On December 18, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted to propose amendments to the definition of accredited investor with the goal of increasing access to investments.

What is an accredited investor?

Under the federal securities laws, a company that offers or sells its securities must register the securities with the SEC or find an exemption from the registration requirements. The federal securities laws provide companies with a number of exemptions. For some of the exemptions, such as Rule 506 of Regulation D, a company may sell its securities to what are known as accredited investors. The term accredited investor is defined in Rule 501 of Regulation D.

To be an accredited investor, a person must have an annual income exceeding $200,000 ($300,000 for joint income) for the last two years with expectation of earning the same or higher income in the current  year. An individual must have earned income above the thresholds either alone or with a spouse over the last two years. A person is also considered an accredited investor if she has a net worth exceeding  $1 million, either individually or jointly with her spouse.

An entity is an accredited investor if it is a private business development company or an organization with assets exceeding $5 million. Also, if an entity consists of equity owners who are accredited  investors, the entity itself is an accredited investor.

In 2016, the U.S. Congress modified the definition of an accredited investor to include registered brokers and investment advisors. Also, if  a person can demonstrate sufficient education or job experience showing  her professional knowledge of unregistered securities, she too can qualify to be considered an accredited investor.

Proposed Amendments Highlights

The proposed amendments to the accredited investor definition would:

• add new categories to the definition that would permit natural persons to qualify as accredited investors based on certain professional  certifications and designations, such as a Series 7, 65 or 82 license,  or other credentials issued by an accredited educational institution;
• with respect to investments in a private fund, add a new category  based on the person’s status as a “knowledgeable employee” of the fund;
• add limited liability companies that meet certain conditions, registered investment advisers and rural business investment companies  (RBICs) to the current list of entities that may qualify as accredited  investors;
• add a new category for any entity, including Indian tribes, owning  “investments,” as defined in Rule 2a51-1(b) under the Investment Company  Act, in excess of $5 million and that was not formed for the specific  purpose of investing in the securities offered;
• add “family offices” with at least $5 million in assets under management and their “family clients,” as each term is defined under the  Investment Advisers Act; and
• add the term “spousal equivalent” to the accredited investor definition, so that spousal equivalents may pool their finances for the purpose of qualifying as accredited investors.