Riverdale Country School · Student-Run Investment Club
SPARTA, the Student Portfolio Allocation Riverdale Teaching Activity, trains the next generation of investors in asset allocation, risk management, and fundamental analysis. No prior experience required. Bring curiosity, and we will supply the framework.
Our goal is simple: to educate Riverdale students in portfolio allocation, risk management, and the fundamentals of investing, so that every member leaves with the analytical toolkit to think like an allocator, not a speculator.The SPARTA Mandate
Risk-adjusted returns on your financial education.
Members build and manage model portfolios, weighing strategic vs. tactical asset allocation, position sizing, and rebalancing discipline across equities, fixed income, and alternatives.
ASSET_ALLOC · REBAL_Q
We quantify what can go wrong before it does: volatility, beta, drawdowns, correlation, and concentration risk. Diversification is the only free lunch in finance, and we take full servings.
β · σ · VaR · MAX_DD
From reading a 10-K to building a discounted cash flow model, members learn to estimate intrinsic value, screen for quality, and separate a good company from a good stock.
DCF · EV/EBITDA · FCF
Members research, underwrite, and defend investment theses in front of the club, long or short, with a full bull case, bear case, catalysts, and price target.
LONG/SHORT · PT · IRR
A semester-long training program. Each meeting builds on the last.
Equities, fixed income, cash, and alternatives. How allocators divide capital across them, and why allocation drives the majority of long-run portfolio returns.
Volatility, standard deviation, beta versus the market, and the Sharpe ratio. Measuring return per unit of risk instead of chasing raw performance.
Modern Portfolio Theory, the efficient frontier, and how combining imperfectly correlated assets lowers portfolio risk without sacrificing expected return.
Reading financial statements, comparable multiples like P/E and EV/EBITDA, and an introduction to discounted cash flow analysis.
Interest rates, inflation, the Fed, and sector rotation. How the macro environment shapes which allocations outperform.
Capstone: members present a complete investment thesis to the club, covering screening, underwriting, catalysts, risks, and a defended price target.
SPARTA is open to all Riverdale Upper School students. No experience required. Whether you already run a paper portfolio or you have never heard of a Sharpe ratio, there is a seat for you. The best time to start compounding knowledge was yesterday. The second-best time is B period.