Women embrace 'writing the next chapter', PocketSmith finds

PocketSmith has released polling on how women describe their wealth creation journey, with half of respondents choosing the phrase "writing the next chapter".

The personal finance app surveyed 270 women at a wealth event in Sydney, asking them to describe their financial lives through the metaphor of writing a book. The response options were "writing the next chapter", "navigating a plot twist", "in my favourite chapter", and "turning the page".

Half of respondents selected "writing the next chapter", while 23% chose "navigating a plot twist". A further 14% said they were "in my favourite chapter", and 13% said they were "turning the page".

Respondents ranged in age from their early 20s to their mid-60s. Women who identified with "writing the next chapter" cited examples including buying a first home with a mortgage, leaving full-time work to become a digital nomad, and downsizing from an empty-nest family home to a luxury apartment.

Those who chose "navigating a plot twist" most commonly pointed to a recent relationship breakdown. The findings suggest many participants did not frame their finances around a single conventional life stage.

Dora Yip, Chief Marketing Officer at PocketSmith, said the results pointed to a preference for more intentional language in financial communications.

"Our poll shows women have a clear preference for a positive, intentional approach to their finances, with 'writing the next chapter' emerging as the most popular description of their current journey," Yip said.

She said the written comments gathered alongside the poll added context to the headline result.

"The extra details provided by the women show that life-stage events don't last forever and rarely occur in isolation. The insight for financial marketers is to elevate the messaging above individual moments into an intentional and positive narrative that puts the woman in control of her money," Yip said.

Marketing language

The poll was designed by Yip and her team and delivered interactively at an in-person women's wealth event in Sydney. The exercise was intended to test how women respond to different narratives about financial progress.

Yip said the choice of language matters because many financial products have long been marketed in narrow or transactional terms.

"What stands out to us in the PocketSmith marketing team is that you have to give women language they can relate to," Yip said.

"Historically, a lot of the language used in financial marketing communications has been transactional, even patriarchal," she said.

"Our poll shows women have a clear preference for a positive and intentional narrative and are especially drawn to messaging around reinvention and taking control," Yip said.

The responses were gathered at PocketSmith's sponsor booth during Mel Browne's 'Her Wealth, Her Way' event at The Recital Hall in Sydney. PocketSmith created several pieces of event material around the chapter theme, including bookmarks linked to each response option and a physical activation board that allowed attendees to register their choice.

Financial control

Yip also linked the "plot twists" responses to financial resilience after separation. She said women who had relied on a partner to handle money decisions could benefit from better visibility over their finances.

"We know from academic research that women with higher financial literacy are better placed to recover from divorce. For women who previously relied on a partner to make financial decisions, there is something incredibly empowering about being in control," Yip said.

"Having visibility over your money, and the ability to explore different financial scenarios using a tool like PocketSmith, can help women make informed decisions and plan their next chapter with greater confidence," she said.

PocketSmith is headquartered in Dunedin, New Zealand, and says it is used by 396,000 people across 190 countries, including more than 100,000 in Australia. The company positions its app as a personal financial management tool and says it recently won a global open banking award in the Best App category.