As we begin March, a month when we celebrate women, we get finance creator Sonia Shenoy to tell us how to begin our journey to financial autonomy
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It's 2026, and it’s high time women get smarter about their investments. There are a few female creators who are helping make that transition easier. Sonia Shenoy, who has been a journalist across news channels over a 17-year-long career, is now a known face on social media, breaking down finance jargon in an easy, accessible way for the ladies.
I started covering business news by sheer luck. My segment used to be about where to invest and I would have a lot of people on the show who shared their expert advice. It helped me become more aware of my investment options and how it works. To be honest, it’s not difficult once you figure it out,” she says.
Indian women have always been low risk takers in the financial markets due to lack of autonomy over money and investment knowledge. “Firstly, let us understand that women often lack financial autonomy. They do not take financial decisions even if they earn more than the husband. But this is now changing. For example, 20 per cent of those who invest in Mutual Funds now are women. This is much higher than 8 to 10 per cent only a few years ago,” she says.
Sonia Shenoy has been a journalist for 17 years and now decodes finance for women online
Shenoy has noticed that once a woman makes up her mind to understand and make financial investments, she is unstoppable. She has also observed that women are harder on themselves with regards to taking a bad call. “Women also do not know how to take risks . Financial risks are a part of the game in investing but women historically and traditionally do not have the agency to take risks. This is now changing ,” she says.
Shenoy says that a financial advisor is a must. She says, “Get a financial advisor. They are very important because there is a lot of overload of information online and investors can get really carried away and make wrong investments and lose a lot of money. So a SEBI registered financial advisor is a must.”
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“If you don’t know what decision to take, educate yourself and reduce your dependence on other people taking the financial decisions for you. This is very hard because one has to get over years of conditioning,” she adds.
Some dos and don’ts that she follows while she invests are: “I don’t do crypto and I don’t do futures and options or derivative trading . We also must have a diverse” she says.
Let’s call that financial planner, should we?
Sonia’s top tip
Get a financial advisor. They are very important because there is a lot of oversharing online and consumers can get really carried away and make wrong investments and lose a lot of money. So a SEBI-registered financial advisor is a must.
20%
Of mutual fund investors are women
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