Allie O'Neill

Such a good Tuesday hanging out with the CIBC Olds crew and Shannon from our mortgage advice team for the Olds College Welcome Back to the Herd BBQ!

The people made the day. From a retiree taking classes to find new ways to give back, to a young student working hard in ag management so she's ready to run her family farm when the time comes.

Loved teaming up across our different areas of the bank to get out in the sunshine and support local Central Alberta families.

Be honest with me, Central Alberta. How many hours into harvest are you before your back starts demanding retirement? 🚜

If you're out in the dust this week, here are 5 signs you might be ready to start talking transition:

1. Your combine seat lost its cushion three years ago, and getting down that ladder feels like an Olympic event.

2. The kids want to upgrade the monitors, and you're still defending equipment that requires a hammer to fix.

3. You told the family "we'll talk about the plan after harvest" for the fifth year in a row.

4• You've started looking at winter getaways where plugging in a block heater isn't part of daily life.

5. You love this operation with everything you've got, but you'd way rather bring the crew lunch and hang out with the grandkids than deal with a midnight belt blow out.

Passing the torch doesn't happen overnight, but getting the conversation started takes a huge weight off everyone's shoulders.

What is the biggest question you have about farm transition? Let me know below!

Calling all Central Alberta women in ag! 🌾

If you help run a family farm or ranch, you cannot afford to sit this one out.

I will be presenting at the Ladies Livestock Lessons on January 14, 2027, at the Madden Community Centre. We are having honest conversations about farm transition, retirement planning, and making sure you have complete confidence in your family financial roadmap.

It is going to be an unforgettable day of connection and real takeaways.

Grab your seat using the link in the first comment below 👇

And just like that, I have a middle schooler. 🎒

Growing a business takes a lot of time, energy, and juggling schedules. But being able to hit pause this morning and walk my boy to school for day one is the exact reason I do what I do.

We work hard to build a good life, but getting to be fully present for these little milestones is what truly matters most.

Hope all the Alberta parents are holding it together today.

Still smiling after such a fun trip!

I was out in Toronto last week for the 2nd annual CIBC Women's Network Design Challenge at the gorgeous CIBC Square. It was so great to explore the city again, but getting to collaborate with such a sharp, funny, and supportive group of women was hands down the highlight.

We had so much fun tackling big ideas together. I am so glad to be back home in Central Alberta, completely energized and ready for the week ahead!

You can't play golf every single day, and winter always shows up on time in Alberta.

Most folks know exactly what they're retiring from: the early alarms, the busy routines, and the daily commute.

But my favourite part of this job is helping families figure out what they're retiring to!

Because once you step away from work, every dream has its own price tag:

• Spending the entire summer out at the trailer with the kids and grandkids

• Picking up new hobbies that need gear, tools, or garage space

• Escaping the cold for warmer weather every winter

• Budgeting for help around the house when the yard work gets a little heavy down the road

A real retirement plan isn't just about saving money in an account. It's about making sure you can actually enjoy the life you spent decades working toward.

Send me a quick message if you want to chat about how this might impact your family.

Honestly, if my job was just picking stocks and watching market charts all day, I'd get bored fast.

That's not why I do what I do. When families come to see me, they aren't looking for someone to just gamble on the stock market. They want a quarterback.

They want someone who sits down with them over coffee and looks at the whole picture. How to handle short term goals without losing sight of retirement. How to keep the CRA from taking the first cut of their hard earned estate so their kids actually get what was meant for them. And how to handle the heavy stuff, like planning for long term care when a parent needs extra help.

I don't measure success over a few months or a couple of years. My goal is to be in your corner for the next 20 to 30 years, walking through every stage of life together.

Send me a quick message if you want to chat about how this might impact your family.

Six months of planning, a party bus full of friends out to Invermere, and it starts pouring rain just as we pull up to the course!

We sat through an hour rain delay and started our round in the drizzle. But by hole two, the sun broke through and turned it into a gorgeous 27 degree day on the course.

Sometimes you just have to wait out the storm to get to the good part!

What is the craziest weather turn you've experienced on a summer trip? Let me know!