Jessica Oliver

Head of Government and Regulatory Relations at Wealthsimple

[Jessica Oliver @JOliverBrandon]

A heart wrenching read.

And a reminder to renew my subscription to https://t.co/c6aEyIOn8n.

Sending you love @mattgurney

[Matt Gurney @mattgurney]

Hey guys. This is going to be the most personal update I’ve ever shared publicly.

I live in public view — my work does, anyway. I’ve never been shy about sharing my ideas or passions. But I’ve always worked very hard to keep my family out of view. That’s partly for their safety. But also because, despite appearances, I am an intensely private person. The public part of my job is exhausting and often a little frightening.

I’m now facing something far more frightening. And I may need your help.

Last fall, my wife became very ill. A series of medical tests ruled out the non-scary explanations. Just before Christmas, we were told it was metastatic cancer. She has since undergone urgent surgeries, including successful removal of the primary tumour. She is young, strong, and otherwise healthy, and her recovery so far has been remarkable.

Now we are entering a long, grinding phase of this fight — chemotherapy and we hope other treatments — with the goal of getting ahead of this nightmare.

We have cause for optimism. The metastasis is real and terrifying, but limited and small. We didn’t catch this “early,” but we may have caught it early by the standards of such things. We have a real shot, and we are determined to fight as hard as we possibly can.

Many of you noticed I went completely to ground. This is why. If you are the praying type, we would appreciate your prayers. For those who may be able to offer medical help and options, please reach out — I’m easy to find. I’m assembling an army for her. This is the most important thing I’ve ever done, and I can’t imagine a better use of my energy or my skills.

As we settle into a new rhythm, I’m beginning a gradual return to work. Don’t be surprised if you see more thoughts from me about the health-care system. I’ve been amazed and humbled by some of the care we’ve received. I’ve also been shocked and frightened by other parts of the experience. I’ll have more to say about that later.

But now I want to talk about my wife.

We met when we were 17. We had math class together. I changed my seat so I could look at her. She was stunning. I can still see her in my mind’s eye exactly as she was then. To me, she is as beautiful today as she was at 17. I did, and still do, feel like I’ve been winded when I just look at her.

We weren’t high-school sweethearts. Our journey was longer. We didn’t become an official couple until late in university, after a long period of circling each other — trying to understand what to do with a deep friendship that was evolving into something much scarier and more consequential.

We made the jump. Not without false starts. Not without fear. But we made it. And my life has been amazing since. Because of her.

She is all I have ever wanted.

She isn’t perfect. She isn’t easy. Neither am I. We’ve had good times and bad. But she is the absolute foundation of my world. My entire sense of self is wrapped up in her. I don’t know where I end and she begins.

Nearly 20 years after we stood in a park and agreed to be together, I am as hopelessly in love with her as I was then. It is a crippling love — more than I contain. I can barely think about it. It just feels like too much when I try.

She and our two children are my everything. And I am going to fight for her and for this family with absolutely everything I have. I will never surrender. I can’t. There is no me without her.

So that’s the story. Please be patient with me. Please be kind. Pray for us if you can. And help us if you have the power.

[Jessica Oliver @JOliverBrandon]

@YaroslavB I’m grateful I had this advice. She was right.

Sending you and your family my deepest sympathies.

[Jessica Oliver @JOliverBrandon]

@YaroslavB Yaroslav. I’m stunned and saddened. I worked with Tara while pregnant with my first and you had two. I vividly remember her telling me about 6am cuddles with the girls. I told her I’d read not to let kids into the bed. She smiled and said “there is nothing like those early hours”

[Wealthsimple @Wealthsimple]

Some rallies take longer than others. We're ready for Game 3.

[The Globe and Mail @globeandmail]

Wealthsimple launches RRSP loans as fintech pushes into retirement planning https://t.co/0Or4n6ocBa

[Globe Investor @globeinvestor]

Wealthsimple, Questrade ask Ottawa to regulate registered account transfers https://t.co/00wsmPLatN

[Sean Silcoff @SeanSilcoff]

@Wealthsimple AUM now $73 billion. “Wealthsimple is the most successful customer acquisition engine that has ever been built in this country,“ IGM CEO said said last week

[Jessica Oliver @JOliverBrandon]

Minority governments need support from other parties - would make sense to prioritize files upon which ALL parties agree. #cdnpoli #openbanking

[The Globe and Mail @globeandmail]

Opinion: First thing we do after the election, let’s kill the bankers’ cozy little oligopoly https://t.co/zUaeEkA9GA

[Jessica Oliver @JOliverBrandon]

Canadian Bank CEO gives it to us straight. “An oligopoly is actually a good thing for our country. When there is a crisis we’re all at the table…we need [government] to focus on the real economy: natural resources, energy, manufacturing.”

Ummm….

[The Globe and Mail @globeandmail]

Federal election campaign neglects competition concerns in banking https://t.co/N7Nq2Fl24k

[Jean Philippe Fournier @JeanPFournier]

Little anecdote about Canadian “internal trade barriers” from my time in Quebec’s ministry of Finance. 🧵

[Brett Huneycutt @bretthuneycutt]

What’s the most annoying bug or hiccup you’ve encountered with @Wealthsimple? We want to hear it—no filter!

We’ve come a long way, but there’s a lot more to improve 💪

[Wealthsimple @Wealthsimple]

"In Canada, moving investments is often unwieldy, interminable and expensive ... A third of account transfers coming to Wealthsimple in 2024 were done by cheque. And the negative impact on consumers is hard to ignore."

Read more from our CEO @mkatchen below:

[Financial Post @financialpost]

Opinion: Sorry, your life savings are in the mail https://t.co/JAGz50Ba2p

[Sean Silcoff @SeanSilcoff]

Iconiq buys ~$100m of @Wealthsimple in 2ndary valuing bank challenger at $5b - the same level co achieved at height of the pandemic
Wealthsimple valuation back to $5-billion as investment firm for U.S. billionaires buys employee stock /via @globeandmail https://t.co/ZnhF0YYmKS

[The Globe and Mail @globeandmail]

Is the cheque disappearing any time soon? https://t.co/fHMCC3gC69 from @GlobeBusiness

[Danny Deraney @DannyDeraney]

Happy 40th anniversary to the greatest SNL short ever made!

Synchronized Swimming.

[Report on Business @globebusiness]

Canadians are being gouged by their banks at every turn. This has to stop https://t.co/vhKWhPJ1gb

[Michael Katchen @mkatchen]

Happy 10th birthday @Wealthsimple! Incredible to think how far we’ve come and so proud that you’ve trusted us with over $50 billion of your hard-earned savings. Thank you to our clients - your trust means everything and we'll never take it for granted 🙏
https://t.co/jnh46YLKOp

[Aviva Klompas @AvivaKlompas]

Rachel Goldberg-Polin: "Ok sweet boy, go now on your journey. I hope it's as good as the trips you dreamed about because finally, my sweet boy, finally, finally, finally, finally you are free.

I will love you and I will miss you every single day for the rest of my life, but you're right here. I know you're right here. I just have to teach myself how to feel you in a different way.

And Hersh there is one last thing I need you to do for us. Now I need you to help us stay strong and I need you to help us survive"

[Josh Scott @shua_scott]

2024 is on pace to see the fewest total dollars allocated to Canadian #VC funds in a decade, per @rbcx. I checked in with the folks who finance #CDNtech at @startupfest to get a better sense of where we sit today and what the mood is like on the ground. https://t.co/144Fg7mxOY