ACCREDITED INVESTOR VERIFICATION - U.S. INVESTORS ONLY
What is an Accredited Investor?
U.S. Federal securities laws define the term Accredited Investor as:
• a natural person who has individual net worth, or joint net worth with the person’s spouse, that exceeds $1 million at the time of the purchase, excluding the value of the primary residence of such person;
• a natural person with income exceeding $200,000 in each of the two most recent years or joint income with a spouse exceeding $300,000 for those years and a reasonable expectation of the same income level in the current year; or
• a trust with assets in excess of $5 million, not formed to acquire the securities offered, whose purchases a sophisticated person makes; or
• a bank, insurance company, registered investment company, business development company, or small business investment company;
• an employee benefit plan, within the meaning of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, if a bank, insurance company, or registered investment adviser makes the investment decisions, or if the plan has total assets in excess of $5 million;
• a charitable organization, corporation, or partnership with assets exceeding $5 million;
• a director, executive officer, or general partner of the company selling the securities;
• a business in which all the equity owners are accredited investors.
What types of documents can be used to verify the Accredited Investor status?
If you qualify as an Accredited Investor based on income, you will need to document your income for the past 2 years. Documentation can be in the form of tax returns, W2s or other official documents.
If you qualify as an Accredited Investor based on net worth, you will need to provide recent account statements or third-party appraisals that show the value of your assets.
In lieu of providing income or net assets information, you may provide a professional letter from a licensed CPA, attorney, investment advisor or registered broker-dealer. The letter should state that the professional service provider has a reasonable belief that you are an Accredited Investor.