Today's episode of "Two Cents" is all about the ladies.

Oh, should I go?

No.

You should listen.

OK, ladies, time for a little real talk.

Women report feeling high or overwhelming levels of financial stress twice as often as men.

Why is that?

There are two major reasons.

The first is compensation.

The gender pay gap is real, and it is nasty.

In 1988, American women made an average of 66% of what a man would make in an equivalent position.

And today, after 20 years of progress, that number is up to 80%.

[tweet] And during that same period, women have to shoulder more financial burden, with dual income households on the rise and 42% of today's mothers with children under 18 being the primary or sole breadwinner.

And this has a lifelong implications.

The less you're paid, the less you're contributing to Social Security, which means we have to be setting aside more of our already smaller paychecks for retirement.

And that doesn't even take into account the fact that we tend to live longer, which is hardly a plus if you're spending those extra few years in abject poverty.

The second reason is confidence, or a lack thereof.

In my research and professional experience, I have seen women consistently undervalue their money management skills, even when they tend to make the right decisions.

In a University of Cambridge study, just 42% of female business owners said their business is prospering compared to 62% of males, despite the fact that the female-run businesses reported higher average profits.

Less than half of women says they'd be comfortable consulting a financial professional.

And only 20% said they discussed money with friends or family.

That doesn't leave a lot of opportunities to increase your skill set.

Shrinking that wage gap is a long-term collective battle.

But you have more personal control over your financial confidence, and it starts with learning why women are actually great with money.

Women are better investors.

Only 43% of women said they were confident in their investments.

But a 2014 study showed that women outpaced equivalent male investors' returns by 12%.

Why?

Because women tend to be more conservative investors and think of their financial picture more holistically.

Men, on the other hand, are more focused on achieving certain rates of return, which drives them to buy and sell more often and be more likely to hop on trendy bandwagons, like Tesla and bitcoin.

This impatience means that men are 25% more likely to lose money on their investments.

And the same thing seems to be true in the bond market.

During the past 15 years, women-run fixed income funds outperformed the average returns of those run by men.

Women manage debt better.

Although we typically earn less, there is evidence that we are better at managing personal debt.

Back in 2015, Experion came out with a study that showed on average, women had slightly higher credit scores than men.

And men tended to have more consumer debt on the books.

According to one study in the developing world, women had a 97% payback rate on micro-loans extended to them and were far more likely to reinvest back in their businesses rather than blow it on luxuries, like men tended to.

Women make excellent business owners.

Women now account for 40% of new entrepreneurs in the United States, and many of them are killing it.

According to a "Harvard Business Review" study, women tend to excel at influencing others to support their vision and managing operations behind the scenes, especially when resources are limited.

We're pretty used to making the most of what we've got.

And we are gaining ground.

Approximately 40% of US working women now out earn their husbands.

And over the next decade, women will control 2/3 of all consumer wealth in the United States, with many female Baby Boomers experiencing a double inheritance from parents and their spouse.

We are also getting more educated.

In 2013, women earn 56% of all bachelor's degrees and 60% of all master's degrees.

And we hold the keys to the greatest economic tool on Earth.

75% of women reported that they were the primary shoppers of their households, which means we are making the decisions that determine which products and services prosper.

Obviously this is a topic I'm passionate about, and a short video simply can't cover all the problems and possibilities that women leave.

If I can you with one thing it is this.

Financial empowerment will not be given to you.

It must be clean.

And that's our two-- So let's out our hands, ladies.

Do it for yourself and the ones closest to you.

They're following your lead, whether you realize it or not.

And that's our-- And that's my one cent.

We want to hear from you.

How has gender played a role in your relationship with money?

And not just women-- we want to hear from everyone.

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