Tagged: accredited investor

An SEC Committee Wants to Make it Easier to Qualify as an Accredited Investor, Will the Commission Listen?

Last month, the SEC Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee held a virtual meeting to discuss the definition of an Accredited Investor. For anyone viewing the meeting, it was clear that Committee members would like to make it easier for individuals to qualify as Accredited,… Read More

Steven Weinstein, CEO of Seismic Capital, Shares Opinion on Accredited Investor Definition and a Possible Change to the Rule

The definition of an Accredited Investor determines who may participate in Regulation D (Reg D) private placement offerings. This is an enormous market at over $1 trillion in annual investments and the most popular path for an early-stage firm to raise needed growth capital.  The… Read More

SEC Report Shows Why Accredited Investor Definition Should be Adjusted to Provide Access to More Investors

Last week the SEC’s Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee held a meeting to discuss the definition of an Accredited Investor. This definition decides who can, and who cannot, access certain private securities offerings – all based on an income or wealth metric. It does… Read More

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce Applies Common Sense in Accredited Investor Discussion

Last week, the SEC Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee (SBCFAC) held a meeting to discuss the definition of an accredited investor. As CI has frequently covered in the past, this definition determines who may, or who may not, participate in Reg D securities offerings…. Read More

SEC Commissioner Peirce Says Commission Should Consider Expanding Definition of Accredited Investor, Improve Crowdfunding Exemptions

Speaking at the opening of the SEC’s Small Business Capital Formation Committee meeting held earlier this week, Commissioner Hester Peirce shared her opinion on several key topics regarding access to investment opportunities and improvements for crowdfunding exemptions. The subject of the definition of an accredited… Read More

Congressman McHenry Crafts Bill to Expand Access to Private Securities by Expanding Definition of an Accredited Investor

Congressman Patrick McHenry has submitted legislation to update the definition of an Accredited Investor. Currently, individuals deemed to be Accredited may participate in private, Reg D securities offerings – the most popular exemption utilized by promising young firms. To be deemed accredited, an individual must… Read More

Securities Expert Concerned that SEC Agenda Could Hobble Capital Formation for Early Stage Firms

Earlier this month, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shared its regulatory agenda for the next couple of years. The list is quite long and includes many areas of the securities industry. At the top of the list, was the exempt offering ecosystem with the… Read More

House Financial Services Committee Testimony Highlights the Need to Improve IPO Market, Increase Access to Private Securities Offerings

Late last month, the House Committee on Financial Services held a hearing addressing the topic of capital formation and the state of the US initial public offering market. While several witnesses focused on the rapid rise of SPACs, one witness pointed to the precipitous decline… Read More

SEC Outlines Regulatory Agenda, Exempt Securities Top the List Including Reg D, Accredited Investor Definition

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has outlined its regulatory agenda for the coming months and at the top of the list are exempt securities that include Reg D and perhaps other exemptions such as Reg CF and Reg A+. Of note, is that the… Read More

SEC Commissioner Peirce Touts Ways to Improve Access to Capital Including Clarity Regarding Finders, an Update to Accredited Investors and a Micro-Exemption

Earlier today the SEC Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee held a meeting on facilitating access to capital to underserved segments of the country. As most people understand, small businesses and entrepreneurs drive the majority of job growth and wealth creation. While policies that encourage… Read More

SEC Adopts Massive Changes To “Accredited Investor” Definition

Its official, the “accredited investor” definition, which has not changed significantly since its enactment almost 40 years ago, has been massively upgraded. On August 26, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted final amendments to the “accredited investor” definition which fundamentally change and broaden… Read More

SEC Broadens Definition of Accredited Investor to Include Certain Sophistication Measures

As widely anticipated, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) updated the definition of an Accredited Investor expanding the rule by adding certain sophistication criteria. The current definition defines an individual who earns over $200,000 a year ($300,000 if married) as accredited. If an individual has… Read More

Who is Against Expanding the Definition of an Accredited Investor?

It should be obvious to most everyone that the current definition of an Accredited Investor not only disenfranchises the vast majority of the population it is not really an effective proxy to evaluate an individual’s ability to assess risk and the opportunity affiliated with private… Read More

It’s Time for the Definition of an Accredited Investor to Change and Allow Greater Access to Individual Investors

Later this week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will update the definition of an Accredited Investor – a rule that has been in place for decades. An open meeting of the Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, August 26, 2020. The current rule allows individuals… Read More

SEC to Hold Open Meeting to Address Accredited Investor Definition

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has scheduled an open meeting of the Commission to address several regulatory issues including an update to the current definition of an Accredited Investor. Regarding the Accredited Investor definition the SEC states it will consider: “whether to adopt amendments… Read More

Comment Period Ends on Proposal to Update the Definition of an Accredited Investor. So Who Said What?

Towards the end of 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed an update to the definition of an accredited investor. The rule change is part of a broader “concept release” that the SEC has issued to review the exempt offering ecosystem and how this… Read More

NASAA Slams SEC’s Proposal to Update Accredited Investor Definition to Enable Sophisticated Individuals to Qualify

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), the entity that lobbies on behalf of state and provincial regulators, is “urging the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) not to move forward with its proposal to expand access to high-risk private securities offerings to individual investors.” NASAA… Read More

Scott Purcell Slams the SECs Proposed Update to the Accredited Investor Rule: “it still remains policy that only rich people are permitted to get rich”

Outspoken entrepreneur and CEO of Prime Trust Scott Purcell has shared his thoughts on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) proposal to modernize the current definition of an accredited investor. At the moment, an accredited investor in the US is measured by a wealth metric…. Read More

Not Just About Startups: Democratizing the Accredited Investor Definition Will Allow More People Access to Lower Risk Real Estate Investments

While investment crowdfunding rules initially were targeted at early-stage ventures in need of growth capita,l the new rules have fueled the rise of investment platforms for another asset class: real estate investment opportunities. Early-stage ventures, from seed rounds to later-stage venture rounds, tend to include… Read More

The New Proposed “Accredited Investor” Definition Changes And Why They Are A BIG Deal

While it passed somewhat under the radar with the holiday season, on December 18, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) released a proposal to significantly amend the existing “accredited investor” definition; which is integral in determining who can participate in private securities transactions. The… Read More

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