In 2014, a new club began at Parker: Investment Club. Imagine turning $100 into $1,000 by understanding smart investments. This is what can happen with the right skills and mindset.
“I started the Investment Club after spending a summer interning at a commodities trading firm,” said alumnus and Investment Club creator Andrew Rachlin. “That summer, I became fascinated with financial markets and the various types of investments and strategies deployed by investment firms. When I returned back to Parker, I wanted to find a way to further explore this newfound passion while also sharing my experience with classmates who had similar interests.”
Rachlin created Investment Club the following February with alumnus Griffin Amdur and Upper School history teacher Kevin Conlon, who supervises the club today. Before its creation, Parker had no core curriculum covering investing basics and the financial markets, and the creators took this as a sign of inspiration. They were even gifted $10,000 to help start their process by an anonymous Parker Parent working in the investment world.
Investment Club is a space to learn how to invest and make money. However, that’s not all it’s about. “Investment Club really helped me to learn about what stocks were, what you’re trying to achieve, and how to notice patterns. Not just how to notice stats, but how to actually analyze stocks and make educated guesses,” junior Logan Gupta said.
“I think it’s important for people to get introduced to investing. Investing is really important because it’s a good way to learn about money nowadays. Also, because we’re doing it together, many minds can create something good,” junior Penny Wood said.
Investment Club meets almost every Friday in Conlon’s room and is open to anyone, experienced or inexperienced.
“I think it’s really amazing that we’re able to have a club with at least 50 plus members of our high school who come frequently,” junior and Investment Club Co-President Darius Cleaver said. “And they’re able to learn through actual experiences, live in the flesh, and it’s just a great opportunity for people who want to get into finance or develop stronger financial literacy.”
Furthermore, a key aspect of the club is the stock pitches, and there’s a particular way the system is done. The presidents encourage everyone to make a pitch at least once to try it out. The process begins with receiving a slideshow template housing all the criteria the pitcher has to cover. Pitches usually include information about the stock you pitch, the risks involved, and their performance over the past year. These pitches help teach members of Investment Club the fundamentals of investing.
From these pitches come investments, and those investments become a portfolio.
“I think the investment club is doing a good job in the terms that they’ve grown their portfolio a lot. They’ve had a lot of success,” junior Ava Lin said. “I do, however, think we should diversify the portfolio. We have a lot of similar companies that we invested in.”
Although the club is swimming in success and recognition in the Upper School, one thing that has stayed constant is the small number of women present.
“This could be taken in different ways, but this year, we have more women than we usually have, even though it’s such a little amount,” junior and Investment Club Co-President Max Satterfield said. “Women in finance are very, very apparent, and I think that this misconception of ‘it’s a boys club’ shouldn’t be there. The club is open to everybody. It’s really open to everybody, especially women.”
Looking back over the 11 years of its existence, the club’s absence of women has always existed, even though it was unintentional.
“Unfortunately, this was also the case when the club was first starting out. There is absolutely no reason for there to be a higher barrier to entry for women into finance and investing than for men,” Rachlin said.
“My first year, freshman year, I joined the club, and there was none or maybe even one woman present. I noticed that kind of immediately. It was almost like the ‘finance bros,’ and we were trying to make money and whatever, but it’s not just about that. It’s about teaching people and learning. In that aspect, I think the club’s doing a really good job,” Gupta said.
Currently, four girls attend the club consistently, all juniors.
“I joined Investment Club in sophomore year because one of my friends, Lia, was doing it. I thought it would be interesting to join, I was curious and wanted to learn more, so I decided to go,” Wood said. “At first it was intimidating because I walked in, and it’s just a bunch of guys. I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ and the senior boys at the time were very scary to me. So it was helpful to have a friend with me.”
“I’ve been a few times, mostly when Elle and Penny are proposing, and when they pitch a lot of guys are just like talking over them. So there’s a level of disrespect, but I don’t know if it’s always intentional,” Lin said.
“I definitely get treated differently. For better or for worse, they don’t joke around with me as they do with their friends, obviously in the club. But when I’m pitching, I’ve never pitched alone. I’ve always pitched with another friend, a girl like Elle or Lia because I’m a bit scared.” Wood said.
“There’s this idea that investment club is ‘the boys club’ or whatever, but it’s not the case at all. My mom has been in finance her whole life, and she has a huge job in finance, and she’s a role model to me,” Satterfield said.
To future club heads, the founders have a couple of words of advice.
“One of the more valuable aspects of the investment club was when we hosted guest speakers. These types of meetings had the highest attendance by far. To promote a more inclusive environment, it is crucial to host a more diverse range of speakers. Additionally, hosting women in finance-specific career panels and mentorship sessions would create a more inclusive and representative environment. Equitable representation is the key to broadening the reach of the club,” Rachlin said.
Moreover, the presidents of the investment club had one thing they both agreed on.
“I think a misconception is that investing is just for people who are into finance and stuff, but everybody should invest and know how to invest,” Satterfield said. “Investing creates generational wealth, and so I think it’s knowledge that everybody should have. And so, that’s just what the investment club’s about.”
Not only does the club become an asset to its members, but its teachings help improve the process of a sector in our student government: the treasury.
“Past members and heads of the club have gone on to be treasurers of our student government. And that’s really amazing that they’ve been able to convert this skill that they’ve gained from the club into the actual position we need,” Cleaver said.
“Looking back at my Parker education, I am so grateful I was supported by the school to explore my extracurricular interests,” Rachlin said. “Despite my career path not ending up in finance, the investment club helped me develop my personal interests in finance and introduced me to lifelong mentors. I would love to catch up with the current leaders of the investment club, to learn more about what they are up to today!”
