Beneath the rubble of last year's disaster, one group of clients is prospering. American women are better educated, better paid and living longer than ever before. They've become one of the world's most powerful economic forces-not only in terms of what they spend, but also in increasing wealth.

Take these numbers, for example. More than half of the investment assets in the U.S. are controlled by women. Women also account for more than 40% of all Americans with gross investable assets above $600,000 and 48% of the country's millionaires, according to Oppenheimer's 2006 study Women and Investing. Nearly half the country's estates worth more than $5 million are controlled by, you guessed it, women.

But wait, there's more. Women's economic future is even brighter. American females have earned more bachelor's and master's degrees than men every year for three decades, leading to increased earning power. Add to that the generational and spousal wealth transfer these women have coming down the pipeline (estimates range from $14 trillion to $25 trillion) and it's clear why many predict that, by 2030, two-thirds of the nation's wealth will be in women's hands.

WASTED OPPORTUNITY

Despite the opportunity this thriving market presents, however, financial planners largely ignore women. Only a small minority of financial professionals actively seek to attract female clients, leaving a vast and lucrative market for advice significantly underserved.

A 2008 study by the Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association (LIMRA), for instance, found that only about one in six male insurance representatives and roughly half of all female representatives plan to target the female market. Considering roughly three out of four financial professionals are male-regardless of their business model-the weighted percentage of representatives marketing to women is less than 25%.

This makes the women's market one of the greatest growth opportunities for a financial planner today-an opportunity many have disregarded. This is baffling, considering study after study has proven that women are a receptive market.

In fact, women are more interested in receiving professional financial advice than men are. According to a 2008 study by Allianz, one half of women prefer to learn about financial products from financial professionals. Talk about a thirst for knowledge.

BUMPS IN THE ROAD

This, of course, is good news for financial planners-though that doesn't mean this market is without obstacles. Most significantly, women as a group, are subject to much financial change-even extreme change-over the course of their lifetime. For instance, women today are more likely than men to find themselves in poverty at some point in their life. That's because women are more likely than men to have to contend with lower lifetime earnings, longer life expectancy, singlehood, chronic and disabling health conditions, and lower levels of financial literacy. The death of a spouse can be especially debilitating, and can mean loss of one Social Security check, a pension and, in some cases, health coverage. Widowhood can also leave a woman with the couple's remaining debt, which is often quite high.

Together, these factors can mean a life of destitution-particularly for older women, even those who have been financially secure most of their lives. According to the Deptartment of Labor, women are twice as likely as men to live below the poverty line during their retirement years, and almost three out of four Americans over 65 classified as "poor" are female.

This obstacle, however, is your opportunity. Educated women are aware of many of their financial risks and want to avoid becoming part of a poverty statistic. In fact, according to Oppenheimer's 2006 study, the vast majority of women think they will live to be 80 or older, believe they will spend part of their retirement in a nursing home and expect to outlive their spouses.

Even better, they want to do something about it. One in three women is eager to strengthen her financial planning skills but just doesn't know where to begin, Allianz's survey revealed. Your services can be a solution.

Another potential roadblock in serving the women's market is that most women have high suspicion of-and very low regard for-the financial services industry. A 2008 survey by State Farm revealed that just one in three women trusted financial professionals, and that three in four female respondents were skeptical when first meeting with a financial professional. This trust was surely diminished even further over the last two years, thanks to Madoff and other Ponzi schemers.

Many women also feel disconnected and disrespected by the industry as a whole. According to research conducted by the Boston Consulting Group between 2008 and 2009, financial services ranks as the industry least in touch with what women are looking for. Women complained that financial services reps talk down to them, show a lack of respect and-most disturbingly-provide them with poor advice.