Investment Learning That Actually Makes Sense
We started Xratech because most investment education felt disconnected from what people actually need. Real understanding beats memorizing formulas every time.
Our Beginning
Built From Real Questions
Back in 2019, we noticed something odd. People were asking great questions about portfolio theory and risk management, but the answers they found were either too academic or dangerously oversimplified.
So we started small. A few workshops in Halifax, some online discussions, lots of coffee. What emerged was a different way of teaching investment theory—one that respects complexity without getting lost in it.
By 2023, we'd helped over 400 individuals build genuine understanding of market behavior and asset allocation. Not through tricks or shortcuts, but through thoughtful exploration of how financial markets actually work.
How We Think About Teaching
Investment theory isn't just formulas and charts. It's understanding why markets move, how risk actually works, and what drives long-term returns.
Theory Meets Reality
We connect academic concepts to actual market situations. Understanding the Capital Asset Pricing Model matters more when you see how it explains real portfolio behavior.
Honest About Limits
No investment strategy works all the time. We teach you to recognize when theories apply and when markets behave differently than models predict.
Build Understanding
Memorizing definitions doesn't help much. We focus on developing intuition about market mechanics and portfolio construction that sticks with you.
Helena Brunelle
Founder & Lead Instructor
Meet Helena
Teaching What She Wished She'd Learned First
Helena spent eight years working in quantitative research before starting Xratech. She saw how often people struggled with investment concepts—not because the ideas were inherently difficult, but because they were taught in ways that obscured rather than revealed.
Her background in behavioral finance shapes everything we do here. Understanding how people actually think about risk and return matters as much as understanding the math behind modern portfolio theory.
These days, she splits her time between developing course content and working directly with students. The questions people ask continue to shape how we teach and what we cover.
What Guides Our Work
Depth Over Speed
Investment theory takes time to absorb properly. We'd rather you understand asset pricing deeply than rush through a dozen disconnected topics.
Questions Welcome
The best learning happens through exploration. When something doesn't make sense, that's usually the most important thing to dig into.
Context Matters
Canadian investors face different tax considerations and market access than others. We address those specifics rather than pretending one size fits all.
Ongoing Evolution
Markets change, research advances, and new questions emerge. Our courses get updated regularly based on current thinking and student feedback.
Ready to Build Real Understanding?
Our next investment theory series starts in September 2025. Limited to 25 participants to keep discussions meaningful.
Get Course Details