In 2014, we founded Ellevest after recognizing that the financial industry wasn’t built for women. Two years later, a brilliant team of people helped launch it, to a less-than-rousing reception.

In 2024 — ten years later — we’ve built a community of 3+ million and are managing more than $2.4 billion in assets.

Quite the brand character arc, huh?

Between then and now, for women and finance in particular, a lot has changed. Even if it can be hard to see that change when you’re living it. (An important distinction: Change is not always progress.)

As Ellevest celebrates ten years of getting ‌more money in the hands of women, here are some ways‌ women are more confident about using their financial power than they were a decade ago …

1. Ten years ago, a raft of surveys “revealed” that women do more research, are better at matching their investments to their goals, trade less, and remain calmer during market upheavals. Now, it’s widely reported that we’re better investors than men.

2. Ten years ago, 47% of women felt comfortable talking about money. Now, 70% of women say that they talk to their friends about money.

3. Ten years ago, retirement was deemed the somnolent last few chapters of life. Now, we’re ‌using our retirement eras for second, third, and fourth acts.

4. Ten years ago, women’s sports were dismissed. Today, they’re at an inflection point set to unlock billions in value.

5. Ten years ago, single women buying homes was at a low point. Today, single women are more likely to own homes than single men.

6. Ten years ago, family planning, menopause, and divorce were shrouded in overwhelm, mystery, and shame. Now, we’re making it our literal business to fill the void on these topics.

7. Ten years ago, many women weren’t negotiating job offers. Now, we’re asking for more signing bonuses, equity compensation, and guaranteed severance packages.

8. Ten years ago, impact investing was considered the new frontier. Today it’s so mainstream that there’s even a backlash against it (and is just one of the ways our clients are investing to change the world).

9. Ten years ago, the Great Wealth Transfer was creeping into the vernacular. Today, we’re in the midst of a history-making opportunity for women and wealth.

10. Ten years ago, calling out those who gave patronizing financial advice to women could have been a full-time job. Now, women just buy the f***ing latte.

… and yes, even with all of those changes, we know that there are signs pointing to the fact that women’s economic future is looking likely bleaker today than it was ten years ago.

And that’s why we’ll never stop showing up every day to get more money in the hands of women. As Gloria Steinem has said, “We will not solve the feminization of power until we solve the masculinity of wealth.”

Thank you for being here. We’re rooting for you and your financial goals, always.

—The Ellevest Team

PS: If you missed Ellevest Founder Sallie Krawcheck’s recent message, you can find that here. It’s worth a read (as is everything she writes).

“I heard Sallie on a podcast when Ellevest was launching and she said, pay off your high-interest credit card debt before you invest. I was super excited about Ellevest, and that was the impetus I needed to pay off $5,500 of credit card debt I’d been carrying for years. [I’ve] been living within my means since I paid it off in 2017 and I have been a client since then.”

— Maggie M. from Minneapolis, MN