Accredited investor

Accredited investor

Refers to an individual whose net worth, or joint net worth with a spouse, exceeds $1,000,000; or whose individual income exceeded $200,000 or whose joint income with a spouse exceeded $300,000 in each of the 2 most recent years and can be expected to meet that income in the current year. More details of the definitions for investors other that individuals are found in Regulation D of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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accredited investor

An investor with sufficient income or wealth to be exempted from the 35-person limit in contributing funds to a private limited partnership. An accredited investor must have an annual income of more than $200,000 or a net worth of $1 million, or the investor must purchase $150,000 or more of the offering with the investment representing 20% or less of his or her net worth.

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Accredited investor. An accredited investor is a person or institution that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) defines as being qualified to invest in unregistered securities, such as privately held corporations, private equity investments, and hedge funds.

The qualification is based on the value of the investor's assets, or in the case of an individual, annual income.

Specifically, to be an accredited investor you must have a net worth of at least $1 million or a current annual income of at least $200,000 with the anticipation you'll earn at least that much next year. If you're married, that amount is increased to $300,000.

Institutions are required to have assets worth $5 million to qualify as accredited investors. The underlying principle is that investors with these assets have the sophistication to understand the risks involved in the investment and can afford to lose the money should the investment fail.