06/26/2025
The Real Risk When You Invest Can Be Playing It Too Safe
My associate Lindsay and I recently updated our workplace retirement allocations.
She’s 29 now and has been contributing to her plan since she was 23.
From the start, she chose the "aggressive growth" option and stuck with it.
Today, she has earned an impressive 15% annualized return over the past six years.
Lindsay gets it: time is her friend, growth builds wealth - not safety - and she has me as her mentor 🙂
But it got me thinking…
How many young women are making the opposite choice?
📊 According to Sun Life’s Designed for Savings report, women are significantly more likely than men to choose conservative investments in their workplace retirement plans—even in their 20s and 30s.
It feels cautious. Responsible. “Safe.”
But when it comes to long-term investing, “safe” is usually not the best choice.
And unfortunately, when it comes to workplace pensions, too many people are left to navigate their options with little to no education or guidance.
No wonder so many choose the path that feels safe—even if it limits their future.
Let’s stop equating 'aggressive' with risky - or better yet, stop using the word altogether. 'Aggressive' sounds like high-stakes gambling, with the potential to lose a lot of money. A better term is 'high-growth'. It sounds like opportunity. Like a smart, forward thinking strategy.
Understand the following:
📉 Volatility is temporary
📈 Growth is essential
⏳ And time is your most powerful asset
💬 A note to parents:
Talk to your kids—especially when they’re just starting their careers.
Help them understand the relationship between short-term volatility and long-term growth.
And honestly, how many of you now wish you’d had 100% equity exposure
in your company pension plan all those years ago?
What would you tell your 25-year-old self?
