SEC Filing Academy
Plain-English guides to every SEC filing retail investors actually see — 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, DEF 14A, Form 4, and 50+ more. Each definition is sourced from sec.gov and reviewed by a human.
PICK YOUR PATH
Brand new to SEC filings
Start here if you have never opened EDGAR. Learn the 4 filings you actually need to know.
Start with the 10-K →
Researching a specific stock
Walk through MD&A, Risk Factors, and recent 8-Ks the way analysts do.
How to read a 10-K →
Tracking IPOs & SPACs
Decode S-1 prospectuses, 424B filings, and SPAC merger registration.
IPO filings guide →
IN-DEPTH GUIDES
All filing types →How to Read a 10-K
Read a SEC 10-K filing the way analysts do. We walk through every section — business, risk factors, MD&A, financial statements — with retail-investor angles.
How to Read a 10-Q
Read a SEC 10-Q filing without missing the signal. Unaudited financials, updated risk factors, and the diff against the last 10-K — retail-investor angle.
How to Read an 8-K
Every 8-K Item explained — 1.01 material agreements, 2.02 earnings, 4.02 restatements, 5.02 executive changes. Plus the red flags that signal trouble.
How to Read a DEF 14A
A retail investor's guide to the SEC DEF 14A proxy statement. Executive compensation, board nominees, say-on-pay, related-party transactions — what to read and what to skip.
How to Read a Form 4
Every Form 4 transaction code explained — P (purchase), S (sale), M (option exercise), F (tax), G (gift). Plus 10b5-1 vs discretionary trades, cluster signals, and red flags.
How to Read a 13F
The retail-investor guide to SEC Form 13F filings. 45-day stale data, no shorts, top filers, and how to use 13F data for thematic signals rather than copy-trading.
How to Read an S-1
Read an SEC S-1 IPO prospectus the way underwriters do. Section-by-section walkthrough, amendment counting, use-of-proceeds parsing, customer concentration red flags.
How to Read a Schedule 13D
Schedule 13D walkthrough — the SEC filing that signals activist intent. Item 4 Purpose decoding, amendment patterns, notable filers, and what retail investors should watch.
MARKET-GAP ACTIVITY HUBS
Insider Buying & Form 4 →
Transaction codes, cluster patterns, 10b5-1, and why P-coded purchases are the strongest insider signal.
IPO Tracker & Filings →
How to read S-1, 424B, and SPAC merger filings. Patterns, red flags, and the documents pros read.
SEC Restatements & Item 4.02 →
Item 4.02 mechanics, big-R vs little-r, leading indicators, and the lifecycle of an accounting issue.
SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISONS
All comparisons →Periodic reports
Ownership disclosures
IPO & offerings
Glossary55 terms
Browse by category, or jump to the A-Z index.
Insider Activity(4)
Ownership Disclosures(3)
EDGAR & Infrastructure(4)
Filing Sections(7)
Governance & Controls(7)
Accounting & Metrics(5)
Core Concepts(1)
Regulations(3)
International Filers(2)
Security Types(2)
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