This is another in a regular series on information for advisors intended to help them better understand their clients and possibly open up new niche markets to them.

It is based on data gleaned from the RTS consumer survey conducted by BBM Canada, a Toronto-based not-for-profit, industry-owned and -run broadcast audience research organization. BBM Canada conducts the bi-annual RTS survey with a sample size of more than 60,000 respondents, providing detailed insight into the consumer preferences of Canadians across a spectrum of industries including financial, banking and e-commerce. Today’s “factoid” is taken from the most current (Fall 2004) BBM RTS release.

Almost two million Canadian women have more than $100,000 in savings and investments and many are looking for financial advice, according to a survey by BBM Canada.

The RTS consumer survey says that many of these women — about 25% — are 65 and older, while about the same number (26%) have a college education. Most of them (46%) live in Ontario.

Many appear to be interested in seeking financial advice. They are twice as likely as men to use a full-service investment broker to take care of their finances, but only slightly more likely (1.5 times) to use online stock trading. By comparison, men with $100,000 and more in savings and investments are more than twice as likely as women to use online stock trading.

The survey also shows that this group of women are more than twice as likely as men to be widowed and more than twice as likely as men to take a cruise for their vacation and 1.5 times more likely to stay at a resort.

Such a strong audience could offer opportunities for investment firms to target their marketing.