Most investing education stops at index funds and blue chips. The Academy explains the mechanics behind the markets we actually cover — Canadian small-caps and emerging sectors, where the rules, the risks, and the paperwork all work differently. Start at Lesson 1 and work forward, or jump straight to whatever you need.
Watch the Lessons
Prefer video? Each lesson gets a companion walkthrough on our YouTube channel. New videos are added as lessons publish.
Lesson 1 · Video
What Is a Small Cap — and Why Does This Academy Exist?
All Lessons
Ordered oldest to newest — start at the top and work your way down. Each lesson stands on its own, but they build in sequence.
What Is a Small Cap, and Why Does This Academy Exist?
Every large company on the TSX was small once. Every one of them. Somewhere in the history of the biggest bank, the biggest pipeline, the biggest gold producer…
02TSX vs. TSXV vs. CSE: What That Ticker Suffix Actually Means
New here? Our intro article covers what a small cap actually is and what this academy teaches, a good first stop if you’re starting from zero. If you…
03SEDAR+ 101: How to Actually Read a Company’s Filings
Every small-cap investing guide tells you to “do your due diligence.” Almost none of them tell you where that actually happens, or what to click once you get…
04SEDI 101: Checking What Insiders Are Buying and Selling
Management talks a good game in every press release. That’s the job, sell the story. What they actually do with their own money is a separate question entirely,…
05How a Company Gets Listed: CSE vs. TSXV vs. Graduating to TSX
Most small caps on the TSXV didn’t get there through a traditional IPO. They got there through something called a Capital Pool Company, a shell with nothing in…
06Shell Companies and Reverse Takeovers (RTOs): How They Work
“Shell company” sounds like a red flag the moment you hear it. Empty corporate structure, no real business inside, sitting there waiting for something to happen. And in…
07Market Makers and Bid-Ask Spreads on Thinly Traded Stocks
Pull up a quote on any stock and you’ll see two prices sitting side by side. One is what someone’s currently willing to pay for it. The other…
08Why Market Orders Are Dangerous on Thin Volume (and How to Use Limit Orders)
Our lesson on market makers and bid-ask spreads covered why that gap between the buy price and the sell price widens on a thinly traded stock. This one…
09Position Sizing When a Stock Trades $10K a Day
Our last two lessons covered the spread and the order type. This one covers a question that comes before both, how much should you actually put into a…
10Short Selling Small Caps: Why It’s Harder and Riskier Than It Looks
Short selling a large, liquid stock is a fairly mechanical trade. Short selling a small cap trading a few thousand shares a day is a different exercise entirely,…
11Halted Trading: The Mechanics (Pending News vs. Regulatory Halts)
You’re watching a small cap and the quote just freezes. No bid, no ask, no trades going through. Something stopped it, and figuring out what actually happened matters…
12Tax Basics: Capital Gains, the Superficial Loss Rule, and TFSA/RRSP Eligibility for CSE/TSXV Stocks
Taxes rarely come up in small-cap investing conversations until the spring, when they show up all at once. Three things are worth understanding well before then, how capital…
The Full Curriculum
Where the Academy is headed. Six modules covering the ground most investing education skips — from exchange mechanics and order types through to valuing companies that have no earnings yet.
Exchange & Market Structure
TSX, TSXV and CSE compared. How companies get listed, Capital Pool Companies, shells and RTOs, plus SEDAR+ and SEDI for reading filings and insider activity.
Trading Mechanics & Liquidity
Market makers and bid-ask spreads, why market orders are dangerous on thin volume, position sizing, short selling, and what happens when trading halts.
Tax & Account Basics
Capital gains, the superficial loss rule, and TFSA/RRSP eligibility for the CSE and TSXV names this Academy focuses on.
Risk, Dilution & Red Flags
Financings, warrants and share count creep, toxic convertibles, promotional stocks and paid IR campaigns, and reading a cap table properly.
Financial Statements & Sectors
Burn rate and cash runway for pre-revenue companies, going-concern language, NI 43-101 reports, resource vs. reserve, and clinical trial phases.
Valuation & Due Diligence
Valuing companies with no earnings, building a due diligence checklist, insider ownership, and researching a management team’s track record.
The market moves fast.
Our briefing keeps up.
Curated updates on stock picks, company spotlights, and in-depth market analysis across mining, biotech, energy, crypto, and tech — delivered straight to your inbox. Join thousands of investors who start their morning with the AktieGo Brief.