This International Women’s Day, Morningstar brings together perspectives from across our Australian research teams to explore why engagement matters, and how informed participating can lead to better long-term outcomes for women.

We’re proud of Morningstar’s mission to always put investors first with independent research and insights. We focus on helping investors make sense of complexity, cut through noise and make confident decisions aligned with their goals. Our team draws on Morningstar’s research and real world experience to support women at every stage of their investing journey.

The conversation explores:

  • The power of investing with time, and why staying engaged matters more than trying to time the market.
  • How diversity of thought, including gender diversity, strengthens investment decision making.
  • Why staying invested is especially important when women are more likely to spend time out of the workforce.
  • The good news: women are effective long-term investors and the basis of their success.
  • How superannuation can be used more intentionally to improve retirement outcomes.

It features insights from:

• Eva Cook, Senior Principal, Equity Strategies

• Winky Tan, Equity Analyst, Equity Research

• Bianca Rose, Senior Portfolio Manager, Morningstar Investment Management

• Simonelle Mody, Associate Investment Specialist, Research and Investments

• Shani Jayamanne, Director, Investment Specialist, Research and Investments

The new financial system

In this International Women’s Day edition of Future Focus, Shani Jayamanne explores a powerful historical pattern: when traditional financial systems excluded women, women built their own.

Today, that pattern is repeating - not because of legal barriers, but because of trust gaps and perceived inaccessibility within financial services.

Increasingly, women are turning to digital communities and financial influencers for education and guidance. While these platforms offer relatability and accessibility, they also introduce new risks, including speculative behaviour driven by engagement-based incentives.

Shani argues that the real solution isn’t choosing between institutions and influencers. Both have incentives. Instead, she calls for structured empowerment: building an Investment Policy Statement, separating learning from action, scrutinising incentives and measuring progress against personal goals.

Lessons from women at Morningstar

This piece from Simonelle Mody highlights the voices and experiences of women across Morningstar’s teams. It focuses on lessons, insights and turning points that have shaped careers, financial journeys and personal growth.

Other insights on International Women’s Day

Future Focus: My investment portfolio used to be gold bangles. Ways that women have taken back financial control.

What financial independence means for women. Financial independence means different things to different people but all investors can learn from some common pitfalls.

4 steps women can take to stave off a retirement shortfall. Use these questions to get started.

Are you part of the sandwich generation? Prevent financial stress when caring responsibilities arise from children and parents.

How do you financially prepare for parenthood? Betsy Westcott shares the considerations for starting a family and how to feel more prepared for parenthood.

3 steps to increase financial security. Morningstar’s International Women’s Day event brought together a property expert and a financial wellness expert to discuss the best ways to increase financial security.

Practical ways to close the gender gap. Morningstar’s International Women’s Day panel shares practical tips for improving financial outcomes.

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