SAMM slice allocation in practice: splitting capital across managers

SAMM slice allocation begins with an obvious question when you hand one account to several managers: if one of them takes more risk, do the others pay for it? SAMM was designed to answer exactly that. SAMM slices are isolated portions of one account’s risk capacity, each with its own volume and loss ceiling. The result: a high-risk manager cannot burn another manager’s share.

What SAMM slices isolate

• Volume capacity: each slice holds a defined share of the account’s allowed volume, and the manager cannot exceed it.
• Loss ceiling: drawdown is measured per slice; stopping one slice does not stop the others.
• Allowed symbols: in some configurations the symbol universe is defined per slice.
• Reporting: each slice records its own performance so you can see who delivered what.

SAMM slice allocation: how to split capital

1. Keep the manager count low: two to four slices is a sensible range; beyond that, monitoring and comparison get difficult.
2. Diversify by style: two managers running the same strategy create no diversification, only duplicated risk.
3. Weight by risk, not return: give more weight to the manager with lower drawdown, not the one with last month’s biggest gain.
4. Set each slice’s loss cap separately: if your total tolerance is 15%, size the slices so their combined caps stay inside it.
5. Review quarterly: compare slice performance and rebalance the weights.

SAMM versus separate accounts

A three-slice allocation example

Suppose $30,000 and three managers with different profiles. The low-drawdown manager receives 50% ($15,000), the balanced manager 30% ($9,000) and the higher-risk manager 20% ($6,000). Each slice gets a loss cap proportional to its weight, so a single manager hitting the cap cannot consume the whole account. Review quarterly: if the balanced manager produced the same return with half the drawdown of the higher-risk manager for two quarters, shift weight toward the balanced slice. The point is not to predict winners but to keep each manager’s downside contained inside its own slice.

Frequently asked questions

Are SAMM slices legally separate accounts?

No. Slices are isolated risk units inside one account and do not replace full account separation; what is guaranteed is an independent volume and loss ceiling per slice.

Can I close one slice and keep the rest?

Yes. Each slice is managed independently, and stopping one does not halt the others.

What is the SAMM minimum capital?

It depends on the specific account and is published on its page; there is no single universal figure.

Is the fee calculated per slice?

Yes. Performance and fees are recorded per slice and settled at the scheduled maturities under TARAZ.

The bottom line

SAMM slices let you diversify across managers inside one account — provided the number of slices stays small, styles differ and each slice has its own loss cap. Read SAMM explained and the SAMM guide.