Family wealth consultant Leslie Dashew will be the keynote speaker at the Women: Wealth, Health and Happiness “Having it All! ” conference which kicks off this morning at the The Elbow Beach Hotel.

The two-day event, which is being sponsored by the private client services of the Bank of Bermuda and other companies, is aimed at encouraging women to take more responsibility for and power over their lives.

Along with Ms Dashew there will be a host of speakers both local and international, who will speak on a range of topics including finance law and self-empowering techniques.

Ms Dashew, who resides in Arizona, has a background in organisational development and family therapy.

She said she took an interest in helping families deal with their wealth in the 1980s, when she realised there was very little written about the topic.

“So I began meeting with those who were quite wealthy. Some people had realised how money can cause problems in their families,” she said.

In addition to working with families, Ms Dashew also specialises in helping women feel more empowered when dealing with business issues.

“A lot of my work is about helping women to feel equipped and feel entitled to have a seat at the table when it comes to managing their assets,” she told recently. “I help women who may be afraid to ask questions about finances.”

So, she said, among other things, she teaches women how to become savvy with people who may not be trustworthy.

“More times than not, women would feel that an advisor is unethical, but when she raises the subject she is greeted with the feeling of ‘You’re just a girl’,” Ms Dashew said. “They are also fearful of their fathers and afraid to hurt their husband’s feelings if they ask questions pertaining to the business.

“Women have often been left out of business education of their companies.”

And Ms Dashew said while women were becoming more independent in the business world, a great many still had a way to go: “There are still many, many women who still have some naivet? about taking care of themselves and of their assets.”