Women from around Suffolk and the surrounding community will gather this morning at the Hilton Garden Inn and Suffolk Conference Center for another in a continuing series of lectures sponsored by Suffolk’s Smart Women.

“Women, Money and Power” is the seventh in the quarterly lecture series, which was the brainchild of a group of local businesswomen who wanted to give area women a place where they could acquire valuable business skills and life lessons, while networking and enjoying lunch with their peers.

The event will feature Cathy Stancell, an investment counselor and assistant vice president at BB&T Investment Services Inc., along with Robert Thorndike, senior vice president of investments at Davenport & Co.

During the interactive workshop, guests will be able to try their hands at a simulated stock market game, in addition to learning about retirement, college planning and tax-advantaged investing.

The lecture and game are designed to educate women about money management and to help them understand how the stock market functions.

The fast-paced stock market game will allow participants to buy stocks freely, without risking their own money, and prizes will be awarded to members of the audience who end up with the best returns.

Six Suffolk businesswomen — Diana Eaves of BB&T, Lydia Duke of Duke Automotive, Laura Lyon of the Hilton Garden Inn, Ashley Greene of Marketing Mojo, Tracie Thorndike of Nansemond-Suffolk Academy and Barbara Kayes of RE/MAX Across town — established the SMART (Successful, Motivated … and Really Tired” club almost two years ago.

The group’s lecture and conversation series is open to the public. Tickets are $20 each. Call Diane Eaves at 934-6751 for more information.