.
Start with outcomes and protection. Frame underwriting as a tool that helps ensure fairness and added long‑term financial security. Then, explain only what’s relevant in clear, plain language tied to their goals. Skip technical details.
Speak their language
Focus on real-life scenarios—caregiving, living longer, career breaks, debt protection, and retirement security—to show how life insurance protects them and their family across life stages.
Keep it practical
Used with permission from Life Happens. www.lifehappens.org.
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Understanding your clients’ preferred learning styles, financial goals, and expectations helps you to build more genuine relationships with them.
Engaging with women clients
Three strategies you can use to become a dependable ally on their financial journey.
One: Know their unique needs
Women are already confident and taking control of their financial situation but know there’s still room for growth and support. And they want financial professionals to treat them as individuals, not a category. They also want to be understood—a challenge when one study revealed that 40% of women say advisors don’t listen to them and roughly half feel patronized or treated differently.*
Two: Link needs to benefits
Clearly linking women’s needs to life insurance’s benefits can motivate them to buy, switch, or increase their coverage. Examples of needs include saving for and being better prepared for retirement, providing greater financial security for their families, and dealing with debt.
Three: Look at today and tomorrow
Since many women may believe that life insurance is primarily for income replacement and final expenses they may not appreciate how it can help address other goals. More immediate goals include managing debt, caregiving, and maintaining financial security in case of income loss. Longer-term concerns include saving enough for retirement, building wealth, not outliving assets, and addressing healthcare costs.
An important life insurance option
As they're often the caregivers, women frequently overlook the probability that they will need care themselves one day. Life insurance can help them prepare for the costs so they can continue to help protect their families. Watch this video to learn more.
At your first meeting, open with a holistic, big-picture view of the role of life insurance in overall financial well-being. After identifying her priorities, tailor your education and product offerings to her unique concerns.
Consider sharing examples of how other women approached similar situations to build confidence.
Seek to understand each client’s strengths, challenges, and evolving needs by asking questions, and then build upon their knowledge to fill in areas that are less clear to them.
Financial professional, who helped her client Jeanie
Barb Pietrangelo
You need to address life insurance with all your clients. Most strategies are incomplete without it.
Transcript
Used with permission from Life Happens. www.lifehappens.org
* Journal of Financial Planning: April 2025
Prudential has an array of materials and seminar resources to help you prospect, talk with, and follow up with your clients.
Tools & Resources
Understand the market
Materials to help you learn more about women’s life insurance needs.
Life Insurance Needs in the Women's Market
A conversation starter flyer for FPs when having discussions with women about the importance of life insurance.
Download
An overview of how women’s growing economic influence is reshaping financial planning and life insurance.
Unlocking Growth: The Crucial Role of the Women's Market Presentation
Learn how to help alleviate women's fears about Social Security and build their trust in the process.
Women Are Uncertain About Social Security. Here’s How To Help Them.
This flyer outlines the financial challenges of widowhood, especially for women.
Planning for the Reality of Living Without a Spouse
Share the story of Jennie, whose husband’s life insurance policy helped her after his death.
Case Study: How Life Insurance Helped Me Get On With Living
This checklist helps women start the retirement conversation with their financial professional.
Women and Retirement by the Numbers
Support your client conversations with these materials
Sales tools and client materials
This case study illustrates the advantages of delaying taking Social Security.
Prioritizing Social Security Timing for a Stronger Retirement
An overview of the estate, business, asset management, and tax planning needs of the growing of this market.
Empowering women born to foreign nationals
A presentation for clients to help them become fearless in making financial decisions for themselves and their family.
Becoming Financially Fearless women client presentation
A flyer that provides follow-up strategies and best practices after hosting an event with prospects and clients.
Your Guide to the Ultimate Post Event Strategy
A guide for FPs to have conversations with women about the importance of financial preparation.
Cocktails and Conversations Discussion Guide
An invitation template that invites women to cocktails and conversation about planning for their legacy.
Cocktails and Conversations Invitation
Get interest, hold a seminar, and follow up with these materials
Prospecting and seminar
Help couples plan for Social Security payments to help maximize their lifetime benefits.
Plan as a couple for important Social Security survivor benefits
An interactive policy management tool that simplifies monitoring policy goals, assumptions, and performance, plus:
Follow up with LifeInsight
When you’re ready to discuss Prudential life insurance products with your clients, visit our product portfolio.
View now
Prudential can be the rock that you rely on to reach the women's market.
Prudential has over a 150-year history of helping families, individuals, and institutions to protect their life’s work.
