Education

The full curriculum

Six topics, thirty-six chapters — everything from what “private” means to reading an offering memorandum like a professional. Neutral, Canadian, and plain-language throughout. No products, no recommendations, ever.

The six topics Articles Glossary Independent resources

Start anywhere — built to read in order

The six topics

Each topic is a full page of chapters. Read straight through for a complete grounding, or jump to what today's decision needs.

01 · Foundations6 chapters What “private” and “alternative” actually mean, public vs private markets, the building blocks, who can invest, how your money travels, and five questions before you start. 02 · Registration & the Rules6 chapters Why registration exists, dealers vs advisers vs fund managers, exempt market dealers up close, restricted & crypto registrations, international firms, and reading any firm's record. 03 · The Exemptions6 chapters The legal doors into the exempt market — accredited investor, offering memorandum, family & friends, minimum amount, crowdfunding — and what each trades away. 04 · Asset Classes, Explained6 chapters Private equity & VC, private credit & mortgages, real estate funds, hedge strategies, infrastructure & commodities, crypto — structures and failure modes, no salesmanship. 05 · Risks & Costs6 chapters The six recurring bills: liquidity, valuation, fees, leverage, concentration, and fraud — examined honestly, with the questions that price each one. 06 · Doing Your Diligence6 chapters Reading an OM, questioning a pitch, verifying people, the paper trail, monitoring after you invest, and the recourse map when things go wrong.

Shorter reads

Articles

01

Building a Strong Foundation for Long-Term Wealth

Core principles — setting goals, diversification, risk management, compounding, asset allocation and rebalancing.

Financial Investing·March 2026 02

Understanding Digital Assets and Modern Investment Opportunities

How blockchain and digital assets work, the main categories of crypto assets, and the volatility, security and regulatory factors involved.

Crypto Investing·March 2026 03

Building Wealth Through Strategic Property Investments

Types of property exposure, rental income, leverage, market research and the trade-offs of direct versus fund-based ownership.

Real Estate Investing·March 2026

Reference

Glossary

The vocabulary used across the curriculum, in plain language. Type to filter.

Accredited investorAn investor meeting income or asset thresholds set by securities law, allowed to buy exempt-market securities without some protections required for the general public.
Affinity fraudInvestment fraud that spreads through communities — religious, cultural, social — using shared trust as a substitute for scrutiny.
Capital callA private fund's demand that investors pay in part of the money they committed, made as investments are found.
Carried interestThe fund manager's share of profits — commonly around 20% above a hurdle — on top of management fees.
CIROThe Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization — the self-regulatory body overseeing investment dealers and mutual fund dealers.
CSAThe Canadian Securities Administrators — the umbrella organization of Canada's provincial and territorial securities regulators.
CustodianThe party that actually holds an investment's assets. Independent custody is a core safeguard against misuse of investor money.
Distribution (of securities)The legal term for selling securities to investors — every distribution needs a prospectus or an exemption.
Distribution (payment)Cash paid out to investors by a fund. May be earned income or a return of your own capital — the difference matters.
Exempt marketThe part of the capital market where securities are sold under exemptions from the prospectus requirement.
Exempt market dealer (EMD)A firm registered to sell securities under prospectus exemptions — the main sales channel for private placements.
GateA cap on how much of a fund investors may redeem in a period; in stress, redemptions are honoured a fraction at a time.
General partner (GP)The managing entity of a limited partnership, running the fund and typically earning management fees plus carried interest.
High-water markA rule preventing a manager from charging performance fees until past losses have been recovered.
Hurdle rateThe return a fund must clear before performance fees begin to be charged.
Investment fund manager (IFM)A firm registered to direct the business and operations of an investment fund itself.
Know-your-client (KYC)A registered firm's duty to collect and verify your financial situation, objectives and risk tolerance before dealing with you.
LeverageBorrowed money layered onto an investment, amplifying both gains and losses — found at the asset, fund and instrument levels.
Limited partner (LP)An investor in a limited partnership, with limited liability and essentially no say in operations.
LockupA period during which an investment cannot be redeemed at all.
MICMortgage investment corporation — a pooled vehicle that lends against real estate and passes interest to investors.
NAVNet asset value — a fund's stated worth per unit. In private funds, an estimate produced by a valuation process, not a market price.
NRD numberThe unique identifier assigned to each registered firm in the National Registration Database — the surest way to look a firm up.
OBSIThe Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments — free, independent dispute resolution that can recommend compensation up to $350,000.
Offering memorandum (OM)The prescribed exempt-market disclosure document describing the issuer, the securities, the use of proceeds and the risks.
Portfolio managerA firm registered to manage investments with discretion, owing clients a fiduciary duty — the market's highest standard.
ProspectusThe full disclosure document required for public offerings — the requirement the exempt market is exempt from.
RedemptionSelling your units back to the fund itself — in private funds, governed by notice periods, gates and suspension rights.
Related-party transactionA deal between the issuer and its own insiders or affiliates — disclosable, and worth mapping before investing.
Risk acknowledgement formA prescribed form some exemptions require you to sign, confirming you understand you can lose the entire investment.
Subscription agreementThe contract by which you formally offer to buy exempt securities, including your certification of exemption eligibility.
Terms and conditionsRestrictions regulators can attach to a firm's registration, limiting what it may do. Public and binding.

Go to the source

Independent resources

Non-commercial, regulator-run resources — the places to verify anything you read here, or anywhere.

National Registration SearchThe CSA's official firm and individual lookup — the source this directory is built from. CSA Disciplined List & enforcementPast disciplinary decisions and cease-trade orders across Canada. GetSmarterAboutMoney.caInvestor education from the Ontario Securities Commission — calculators, explainers, and scam alerts. AMF investor resourcesEducation and protection resources from Québec's Autorité des marchés financiers. CIRO investor protectionHow dealer oversight and investor protection funds work. OBSIThe independent ombudsman for investment complaints — free dispute resolution with participating firms. Canadian Anti-Fraud CentreWhere to report suspected investment fraud, and current scam patterns to know about. CanLIIFree access to Canadian court and tribunal decisions — useful for checking litigation history in diligence.