How your child learns to understand money and business, years before they have to.
Three phases, each building on the last: understand money, understand financial systems, understand investing and markets.
Each phase runs 12 weeks, one 75-minute live class per week, live via Zoom, on Monday or Tuesday evening, 6:30–7:45 PM Pacific Time. Phase 1 begins January 4 (Monday cohort) or January 5 (Tuesday cohort). Currently open to students across British Columbia.
How the program actually works
Cadre does not teach finance from a textbook. It starts with the real world. Students explore real businesses, financial events, and decisions people and companies face every day. They then apply what they have learned to a business of their own, building on it throughout the program.
By the end, students have not just learned financial terms. They understand how money moves, how businesses operate, how financial systems respond under pressure, and how investors decide where to put their money.
Foundations
How money and businesses actually work
Monday cohort Jan 4 – Mar 22, 2027 · Tuesday cohort Jan 5 – Mar 23, 2027
Money is everywhere, but most young people are never taught how it actually works.
Over 12 weeks, students start with a simple question: Why does money exist? They trace how people traded before money, what gives something value, and why people are willing to pay what they do. From there, students step inside the world of business. How does a business turn an idea into something people will pay for? Why do some businesses grow while others do not? How do companies actually make money? What happens when a business wants to grow beyond what one person could build alone? Students apply these ideas to a business of their own throughout the phase. It gives them something practical to work with while they learn how money and businesses actually operate.
Student produces
A practical business case that demonstrates their understanding of customers, value, pricing, revenue, and how a business makes money.
What they'll explore
Systems
How money moves through the financial world
Monday cohort Apr 5 – Jun 21, 2027 · Tuesday cohort Apr 6 – Jun 22, 2027
Money does not exist in isolation. Behind every dollar is a financial system made up of banks, savers, borrowers, businesses, governments, and millions of decisions happening every day.
Over 12 weeks, students step inside that system. They trace what actually happens when money enters a bank, how banks make money, how interest changes the value of money over time, and how saving, borrowing, spending, and taxes are connected. Then they examine what happens when the system does not work as expected. Using real financial events, students look at how risk builds, why financial crises happen, and how a business or even an entire economy can appear to be growing while serious problems are developing underneath. Students apply these ideas to the business they created in Foundations, using it as a practical way to understand budgeting, financing, cash flow, and financial pressure.
Student produces
A financial plan for their business that includes a budget, savings and financing strategy, and an understanding of how the business could respond when financial conditions change.
What they'll explore
Investing
How companies and markets actually work
Monday cohort Sep 13 – Nov 29, 2027 · Tuesday cohort Sep 14 – Nov 30, 2027
Investing is often presented as choosing something you think will go up. But investing is really about making decisions with incomplete information.
Over 12 weeks, students learn how investors research companies, evaluate risk, interpret financial information, and try to determine what something is actually worth. They see why a company's stock price can move even when the underlying business has not changed, how public attention and investor psychology can influence markets, and why a popular company is not necessarily a good investment. Students also get a high level introduction to understanding a company's financial health without needing to be an accountant. Throughout the phase, they apply what they have learned to the business they have been developing, using it to test their understanding of how investors evaluate companies. They finish the program by presenting their findings through a formal final presentation.
Student produces
An evidence based evaluation of their business, delivered through a formal final presentation.
What they'll explore
When each phase runs
A new Phase 1 cohort opens every term.
| Term 1 (Jan) | Term 2 (Apr) | Term 3 (Sep) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | New cohort | New cohort | New cohort |
| Phase 2 | — | Continuing cohort | Continuing cohort |
| Phase 3 | — | — | Continuing cohort |
Phase 1 opens with every new term — you're never more than a few months from starting.
Pay one phase at a time. Continue to the next phase when the next cohort begins.
Founding price — limited time
Price includes all applicable taxes
Pay as you go, no obligation
12 weeks, one 75-minute class per week, live via Zoom. Currently open to students across British Columbia.
Get StartedFrequently asked questions
Everything you need to know before you begin.