Help with how to truly connect with the women’s market.
Expand Your Client Reach Flyer
Contact your local financial professional for more information.
Simplify the policy review process so you can cut down on administrative time Focus on clients’ goals and easily identify changes in performance Provide clients with industry-leading reporting so they can make informed decisions Build confidence with customers by proactively staying aware of actionable items
Engaging Women Clients
Women Prospect Profiles
You’re always there for the clients you serve, helping them achieve financial success. And as women make positive financial strides and experience challenges, the time is right for you to grow your business with them.
Gain the insight you need and help them make more confident financial decisions with the tools in this playbook.
Tips for engaging women clients
47%
of women now have primary or shared responsibility for their families’ financial decisions.*
in assets are controlled by women, and that’s expected to grow to $30 trillion by 2030.**
96%
67%
of U.S. women own life insurance— compared with 58% of U.S. men.***
of U.S. women say they need insurance or need more insurance.***
Watch this video to learn how women are confidently taking control of their financial situations—and what they are looking for financial professionals to provide.
Please reach out to your Prudential wholesaler for more information or to schedule an appointment.
Who’s
Rock?
Your
Life insurance is issued by Pruco Life Insurance Company (except in NY), and Pruco Life Insurance Company of New Jersey (in NY). All are Prudential Financial companies located in Newark, NJ. © 2025 Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities. For Financial Professional Use Only. Not For Use With Consumer. ISG_DG_ILI521_01 1068679-00005-00 Ed. 04/2025
Who’s Your Rock?
96% of women now have primary or shared responsibility for their families’ financial decisions.
47% of U.S. women own life insurance— compared with 58% of U.S. men.
67% of U.S. women say they need insurance or need more insurance.
***Source: Life Insurance Brief: U.S. Women, LIMRA, 2022. Among women ages 18 – 75.
*Source: Financial Advisor Magazine, “Women Hold Majority of Personal Wealth, But Still Minorities in Advisory Field,” March 25, 2020.
**Life Insurance Brief: U.S. Women. LIMRA, 2022.
10.9 trillion dollars in assets are controlled by women, and that’s expected to grow to 30 trillion dollars by 2030.**
Discover helpful tips for engaging women clients
Discover helpful tips for engaging women
"Growth - financial wellness for all" video.
Who’s your rock
Source: Financial Advisor Magazine, “Women Hold Majority of Personal Wealth, But Still Minorities in Advisory Field,” March 25, 2020.
Life Insurance Brief: U.S. Women. LIMRA, 2022.
Source: Life Insurance Brief: U.S. Women, LIMRA, 2022. Among women ages 18 – 75.
Being educated about women’s preferred learning styles, financial goals, and expectations for financial professionals helps you to build more genuine relationships with them.
Women are already confident and taking control of their financial situation, but know there’s still room for growth and support. And they want financial professionals to treat them as individuals, not a category. They also want to be understood—a challenge when one study revealed that 67% of women felt that their financial professionals misunderstood them.*
Tailor your education and product offerings to each customer’s unique concerns, depending on where they are in their life.
Women may believe that life insurance is primarily for income replacement and final expenses—and may be less likely to see its potential to address near- and long-term financial concerns. More immediate concerns include managing debt, caregiving for family members, and maintaining financial security in case of income loss. Longer-term concerns include saving enough for retirement, building enough wealth (as an investment), avoiding outliving assets, and addressing health care costs.
*Source: “COVID Women’s Program – Expand Your Client Reach” Jan. 2021.
Ask questions, listen before you provide product suggestions, and respect their knowledge, building upon it to fill in areas that may be less clear to them.
Home
Set the stage by understanding each client’s strengths, challenges, and evolving needs.**
•
At your first meeting with women clients, guide the conversation with a holistic, big-picture view of the role life insurance plays in their overall financial well-being. Once you know what’s most important to their individual situations, you can speak to product specifics.
Source: “COVID Women’s Program – Expand Your Client Reach” Jan. 2021.
**
Source: LIMRA, Life Insurance Brief: U.S. Women, 2022.
We’ve created profiles to capture five key women’s segments. When you’re ready to align these segments with Prudential’s products, visit our product portfolio.
Young Professionals
Mature Women
Affluent Women
Sole Parents
Stay-at-Home Moms
Average age: 37 years old Majority married 87% HHI $75k+ 65% HH Assets $100k+
Visit Now
The following profiles and data are based on research from the 2022 LIMRA What Women Want in Financial Services study and 2022 Kantar U.S. Monitor.*
• • • •
65%
65% would take risks to take advantage of rewards.
