Both common share and unit offerings are different types of purchasing options for stocks and securities of a company. Common share offerings are the most known and frequently purchased stock options, whereas unit offerings are a more complex and grouped security purchasing option.

You can’t run before you learn to walk (though some of you out there may think you can do anything), and it’s almost impossible to understand what an escrow release is before learning what an escrow itself is. An escrow is a financial agreement between two parties that make financial transactions secure by using an escrow account. An escrow account is a neutral third-party used to release a sum of money inside of an account once the terms on both ends of an agreement are met.

A subscription agreement is a firm handshake between a private or public company and a private investor—no “dead fish” handshakes allowed. A subscription agreement (also known as a private placement) ensures a specific number of shares are sold at a specific price.

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Not to be confused with the oil and gas company of the same name, shell corporations are businesses—sometimes sketchy, other times not—that are not as established and function without solid operations and without large assets. Shell corporations are most commonly used for start-up businesses, companies looking to raise capital, and businesses interested in going public on the stock market. While not as common, shell corporations can be used to hide illegitimate companies’ suspicious business practices.

CPC (Capital Pool Companies) and SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Corporations) are two different formats of raising capital for business owners and investors alike. Because both CPCs and SPACs are publicly traded on the stock market yet vary in how they are formed, their rules, and what they include overall.