Making Investment Analysis Accessible to Everyone
We started Dralmen because too many people felt locked out of understanding their own financial decisions. Investment education shouldn't require a finance degree or thousands in tuition. It should be practical, clear, and built for real people navigating real money choices.
How We Got Here
Back in 2019, I was working at a mid-sized investment firm in Toronto. Every day, I watched clients struggle with the same questions: How do I evaluate a stock? What makes a good investment? Why does everyone use different metrics?
The problem wasn't that people couldn't learn this stuff. It was that most resources either assumed you already had an MBA or dumbed things down so much they became useless. There was this massive gap between academic finance courses and practical decision-making skills.
So in early 2023, after moving to Vancouver, I started putting together materials that bridged that gap. Not textbook theory, not get-rich-quick schemes—just straightforward explanations of how to analyze investments the way professionals do. By late 2024, Dralmen had grown into a full education platform serving learners across Canada.
Our Teaching Philosophy
We believe investment literacy should be taught like any other practical skill—with clear explanations, real examples, and plenty of practice applying concepts to actual scenarios.
Start With Real Cases
Every lesson uses actual company data and real market scenarios. You'll work through the same types of analysis you'd encounter managing your own portfolio or evaluating potential investments.
Break Down Complex Ideas
Financial concepts get easier when you see how they connect. We walk through calculations step-by-step and explain why certain metrics matter more than others in different situations.
Build Gradually
You don't need to understand derivatives before you can evaluate a stock. Our programs start with fundamental concepts and add complexity as you develop confidence with each skill.
Who's Behind This
Dralmen started as a one-person project and has grown into a small team of finance professionals who genuinely enjoy teaching. We've all spent years working in investment analysis, portfolio management, or financial planning—and we've all seen how confusing this field can be for newcomers.
What brings us together is the belief that financial literacy shouldn't be a privilege. Whether you're managing your retirement savings, evaluating your first stock purchase, or just trying to understand what your advisor is talking about, you deserve access to quality education that respects your time and intelligence.
Silje Thorvaldsen
Lead Instructor & Curriculum Developer
Silje spent eight years as an equity analyst before switching to education full-time in 2024. She specializes in breaking down valuation methods and financial statement analysis—two areas where most beginners get stuck. When she's not creating course materials, she's probably hiking somewhere in the North Shore mountains.
What Guides Our Work
Clarity Over Jargon
Finance has enough terminology already. We explain concepts in plain language first, then introduce technical terms once you understand what they actually mean. If something sounds confusing, we'll rewrite it until it doesn't.
Honest About Limitations
No analysis method is perfect, and we won't pretend otherwise. We teach you what each tool can tell you—and what it can't. Understanding the limitations of your analysis is just as important as running the numbers.
Practical Over Theoretical
Academic finance is fascinating, but you don't need a PhD to make informed investment decisions. We focus on methods you'll actually use and skip the stuff that only matters in research papers.
Respect Your Time
Most people learning investment analysis have jobs, families, and lives outside of finance. Our programs fit into realistic schedules—you can make real progress spending a few hours per week over several months.