9 Smart Retirement Strategies for Women

Women and men have the same opportunities for saving, investing and borrowing, the same investments, and they are subject to the same rules.

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Women and men have the same opportunities for saving, investing and borrowing, the same investments, and they are subject to the same rules. Yet their circumstances -- and their choices -- can be very different. This divide is particularly striking when it comes to preparing for retirement.

Because women have longer life expectancies, they will probably have to provide for themselves in retirement longer than men. Yet women often earn less than men and participate in the workforce more sporadically. As a result, they tend to amass less in retirement savings. And women -- particularly unmarried women -- are less likely than men to say they are very confident about having enough money to live comfortably in retirement, according to the 2015 Retirement Confidence Survey from the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

But that doesn't mean women are destined to struggle financially in their later years. Use the following checklist to identify strategies you can implement now to improve your prospects for a secure retirement -- or perhaps improve your financial outlook in the retirement you're already enjoying.

Janet Bodnar
Contributor

Janet Bodnar is editor-at-large of Kiplinger's Personal Finance, a position she assumed after retiring as editor of the magazine after eight years at the helm. She is a nationally recognized expert on the subjects of women and money, children's and family finances, and financial literacy. She is the author of two books, Money Smart Women and Raising Money Smart Kids. As editor-at-large, she writes two popular columns for Kiplinger, "Money Smart Women" and "Living in Retirement." Bodnar is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and is a member of its Board of Trustees. She received her master's degree from Columbia University, where she was also a Knight-Bagehot Fellow in Business and Economics Journalism.