Vanguard Survey: Women Face a "Cash Crossroad" Between Confidence and Reality

Despite the majority feeling confident about saving, their money is often languishing in low-yield accounts.

VALLEY FORGE, Pa., May 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new Vanguard survey, when it comes to finances, more than 70% of women say they feel confident about saving money—yet nearly half of respondents hold savings that may not be keeping pace with inflation. Forty-six percent save in low-yield accounts that earn less than 3%. Additionally, 20% of women surveyed reported having no savings other than those designated for retirement.

"Savings are a crucial part of everyone's holistic financial strategy, and yet, the survey found a clear disconnect between women's overarching financial goals and how and where they save," said Sonia Fraher, Head of Cash Management at Vanguard. "The good news is that identifying this disconnect creates opportunity to decide if you want to change course by taking stock of where you are saving to ensure you're earning the interest you deserve. This is especially important since savings, compounded over time, can have a meaningful impact on women's overall wealth and financial well-being."

Priorities vs Reality: Why Savings Goals Fall Short

Nearly half of women listed financial security as their primary savings goal. However, competing priorities often interfere:

• Women self-reported their top three financial regrets as: Spending money on something they didn't need (27%), waiting too long to save for an important goal (18%), or helping family or friends financially when they should have prioritized their own savings (14%).
• Nearly half (47%) used their savings at least once in the past year for something other than their primary goal, with 14% having done this four or more times.

Where Opportunity Emerges: Insights from Women on What Would Fuel Change  

Women noted that a trusted recommendation (35%), more available education (30%), and guidance from a certified professional (29%) would make them feel more confident about transitioning to a high-yield savings option.

• Forty three percent of Gen Z respondents, more than any other generation, would feel more confident about changing their savings strategy after receiving a recommendation from someone they trusted.
• Millennials (37%) would feel more confident about switching to a high-yield savings option as a result of additional education.
• Mothers reported being more open to changing their savings strategy (83% vs. 70% of all women) if they were to receive additional education about all available options.

"I work with many women, particularly mothers, who are juggling competing priorities and often putting their own financial goals on hold," said Tiana Patillo, CFP®, and Financial Advisor Manager at Vanguard. "As a mother myself, I understand those tradeoffs firsthand. At Vanguard, we believe closing the gap starts with clear, accessible information that helps women understand their goals, commit to a plan, and make their savings work harder so they can make confident decisions for themselves and their families—and that's what we work to do every day."

There is clear opportunity for women to optimize their savings strategies and one place to start is by revisiting where they are saving to ensure they are earning strong interest. With more than 500,000 accounts opened since its launch in March of 2024, one high-yield option to consider is Vanguard's Cash Plus Account, which offers a bank sweep annual percentage yield of 3.35%¹ as of May 6, 2026 and features like mobile check deposit, direct deposit, and compatibility with PayPal and Venmo². To learn more about Vanguard Cash Plus, visit vanguard.com/cashplus. To learn more about savings techniques and strategies, visit: https://investor.vanguard.com/investor-resources-education.  

Survey Methodology
The findings are based on a nationally representative survey of more than 1,000 U.S. women conducted in April 2026. The survey was fielded by Big Village among a sample of 1,007 U.S. women 18 years of age and older. Quota sampling is used to collect a nationwide sample of respondents who are weighted by age, region, race/ethnicity, and education to mirror the demographical composition of the U.S. population using Current Population Survey proportions.

About Vanguard
Founded in 1975, Vanguard is one of the world's leading investment management companies. The firm offers investments, advice, and retirement services to tens of millions of individual investors around the globe—directly, through workplace plans, and through financial intermediaries. Vanguard operates under a unique, investor-owned structure where Vanguard fund shareholders own the funds, which in turn own Vanguard. As such, Vanguard adheres to a simple purpose: To take a stand for all investors, to treat them fairly, and to give them the best chance for investment success. For more information, visit vanguard.com.

¹The bank sweep APY (annual percentage yield) presented is as of May 6, 2026, and includes a 0.25% boost effective until September 30, 2026. APY will vary and may change at any time.

Bank savings accounts offer different services and features than a Vanguard Cash Plus Account. For example, savings accounts often offer features like overdraft protection, ATM access, bill pay services and other conveniences that Cash Plus Accounts do not offer. Cash Plus Accounts allow you to hold certain securities that bank savings accounts cannot hold. In addition, Cash Plus Accounts are subject to fraud prevention restrictions such as holding periods and transaction limits, which may not apply to a bank savings account. There may be other differences between these products that you may want to consider before choosing which option is best for you.

²Some third-party institutions may not accept the Cash Plus Account routing number for transactions. If you have any issues using the routing number on a third-party website, contact the provider. 

The Vanguard Cash Plus Account is a brokerage account offered by Vanguard Brokerage Services, a division of Vanguard Marketing Corporation, member FINRA and SIPC. Under the Sweep Program, Eligible Balances swept to Program Banks are not securities: they are not covered by SIPC, but are eligible for FDIC insurance, subject to applicable limits. Money market funds held in the account are not guaranteed or insured by the FDIC, but are securities eligible for SIPC coverage. See the Vanguard Bank Sweep Products Terms of Use and Program Bank list for more information. APY will vary and may change at any time.

All investing is subject to risk, including possible loss of principal.

CFP Board owns the certification mark CFP® in the U.S.

Advice services are provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc., a registered investment advisor, or by Vanguard National Trust Company, a federally chartered, limited-purpose trust company. 

Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor of the Vanguard Funds.

SOURCE Vanguard