Let’s start with the number.
$124 trillion.
That’s how much wealth is expected to transfer globally over the next two decades.
And here’s the part that changes everything:
Women will receive the majority of it.
According to “Women will get most of the $124 trillion ‘great wealth transfer’” (CNBC, citing Cerulli Associates & Bank of America Institute) —
Women are expected to inherit ~70% of that wealth.
By 2030, women are projected to control two-thirds of private wealth in the U.S.
(McKinsey & Company — Women and Wealth research, cited in CNBC).
This is not a cycle.
It’s a structural shift in who holds capital.
The Canadian Layer
This isn’t just a U.S. story.
In Canada:
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Women are expected to control ~$4 trillion in wealth by 2028
(“Who are the Canadian women set to control $4 trillion by 2028?” — Wealth Professional / CIBC study) -
Up to $1 trillion will transfer to women by 2030
(Nicola Wealth — “Intergenerational Wealth Transfer & Women”)
This is one of the largest reallocations of capital in Canadian history.
And yet:
The systems managing that capital — investing, advisory, venture, private markets — were not built with women as the primary decision-makers.
How We Got Here
This shift is not cultural.
It’s mathematical.
1. Longevity
Women live longer — and therefore inherit more wealth from spouses.
(Wealth Professional — Canadian Wealth Transfer Analysis)
2. Workforce + Education Gains
Women are more educated, earning more, and participating more in the economy than in previous generations.
(McKinsey — Women in the Workplace; OECD; StatsCan)
3. Entrepreneurship
More women are building and exiting businesses — creating independent wealth.
4. Dual Transfer Effect
Wealth transfers first to women (spouses), then again to the next generation.
Women are central to both stages.
The Gap No One Designed For
Here’s where the story fractures.
Women are becoming the primary holders of wealth.
But they were not historically included in:
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Investment conversations
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Portfolio strategy
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Capital allocation decisions
As outlined in Nicola Wealth’s advisory perspective on women and wealth transfer,
Many women are entering wealth stewardship without having been equipped with the same financial literacy or exposure.
So we are watching:
A transfer of capital without a parallel transfer of financial confidence.
The Behaviour Shift
When women control money, they move it differently.
From “Women Are Inheriting Trillions. This Is A Seismic Power Shift” (Forbes):
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Women are more likely to align investing with values
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85% of household charitable decisions are influenced by women (Bank of America Institute)
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Women disproportionately fund
→ Healthcare
→ Education
→ Social infrastructure
→ Women-led initiatives
This is not just a wealth story.
It’s a capital allocation story.
The Contradiction
At the same time:
Women still receive ~2% of venture capital funding globally
(Multiple sources, including McKinsey, BDC, and referenced in “Personal Finance Warrior — Women & Wealth”)
So we have:
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Women receiving the majority of wealth
-
But still excluded from capital distribution systems
That’s not a pipeline issue.
That’s a structural lag.
The Real Shift
Historically:
Women drove consumption.
Now:
Women will drive capital.
That changes:
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What gets funded
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What scales
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What industries grow
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What problems get solved
As highlighted in Forbes Women & Wealth coverage:
When women invest, they tend to prioritize long-term impact, community outcomes, and intergenerational value.
That’s not softer capital.
That’s a different capital.
The BFT Take
This is not a story about women getting richer.
It’s a story about who controls capital—and how that capital behaves.
Wealth alone doesn’t create power.
Participation does. Education does. Confidence does.
The next decade won’t be defined by how much women inherit,
but by how they invest, what they fund, what they build, and what they change.
For the first time in modern economic history, women are positioned not just to participate in the economy—but to shape it.
Through capital. Through allocation. Through ownership.
This isn’t a moment.
It’s a rebalancing.
And the system hasn’t caught up yet.
That’s the business of womanhood.
And we’re built for this.
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