76%
70%
Want to feel competent
Want to feel successful
Have confidence to plan for their financial future.
Wealth building
Retirement savings
Debt management
Financial emergencies
Protection in case of premature death
59%
Want to save for retirement
Want to build wealth
53%
Want to feel prepared for financial emergencies
48%
Want to ensure family is secure in case of death
43%
Want to manage and pay off debt
40%
Have challenges with balancing short-term needs and long-term goals
Are overwhelmed by debt
Are overspending
58%
Are overwhelmed by investing
72%
Needs vs. Goals
Debt
Overspending
Investing
They have the longest time horizon for growth potential.
Consider balancing affordability and upside potential with products offering cash value, such as Variable Life.
Term Life that can be converted to a permanent life insurance policy later in life.
May face unique challenges if they become chronically ill in the future.
Are worried about unexpected expenses
52%
56%
68%
Are living paycheck-to-paycheck
66%
Unexpected expenses
Financial security
41%
Want to manage and pay down debt
Want to ensure family is secure in case of income loss
54%
Retirment
Protection against income loss
Retirement
Protection aganist income loss
21%
Want to feel empowered
90%
Want to feel safe and protected
91%
63%
63% would take risks to take advantage of rewards.
Average age: 41 years old 69% HHI $35k – $75k, 31% $75k+ 32% HH Assets <$25k+, 43% $25k– $100k, 21% $100k+ About half are single mothers, half are divorced or separated mothers.
May need supplemental income in future as part of overall goals.
Death benefit protection.
A cash value life insurance policy such as Indexed Variable Universal Life or Indexed Universal Life. A budget-friendly alternative, such as Term Life.
A chronic illness rider to help cover unexpected expenses later in life.
• •
Prudential policies also offer protection and cash value growth potential that can help supplement income later in life.
They need protection and the ability to grow assets to enjoy later in life.
Feel overwhelmed by investing
Needs vs. goals
44%
Want to pay for college
42%
Need help managing investments
62%
College Tuition
Investments
College tuition
Have confidence to plan for their financial future
30%
Want to feel connected, relationships
82%
60%
60% would take risks to take advantage of rewards.
Average Age: 42 years old 100% HHI $150k+ 78% HH Assets $100k+ Majority married, with children
Want feel excited, engaged
71%
Consider a Variable Universal Life policy designed for accumulation.
A Survivorship policy, which may offer a cost savings vs. two individual policies. A chronic illness rider to help with any expenses associated with chronic or terminal illness.
A chronic illness rider to help prepare for the potential impact of unexpected chronic illness.
Protection-focused products that have no market risk or provide downside protection like Universal Life or Indexed Universal Life.
Some may not need a death benefit when their spouse passes but may seek coverage for wealth transfer to the next generation.
It’s also important for them to plan for the potential impacts of chronic illness.
Protection and saving for retirement are important to them.
Have risk aversion, not willing to take some risk for higher returns, and 40% not investing.
Risk aversion
Don’t want to outlast savings
Are worried about covering the cost of health care
55%
Savings
Health Care
59% would take risks to take advantage of rewards.
Average age: 60 years old 59% HHI $75k+ 56% HH Assets $100k+ Majority married with children
20%
Want to feel free and autonomous
77%
Want to feel self-reliant and financially independent
81%
Options that offer living benefits and market downside protection.
A cash value life insurance policy can help solve for both needs.
93% want to feel safe and protected.
Many households have higher incomes and a need to protect and grow money for retirement.
Their average age (38) gives them time to accumulate assets.
61%
16%
78%
Want to have fun and enjoyment
93%
54% would take risks to take advantage of rewards.
Average age: 38 years old 53% HHI $35k – $ 75k, 47% $75k+ 33% HH Assets <$25k+, 33% $25k – $100k, 27% $100k+ Married or partnered with children
Want to feel sense of independence
Those with a temporary need or who are more budget conscious.
Term Life for its affordable death benefit protection.
All profiles are based on a research conducted in 2022 by Kantar U.S. Monitor and a commercial research study conducted by LIMRA in August 2022, focusing on the topic of “What Women Want in Financial Services." The study provides an understanding of how life stage and circumstances impact women's financial goals, capacity, and behaviors critical to serving them well. There is some overlap between segments in life stage and socio-economic groups of women defined by combinations of age, income, job status, and family circumstance.
*
Provide immediate emotional benefits. Help them see how life insurance can help them feel more confident about the future and achieve their emotional aspirations.
