Weekend Reading \u2013 Gold is golden! Will it last?<\/a><\/p>\n \u2026and beyond that post, based on a reader question this week about my asset location and stock mix prior to retirement, I remind all reminders that I\u2019ve really simplified our U.S. assets inside registered accounts in recent years.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve sold almost all our U.S. individual stocks at this point<\/a> in our portfolio and replaced them with low-cost ETFs for ex-Canada investing instead.<\/p>\n Selling my U.S. stocks<\/a><\/p>\n Weekend Reading \u2013 No Spending Regrets<\/p>\n Headlining this Weekend Reading edition and related to my theme, a Globe article (subscription)<\/a> recently struck a strong emotional cord with me.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Globe and Mail\u00a0profiled a 20-something who is bent on saving more money, so she cut out car ownership and pet ownership in her life due to cost of living expenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTo date, she estimates having saved more than $30,000 by saying no to both car and pet ownership.\u00a0(The data suggest she might\u2019ve saved even more.)\u201d<\/p>\n Can\u2019t really blame her given her savings focus.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it came to pets, it wasn\u2019t just the food and grooming bills, or even the soaring price of veterinary care that had Ms. Wei, who works in business and finance and shares personal finance tips on social media, swearing off pets in her 20s. It was also the lost opportunity costs.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving to go home early from let\u2019s say a client dinner, or a work function to go look after their pet,\u201d she said, was a big consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n I get that.<\/p>\n However we\u2019ve had cats in our lives for many years now. They are a responsibility but one my wife and have enjoyed.<\/p>\n We have loved them dearly over the years.<\/p>\n Given my wife and I don\u2019t have any children, we\u2019ve pretty much spoiled and pampered our cats to no end.\u00a0<\/p>\n We lost one of our cats in May 2024.<\/a><\/p>\n Sadly, we also just lost our remaining cat, Jasper.<\/p>\n His decline was sudden and tramatic for us. After a follow-up from one recent specialist appointment (where we knew he was aging and declining, slowly), seemingly out of the blue he crashed-out on us in the days after this appointment. That was Sunday.\u00a0<\/p>\n He wouldn\u2019t eat much. <\/p>\n He wouldn\u2019t drink water. <\/p>\n He ignored his favourite treats. <\/p>\n He wouldn\u2019t purr or cuddle up with us like he had been doing. <\/p>\n He wanted to be alone.<\/p>\n We took him to an animal hospital nearby we trust for a few days for any recovery earlier this week\u2026<\/p>\n But it was not enough.<\/p>\n And, given some of the complications he had (cutaneous lymphoma, while very rare in cats), those were very serious and his issues seemed to increase expotentially on us in recent days. Something he was slowly masking for many years, got triggered. Add along old age and this cancer escalation this week was not something he could overcome. We decided on compassion care for him at home recently \u2013 leaving us in the process.<\/p>\n When it comes to spending regrets, including lots of money spent on our cats over years, we have absolutely none.<\/p>\n We loved our cat, Jasper, just like we loved his companion Martin who left the year before us.<\/p>\n Spending money on things, people, experiences and dear pets you love and value is what money is for.\u00a0<\/p>\n I\u2019ve written about that many, many times on this site and it remains one of my core beliefs \u2013 so true today.\u00a0<\/p>\n When comes to time, energy, money and a bundle of love devoted to both of our cats over the last 7-8+ years\u2026we wouldn\u2019t have wanted it any other way.<\/p>\n Thank you, Jasper. You have given us so many, many amazing years of overall good health and love.<\/p>\n We will never forget you.<\/p>\n Our friend, Jasper.<\/p>\n Take care, and see you all again on the site soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mark<\/p>\n Mark<\/a> My name is Mark Seed – the founder, editor and owner of My Own Advisor. As my own DIY financial advisor, I’ve reached financial independence. Now, I share my lessons learned for free on this site. Find out what I did and how I reached financial independence to tailor your own path. Join the newsletter read by thousands.<\/p>\n![\"Weekend](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Weekend-Reading-Spending-Regrets-scaled.jpg\")
Our friend, Jasper<\/p>\n<\/p>\n