In addition to the Stock Market Analyst Competition, the Riordan Scholars Program also features a Business Plan Program designed to give a select group of senior Scholars an experience in entrepreneurship.  In these sessions, students explore entrepreneurship by coming up with their own business idea, learning the basics of composing a business plan proposal and creating a condensed version of the proposal for final presentation to industry experts.  At the end of the BPP sessions, students will participate in the Business Plan Competition and present their projects and findings. 

Business Plan Competition in Session

All seniors participating in the BPP track are divided into teams over the course of 8 months.  Each session, Scholars learn about specific areas of business creation, marketing, and finance.  The students will use the information they receive to help build their final group project.  Each team will be given a maximum of 10 minutes to present their research and proposal.  After the team has presented they will receive questions from the judges relevant to their project.  The teams will be judged on accuracy, clarity, delivery, group presentation style, and organization/content. The team who scores the greatest points from the judges will be deemed the winner. 

Riordan Scholars have shown a keen aptitude for understanding buying and selling strategies, shorting and hedging strategies, and marketing techniques. While challenging for some, Riordan Scholars have embraced these learning opportunities with enthusiasm and shown the ability to apply them practically in their proposals.

More information about the competition can also be found on our blog: http://riordan-pc.blogspot.com/

What Riordan Scholars Say About the Portfolio Management Competition

Francisco Hernandez
Portfolio Manager,
Lennox Math, Science, & Technology Academy, 2009

"My experience as a Portfolio Manager has been extremely helpful for my future. I really got to learn a lot about investing and trading stocks. If ever in the future I would want to make investments, I feel prepared to analyze stocks and make well informed decisions due to what the program has taught me. I leaned a lot of great things from the Stock Market Leaders, Portfolio Managers, and mentors that have helped me prepare for the Portfolio Manager's Case Competition and help me serve as a mentor to my Stock Market Team. The Portfolio Managers are amazing individuals that motivate and inspire students like myself."

Audra Roberts
Portfolio Manager
St. Mary’s Academy, 2009

"The Portfolio Management Track has taught me a plethora of things: skills to master for college, how to think analytically, and lastly, how to be a leader. What was interesting about this experience is that it posed a challenge. Strategies are involved to assist portfolio managers on their journey to satisfy their client, for instance. And one cannot execute their plans on strategies that give a long term benefit for their client without justifiable reasons. It was a lot of brain power, and I am adamant to say that the journey was well worth it."