COEUR d'ALENE - Scarlet Kelso, one of a rare breed of female financial advisers, says women have unique challenges compared with men when it comes to investing and planning for retirement.

One hurdle is that women sometimes spend many years out of the workforce, Kelso said. That's because they sometimes stay home with their children or take care of aging family members, so they often make less money over the long term and contribute less to Social Security and retirement accounts.

At the same time, women live longer than men, on average, so they need more money to make it through their final years, said Kelso, a financial adviser for Edward Jones in Coeur d'Alene.

Her branch office is at 3518 N. Government Way (near the Costco Wholesale outlet). Her branch office administrator is Patti Leach.

"That's a challenge we have to work with with the women," Kelso said. "Being women ourselves I think we understand where they're coming from."

Their Edward Jones branch handles investments for more than 300 households in North Idaho and Spokane. Half of their investors are women.

Kelso has been at Edward Jones for more than three years. She spent more than four years in banking before that. Kelso said it's her experience that women often ask a lot of questions when it comes to investing. More so than men, she said.

Women often want to see the fact sheets and research that support particular investment strategies.

"They're very interested in the educational side," Kelso said. She works to make investing understandable.

As investors, she said, women tend to be a bit more conservative.

They don't mind having a bit of a personal connection and some casual conversation with the person who invests their money.

"They seem to appreciate the more easy going environment that our office has to offer," Kelso said. "We focus a lot on the relationship, whereas men are sometimes more straight to the business. I think that makes women feel a bit more comfortable."

Among the options, the branch offers stocks, bonds, mutual funds, unit investment trusts (UITs), exchange-traded funds (ETFs), annuities, life insurance, and company retirement plans.

Kelso, a Hayden Lake resident, is paid a commission when clients purchase investments.