Syndicated financial columnist and author Jane Bryant Quinn will keynote the fourth annual Iowa Women and Money Conference to be held Oct. 9 in Des Moines.

Hosted by the Iowa Treasurer’s office, the free, daylong Saturday conference at the Polk County Convention Complex will focus on money management topics for women of all economic backgrounds, ages and levels of financial knowledge.

“Our goal in hosting this special event is to empower women by providing information that addresses the unique challenges they face while putting their financial house in order,” Iowa Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald said.

Quinn, author of the bestselling “Making the Most of Your Money,” writes a syndicated column that is published in more than 250 newspapers and has appeared on major network news programs.

Based on feedback from last year’s session, which had about 275 participants, one session this year will focus specifically on retirement planning, while another will address the needs of first-time home buyers, said Karen Austin, Iowa’s deputy treasurer. “It looks like a popular one this year is estate planning,” she said.

The conference, which includes lunch, is provided at no cost to participants through private sponsorships, Austin said. This year’s largest sponsor is College Savings Iowa.

To register for the conference, visit www.iowawomenandmoney.com