Accredited Investors: Qualifying Criteria and Alternatives for Consideration

Under the federal securities laws, a company or private fund may not offer or sell securities unless the transaction has been registered with the SEC or an exemption from registration is available. Certain securities offerings that are exempt from registration may only be offered to, or purchased by, persons who are accredited investors. One principal purpose of the accredited investor concept is to identify persons who can bear the economic risk of investing in these unregistered securities. Of the existing criteria in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) accredited investor standard, many market participants identified net worth as the most important criterion for balancing investor protection and capital formation. This book examines market participants’ views on the existing criteria for accredited investor status and alternative criteria.