News Releases

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - May 31, 2012) -

Editors Note: There is a photo associated with this press release.

As families in Calgary, Canada and beyond get ready to kick-off their summer holidays with a visit to the Calgary Stampede, BMO Bank of Montreal joins in the celebrations as the official bank of the Calgary Stampede for the past 100 years.

"We're excited, along with the Stampede Board, committees, staff and the community, to be celebrating the 100^th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede," said Robert Hayes, Senior Vice President, Prairies Division for BMO Bank of Montreal. "The bank's ties to the Calgary Stampede are long and remarkable. We've been the banker to the Calgary Exhibition since 1899 when lands were christened at Victoria Park. And BMO continued as the official banker in 1912 when the first rodeo took place and they became the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede."

In keeping with its support of fun, family activities, BMO is offering five BMO Family Financial Tips each week leading up to the start of Stampede. BMO Financial Group has been encouraging Canadians to take steps to better manage their household debt and finances. BMO SmartSteps for Parents - an online, interactive hub - was introduced one year ago to help parents educate children on money management. The resource is free and available to all Canadians and aligns with advice from the Federal Government to improve financial literacy in Canada.

"Making Money Make Sense for parents is our goal with BMO SmartSteps for Parents," said Mike Suzuki, vice-president, Alberta South, BMO Bank of Montreal. "Parents, along with financial institutions, share the responsibility of bringing the topic of money management into the everyday family dialogue, but you have to make it fun and engaging."

Week Number One - Round up Your Family for Regular Money Talks Whether it's planning the weekly grocery list or saving for a family vacation, including your children in the discussion of saving for short and long term goals can foster a better understanding of the value of a dollar. When having your Money Talk, remember:

	Keep it appropriate to your child - Not all children learn the value of a dollar and the concept of saving at the same pace, and children of different ages grasp different money concepts. Make sure you're having regular conversations to get a clear idea of their level of understanding and apply savings goals and responsibilities accordingly.
	Help them develop a plan for saving and spending - In exchange for chores or other tasks, set up a weekly allowance with your children and help them set goals about how much they will spend and how much they will save. Include in the discussion money they might receive as gifts for birthdays or for doing odd jobs for the neighbours.
	Let them 'own it' - Let your children begin to take responsibility for their own small amounts of money. If your child goes through the money they've set aside to spend, try not to reimburse. Instead, let this be a lesson to help them better understand the value of a dollar.
	Determine who buys what - Be clear about what your children will be responsible for purchasing with their own money and what you will buy for them. This will help them begin to understand the need to set specific goals to save for purchases and to learn to budget the spending money they have.

A BMO survey, conducted by Leger Marketing in 2011, revealed that only half of parents surveyed (54 per cent) have talked with their children about household finances and 37 per cent are not certain their children have a firm grasp on the basics of money management.

BMO Family Financial Tips will be issued every week leading up to the start of the Calgary Stampede.

Six Calgary branches will host Centennial Birthday Cake Posses from June 11 to 15. The cakes are just one of the ways BMO is part of the community celebrations with the Calgary Stampede.

Date for Centennial Birthday Cake Posses at BMO Branches:
June 11, 11:00 am	Calgary Main Branch Downtown
June 13, 12:00 pm	Shawnessy Branch
June 13, 4:00 pm	South Trail Crossing Branch
June 14, 3:30 pm	Crowfoot Branch
June 15, 11:30 am	Chinook Plaza Branch
June 15, 3:00 pm	Marlborough Branch

As the Champion Level Sponsor, BMO has been a partner at Stampede Park for 32 years with its support of the BMO Farm Family Awards on Monday, July 9 at the BMO Centre; BMO Kids' Day on Wednesday, July 11 and BMO Kids' Zone for all ten dates of Stampede.

About BMO Financial Group

BMO Financial Group is proud to be the official bank of the Calgary Stampede for the past 100 years. That's why we're corralling the community to celebrate with us at our special events - the BMO Farm Family Awards and BMO Kids' Day.

Established in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group is a highly-diversified North American financial services organization. With total assets of $525 billion as at April 30, 2012, and more than 46,000 employees, BMO Financial Group provides a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and solutions.

To view the photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20120531-1947_BMO_Stampede8.jpg.