Massive Wealth Transfer Will Give Women $34 Trillion by 2030

Women are controlling ever-greater sums of money around the world, setting the stage for major shifts in wealth management and philanthropy.

In the US alone, McKinsey & Co. expects women to control $34 trillion — or roughly 38% — of investable assets by 2030, close to double last year’s total. The figure was just $7.3 trillion, or 29%, 10 years ago.

The biggest driver of those gains is a simple demographic trend: Women of the Baby Boomer generation outlive men by five years on average, and rich husbands are increasingly leaving their wives in control of family fortunes. The shift is helped along by greater ...