Be empathetic. Listen more; talk less.
Teach in a way that simplifies and demystifies without being condescending.
Give them control. Women want choices and decision-making opportunities.
Make the experience as simple and convenient as possible—but customize to each client’s needs, like providing digital/mobile options if that’s their preference.
5.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Link its benefits to the specific financial needs above.
Explain how it can help them:
Explain its foundational role in short- and long-term financial planning.
Frame it as part of a plan to help them feel more in control of and confident in their financial future.
Acknowledge the life insurance they currently have and explain why more coverage may be a good idea
Feel more in control of their finances, including spending and debt Feel more prepared for financial emergencies Save for retirement and invest to build wealth, while also protecting loved ones
• • •
Women’s ages, incomes, home lives, personal responsibilities, levels of financial education, and exposure to financial knowledge all affect what they need and how you can help as a financial professional.
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23% have confidence to plan for their financial future.
21% Have confidence to plan for their financial future.
Actions: Term Life that can be converted to a permanent life insurance policy later in life.
Actions: A cash value life insurance policy such as Indexed Variable Universal Life or Indexed Universal Life. A budget-friendly alternative, such as Term Life.
Actions: A chronic illness rider to help cover unexpected expenses later in life.
30% Have confidence to plan for their financial future
20% Have confidence to plan for their financial future
16% Have confidence to plan for their financial future
Actions: Protection-focused products that have no market risk or provide downside protection like Universal Life or Indexed Universal Life.
Actions: A chronic illness rider to help prepare for the potential impact of unexpected chronic illness.
Actions: A Survivorship policy, which may offer a cost savings vs. two individual policies. A chronic illness rider to help with any expenses associated with chronic or terminal illness.
Actions: A cash value life insurance policy can help solve for both needs.
Actions: Options that offer living benefits and market downside protection.
Actions: Term Life for its affordable death benefit protection.
The following profiles and data are based on research from 2022 LIMRA What Women Want in Financial Services study and 2022 Kantar U.S. Monitor.*
The following profiles and data are based on research from 2022 LIMRA What Women Want in Financial Services study and 2022 Kantar U.S. Monitor.
Variable Life.
Only Prudential has a nearly 150-year history of helping families, individuals, and institutions to achieve financial well-being.
The information in this playbook can help you play a key role in Prudential’s mission of making lives better by helping to solve the financial challenges of our changing world, and in particular, of women in the United States.
Post-Sale
Point of Sale
Pre-Sale
Conversation Starters
Educational
A presentation that provides insights to help FPs understand how to address the women’s market.
Download Now
This flyer provides information to help FPs educate women about the importance of financial wellness.
Watch Now
A video of Prudential women clients sharing honest reflections on financial decisions and why women are vital to the future of life insurance.
A presentation that provides insights into how women perceive the financial industry, their marketing and engagement preferences, and the significance of advisor gender.
A flyer with tips on asking about coverage for a non-working spouse or partner.
Pru Take 2 flyer
The Crucial Role of the Women's Market
Women's Insights in Life Insurance
Help Women Understand the Benefits…
Expand your Client Reach
How to Create Financially Fearless Women
An email FPs can use to reach out to women business owners
Cocktails and Conversation Invitation
Cocktails and Conversations Discussion…
Small Business Prospecting Email
Learn how you can get more time to grow your business and provide clients with the modern service experience they expect with Prudential’s eCapabilities.
A flyer FPs can share with consumers to help them understand why coverage is important for a non-working spouse or partner.
A flyer that tells the story of Jennie, who explains how cash from her husband’s life insurance policy helped her after his death.
A consumer presentation that helps FPs educate women on how to be fearless when it comes to making financial decisions for themselves and their family.
Case Study-How life Insurance Helped…
Women and Retirement Infographic
Becoming Financially Fearless Women
Prudential Survivorship Suite of Products
Insurance Strategies for Your Business
A flyer that describes the advantages of survivorship life insurance and showcases why Prudential is committed to this market.
A brochure FPs can share with consumers that provides general information on insurance strategies for their businesses. (Can be used in all states but not Puerto Rico.)
LifeInsight is an interactive policy management tool that simplifies monitoring policy goals, assumptions, and performance.
For more information about our products and riders, key features, and commonly used strategies, visit our product portfolio.
Who's Your Rock?
You can use LifeInsight to:
• Simplify the policy review process so you can cut down on administrative time • Focus on clients’ goals and easily identify changes in performance • Provide clients with industry-leading reporting so they can make informed decisions • Build confidence with customers by proactively staying aware of actionable items
