Thursday, 29 October 2026
A recent in-person poll of 270 women by personal finance app PocketSmith has uncovered a strong affinity for messaging that prioritises forward momentum, regardless of life-stage.
Half of the women polled described themselves as ‘writing the next chapter’ of their wealth creation journey.
For financial marketers, there is an opportunity to move away from specific life events to capture demand and target messaging that highlights moments of reinvention.
The poll was designed by Dora Yip, Chief Marketing Officer at PocketSmith, and her team.
“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.
“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 noted.
The poll was delivered interactively at an in-person women’s wealth event in Sydney earlier this month. It gathered data from 270 female respondents ranging in age from early 20s to mid 60s.
Women were asked to describe where they are in their wealth creation journey, through the metaphor of writing a book, with each chapter representing a stage in their own financial lives.
Response options were: writing the next chapter (50%), navigating a plot twist (23%), in my favourite chapter (14%), and turning the page (13%).
“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 added.
“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.
Examples given by respondents writing their next chapter include: buying a first home with the help of a mortgage, giving up full-time employment to become a digital nomad, and downsizing from an empty-nest family home into a luxury apartment.
The majority of women who said they were ‘navigating a plot twist’ cited a recent relationship breakdown as the reason.
“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 a personal financial management (PFM) app used by 396,000 people in 190 countries, including more than 100,000 Australians.
The app’s core brand promise is ‘all the features you need to manage your money’, including innovative features like customisable categorisation, what-if analysis, and powerful forecasting tools.
The poll was conducted in-person at PocketSmith’s sponsor booth at the sold-out Mel Browne ‘Her Wealth, Her Way’ event held at The Recital Hall in Sydney on Friday, 9 October 2026.
Yip’s team prepared five pieces of marketing collateral in total for the live event: a magazine advertorial, an enamel jade moneytree pin for booth participants, a set of four bookmarks (one for each chapter) included in attendee showbags, an activation board for the poll with physical buttons, and a screen to display the live results as participants chose their chapters.
About PocketSmith
PocketSmith is a leading personal finance software company headquartered in Dunedin, New Zealand. Trusted by over 396,000 users in 190 countries, our tools help Household CFOs around the world take control of their money and achieve their financial goals. With powerful forecasting, multi-currency support, and flexible budgeting tools, PocketSmith offers a highly customisable approach to money management.
At the forefront of open banking globally, PocketSmith provides secure connections to banks and other financial institutions worldwide, giving people clearer insights into their finances. As an independent fintech, we are committed to privacy, security, and financial inclusion — helping people make smarter financial decisions on their own terms.
