The syllabus

Eight modules, 27 lessons, one quiz per module, then a capstone that turns everything into a one-page plan you can print. Every lesson stands on its own — skip ahead if a topic is what you came for.

Module 1 · Foundation

Money Mechanics & the Psychology of Wealth

The four ideas everything else rests on: cash flow, compounding, inflation, and the fact that your own brain is the biggest risk in your portfolio.

4 lessons · not started

1.1 Cash Flow Is the EngineNet worth vs cash flow, the savings rate formula, and why saving more beats earning more early on. ~9 min ○ 1.2 Compound Interest: The Full PictureThe formula, the Rule of 72, and the uncomfortable symmetry: fees compound exactly like returns. ~10 min ○ 1.3 Inflation, Purchasing Power & Real ReturnsWhy $100,000 in cash becomes $47,674 of purchasing power, and why "safe" is a guaranteed slow loss. ~8 min ○ 1.4 Behavioural Finance: Your Brain Is the Biggest RiskThe six costliest biases, why the average investor underperforms their own funds, and how to build systems that neutralise it. ~10 min ○

Module 2 · Core

The Canadian Account Toolbox

TFSA, RRSP, FHSA, RESP, RDSP and taxable accounts — what each one is actually for, the rules that trip people up, and the order to fill them in.

4 lessons · not started

2.1 TFSA MasteryRoom mechanics, the withdrawal re-contribution trap, and what actually belongs inside. ~11 min ○ 2.2 RRSP Strategy (Not Just "Contribute for the Refund")Tax-rate arbitrage, why the refund is not a gift, and the income levels where each account wins. ~12 min ○ 2.3 FHSA: The Best Account Most Canadians IgnoreDeductible in, tax-free out — the only account that does both, and the escape hatch if you never buy. ~9 min ○ 2.4 RESP, RDSP and Non-Registered AccountsGuaranteed government matches, when taxable accounts make sense, and the full priority waterfall. ~11 min ○

Module 3 · Core

Debt, Credit & the Cost of Borrowing

How credit scores actually work, when paying down debt beats investing, and the Canadian mortgage system — which is structured very differently from the American one people read about.

3 lessons · not started

3.1 Credit Scores: Mechanics, Not MythsThe five factors and their weights, the utilisation trick, and the myths that cost people money. ~9 min ○ 3.2 Good Debt, Bad Debt, and the AvalancheWhy paying off a 20% card is a guaranteed 20% return, and the rate bands that decide debt vs investing. ~10 min ○ 3.3 Mortgages the Canadian WayTerm vs amortization, the stress test, CMHC premiums, and the renewal risk Americans never face. ~12 min ○

Module 4 · Core

Investing Foundations & Opening Your Account

Asset classes and what risk actually means, why Canadian fees are among the highest in the developed world, how to choose a broker, and the mechanics of your first trade.

4 lessons · not started

4.1 Asset Classes & the Risk-Return SpectrumWhat each asset class has historically returned, and why capacity and tolerance are different things. ~9 min ○ 4.2 Why Fees Decide Winners: Mutual Funds vs ETFs vs RoboA 2.2% MER vs a 0.15% ETF over 30 years is a $191,000 difference on the same $180,000 contributed. ~10 min ○ 4.3 Choosing a Broker & Opening Your First AccountWhat matters (recurring costs) vs what does not (sign-up bonuses), and the full account-opening walkthrough. ~11 min ○ 4.4 Order Types, Settlement & Avoiding Beginner ErrorsLimit vs market orders, the hidden cost of the spread, and the six classic first-year mistakes. ~9 min ○

Module 5 · Core

Portfolio Construction Like a Professional

Diversification and what it can and cannot remove, how to choose an allocation you will actually hold, and the rebalancing discipline that turns volatility into a small advantage.

3 lessons · not started

5.1 Diversification: The Only Free LunchWhat diversification removes, what it cannot, and why Canadians hold 15× their share of Canada. ~9 min ○ 5.2 Asset Allocation & the Couch Potato ApproachWhy allocation drives outcomes, three model portfolios, and how one-ticket ETFs work. ~10 min ○ 5.3 Rebalancing & Staying the CourseSystematic buy-low/sell-high, rebalancing without tax, and the one page that pre-decides your crash response. ~10 min ○

Module 6 · Advanced

Investment Taxation — the Advanced Canadian Edge

How each type of investment income is taxed, why the same holdings in different accounts produce different amounts of money, and the US withholding tax and FX costs that quietly leak returns.

