RIA Compliance Blog
In a closely-watched move, the SEC voted 3-2 this past Wednesday to expand the definition of an “accredited investor” to include both state-registered and SEC-registered investment advisers with $5 million or more in assets. Accredited investors are those who are permitted to purchase unregistered securities such as those typically sold in a private placement. The current definition includes individuals or married couples with $1 million or more in investments and individuals with $200,000 in annual income or total income with a spouse of $300,000.
Also added to the definition are individuals who hold Series 7, 65, and 82 licenses. Those correspond to examinations for the general securities agent or representative, the investment adviser representative, and the private placement agent, respectively. “Knowledgeable employees” of a private fund are now also accredited investors. In addition to the new categories included, the Commission established a framework whereby additional categories of sophisticated investors can be added to the definition over time.
The Commission also voted not to adjust upward for inflation, the traditional wealth-based definition of “accredited investor.” The issue exposes a fundamental debate about the adequacies of protections that currently exist in the private securities market, as well as issues of class-based access to markets.