The Tribune

The ‘Women Only’ seminar, designed to financially educate women and help them take advantage of opportunities, will be hosted by Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) this Saturday.

The free seminar, themed “How to Make it Better”, seeks to educate, inspire and help women so they and the people they love and care for can have a better life.

Gregory Bethel, president of retail banking at Fidelity Bank, said the seminar is to help women realise that they are the primary architects of their future.

“A number of the challenges facing women today stem from a lack of knowledge. Women do not always know how to make the most of their talents, their relationships, their challenges and especially their finances,” he said. “

This is what ‘Women Only’ is designed to address. We are creating a forum where women can ask themselves the hard questions like: ‘Am I adequately preparing for retirement?’, ‘Am I in relationships with my financial equals?’, ‘Am I happy with where I am presently, i e personally, socially, economically?’ When we get women to begin thinking about these things, they will begin to make the decisions that help them to create a better future for themselves, and by extension, their partners and offspring.”

While there was a three-year hiatus after the first ‘Women Only’ seminar in 2009, its return in 2012 was marked with an amazing turnout, the bank said. In 2014, more than 1,200 women attended the seminar.

Janice Rolle, senior financial centre manager, expects an even greater turnout for the 2016 event.

“There is a reason women appear in larger numbers at events such as ‘Women Only’. It’s the same reason women are represented in greater numbers at colleges and universities. Generally, women understand that they need knowledge to be empowered. Truth is, even after all that the women’s suffrage movement accomplished, women are still not viewed as equal to men. Furthermore, in 2016 women still contribute less to their retirement and savings funds than men. Women still struggle to escape the debt trap, and are unable to rest assured they’ll live securely during their last years of life. Women are still more vulnerable to exploitation then men. These are serious problems which must be addressed,” Ms Rolle said.

The seminar features seven sessions, including a panel of experts who will answer audience’s questions. This year, attendees will be able to ask questions via social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The seminar runs from 9am to 1pm.

Interested persons are asked to RSVP by tomorrow by calling 356-7764 ext 3214 or 3560, or by e-mailing krysal.jones@fidelitybahamas.com or breanka.forbes@fidelitybahamas.com.