3 lessons · not started

6.1 How Each Income Type Is Taxed$1,000 of interest, capital gain and dividend produce very different after-tax amounts. Here is the table. ~11 min ○ 6.2 Asset Location: Same Assets, Different Accounts, More MoneyThe same holdings, rearranged across accounts, produce measurably more after-tax money. ~10 min ○ 6.3 US Investments, Withholding Tax & Norbert’s GambitWhere the 15% is lost, how ETF structure changes it, and how to convert currency for almost nothing. ~11 min ○

Module 7 · Advanced

Protecting the Downside

Emergency funds sized properly, insurance bought for the right reasons, and the estate basics that decide whether your money reaches the people you meant it to.

3 lessons · not started

7.1 The Emergency Fund, Properly SizedSizing by income stability, the tiered structure, and why a line of credit fails when you need it. ~8 min ○ 7.2 Insurance: Buy Protection, Not InvestmentsInsure catastrophic, self-insure trivial — plus the coverage most Canadians are missing. ~10 min ○ 7.3 Estate Basics: Wills, Beneficiaries & the RRSP Tax BombSuccessor holder vs beneficiary, the RRSP deemed disposition, and why intestacy rarely matches intentions. ~11 min ○

Module 8 · Advanced

Retirement — Targets and the Drawdown Puzzle

What CPP and OAS will actually pay you, how much you really need, and the withdrawal strategy that decides how much of your savings you keep rather than hand to the CRA.

3 lessons · not started

8.1 CPP & OAS: What You’ll Actually GetThe real numbers, the deferral maths, and the GIS insight that flips the TFSA-vs-RRSP answer. ~11 min ○ 8.2 How Much Is Enough: The 4% Rule and Its CriticsThe 25× target after CPP and OAS, and why the order of returns can matter more than the average. ~11 min ○ 8.3 Decumulation: RRIF Rules & Withdrawal OrderRRIF minimums, why the conventional withdrawal order is often wrong, and the RRSP meltdown. ~12 min ○

Quick reference

Three standalone pages you'll come back to long after you've finished the course.

Questions before you start

Is this course really free?

Yes. Every lesson, quiz, the capstone plan builder and the certificate are free, with no account, no email required and no paywall. Your progress, quiz scores and notes are saved privately in your own browser using localStorage — nothing is sent to us. If you clear your browser data, your progress goes with it, so export your notes from the course home if you want to keep them.

Who is this course for?

Canadians who have outgrown “start a budget” content but do not want to pay several hundred dollars for a course. It suits four groups particularly well: late starters in their thirties and forties who feel behind, people who have a TFSA or RRSP but are not sure what is in it or why, newcomers to Canada who understand money but not the Canadian system, and pre-retirees worried about the drawdown phase.

Do I need any investing experience?

No. The course starts from cash flow and compounding and builds up. If you already understand the basics, the module and lesson structure means you can skip straight to what you came for — the account optimisation in Module 2, the tax material in Module 6, or the retirement drawdown in Module 8 — and each lesson stands on its own.

Are the tax and contribution figures current?

Yes. Every year-dependent number in the course — contribution limits, tax brackets, CPP and OAS amounts, RRIF minimums — comes from a single data file that was verified against CRA and Service Canada sources on 2026-07-27 for the 2026 tax year. You can see all of them, with sources, on the 2026 limits and brackets page.

Is this financial advice?

No. This is general education. RiskStock is not a registered dealer, adviser or tax professional, and nothing in the course is a recommendation to buy or sell any security or product, or advice about your specific situation. Tax rules change and individual circumstances vary enormously — confirm anything that matters with the CRA and a qualified professional before acting on it.

How long does the course take?

About eight to ten hours of reading across 27 lessons, plus the quizzes and the capstone. Most people work through it over a few weeks rather than in one sitting. Your place is saved automatically, and the course home always offers a link back to the next lesson you have not finished.