Help build a better way for women to plan their financial future.
We're inviting women across Canada to take part in a study on financial planning — the kind of research that could change how women save, invest, and feel about money for generations to come.
Three short online surveys · One-year free access to a financial planning app · $30 in compensation
This research is led by faculty at the Ivey Business School, Western University and Lazaridis School of Business & Economics, Wilfred Laurier University and is proudly funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)— Canada's federal funding agency for world-class research in the humanities and social sciences.
Why this research matters
Across Canada, women are retiring with significantly less wealth than men — and the financial services industry has been slow to adapt. We're trying to change that, but we can't do it without women like you.
$105K
The wealth gap between Canadian women and men in the years approaching retirement.
LoRiggio & Morris,Institute of Labor Economics, 2024
30%
Less wealth, on average, that women retire with compared to men in a study of 14,000 group retirement plans.
Mercer Retirement Readiness Barometer, 2021
~73%
Of women report being unhappy with how the financial services industry serves them.
Boston Consulting Group, Women Want More in Financial Services
Financial planning that actually fits women's lives — different careers, different life events, different time horizons — is still hard to access for most Canadians. This study explores whether new ways of delivering financial planning can help close that gap. Your participation directly contributes to research that aligns with Canada's National Financial Literacy Strategy (2021–2026) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal on gender equality.
How it works
We've designed this study to fit into your life — not the other way around. Everything happens online, on your own schedule, from wherever you are.
Sign up and complete Survey 1
About 30 minutes. We'll ask about how you currently think about money — your spending, saving, and investing — and a bit about you.
Take part in a financial planning workshop
An online, self-paced workshop developed with a Canadian financial planning company that you have one month to complete.
Complete two follow-up surveys
One a month after you start (~30 min) and one six months later (~30 min). That's it — the data you share is what makes this research possible.
What you'll get out of it
We know your time is valuable. Here's what's in it for you — beyond the satisfaction of contributing to research that could help millions of women.
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$30 in compensation — $10 for each of the three short surveys, sent by e-transfer.
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One full year of free access to an online financial planning workshop developed by Untangle Money — a service that ordinarily comes with a fee.
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A chance to reflect on your financial life in a structured, judgment-free way. Many participants find the surveys themselves prompt useful insights.
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A meaningful contribution to research that has the potential to reach women across Canada.
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Complete confidentiality. Only the research team will ever see your individual responses, and results are reported only in aggregate.
At a glance
Total time
About 1.5 hours of surveys spread over 6 months, plus your workshop time, ~4.5-5 hours within a month of completing the first survey.
Where
Entirely online — anywhere in Canada with internet access.
Compensation
$30 total ($10 per survey, by e-transfer) plus 1 year of free access to Untangle Money’s MINI – Self Serve App (valued at $249).
Privacy
Securely managed under Western University's research ethics standards (TCPS 2).
Withdraw anytime
Participation is fully voluntary. You can stop at any point, no questions asked.
Who we're looking for
We're inviting women from many walks of life to take part. You will be a great fit if all of the following are true for you:
Funded by Canadians, for Canadians
This study is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Government of Canada's federal research funding agency for the social sciences and humanities. SSHRC funding recognizes this research as serving the public interest — work that aims to understand, and ultimately reduce, the gender wealth gap in Canada.
That public-interest mandate is exactly why your participation matters. This is independent academic research — not a sales pitch, not a marketing exercise. The findings will be published openly and will help shape how financial planning is delivered to women in the years ahead.
Meet the research team
This study is led by faculty researchers with deep expertise in consumer behaviour, marketing, and the psychology of money — and a track record of research that ends up making a difference.
Dr. Miranda Goode
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor of Marketing at the Ivey Business School, Western University. Dr. Goode's research on consumer behaviour and the psychology of money has been published in Science, the Journal of Marketing Research, and other leading journals.
Dr. June Cotte
Co-Investigator
Kraft Professor of Marketing at the Ivey Business School, Western University, and former Co-Editor of the Journal of Consumer Research. Dr. Cotte studies how consumers make decisions in complex and often stigmatized contexts.
Dr. Michael Moorhouse
Co-Investigator
Assistant Professor of Marketing whose research focuses on consumer debt, digital financial platforms, and how technology can be used to help people make better financial decisions.
The team's previous work on consumer financial decision-making has been published in the Journal of Marketing Research and has been featured in outlets including the Globe and Mail, CBC, CTV, and Global News.
Questions you might have
No. The financial planning is delivered through a secure online platform, and any information you enter is governed by that platform's privacy policy. The research team only ever sees your survey responses — not any of the financial details you share. Your individual responses are never shared publicly. Findings are reported only in aggregate (e.g., "women in this study reported X").
Because the research focuses specifically on women's financial experiences and the gender wealth gap. Men have been the implicit "default" in much of the financial services industry for decades — this research is designed to change that. Excluding men is a deliberate methodological choice approved by Western University's Non-Medical Research Ethics Board.
The study provides a financial education and planning experience — not personalized investment advice from a licensed advisor. It's designed to help you build your understanding and confidence around spending, saving, and investing decisions, but any decisions you make about your own money remain yours alone.
All survey data are collected through a platform securely hosted by Qualtrics. Your email is used only to link your responses across the three surveys and to give you access to the study — it's stored separately from your survey data and is never shared with anyone outside the research team. You can request that your data be removed at any point up until publication of the research, and all study procedures have been reviewed and approved under TCPS 2 (Canada's Tri-Council Policy Statement on research ethics; NMREB Project ID 127442).
Yes — at any time, for any reason. Participation is voluntary. You can decline to answer any question, you can stop a survey partway through, and you can ask us to remove your data up until the research is published. None of this affects your free access to Untangle Money’s MINI Self-Serve App.
Roughly six months from start to finish — but your active time commitment is small. The three surveys total about 1.5 hours combined. Most participants find the surveys take about 30 minutes each. The financial planning part of the study is online, self-paced, and takes about 4.5 to 5 hours. Participants must complete this portion of the study within one month of completing the first survey.
For questions about the study, please contact Dr. Miranda Goode, Principal Investigator, at mgoode@ivey.ca. For questions about your rights as a research participant, contact Western University's Office of Human Research Ethics at (519) 661-3036 or ethics@uwo.ca.
Be part of the answer.
We need hundreds of women across Canada to take part — every voice we hear from helps us understand more about how to make financial planning genuinely work for women. Your participation could shape the next generation of research and practice.
You'll be taken to Qualtrics’ secure platform to read the Letter of Information and provide consent before any questions are asked.
About this study
Financial Planning for Women is a research study conducted by faculty at the Ivey Business School, Western University, with funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The study has been reviewed and approved by Western University's Non-Medical Research Ethics Board.
This website is recruitment material approved under Western University's research ethics framework. Email is not a fully secure form of communication; please consider this when contacting the research team.
Contact
Dr. Miranda Goode, Principal Investigator
Ivey Business School, Western University
mgoode@ivey.ca · 519-661-3965
Research ethics concerns:
Office of Human Research Ethics, Western University
(519) 661-3036 · ethics@uwo.ca