Accredited Investor Vs Qualified Purchaser


Who are Accredited investors and Qualified purchasers? They are investors who can invest in non-SEC registered securities. What are these securities?  These shares are not traded on public markets. They are instead issued by privately held enterprises and startups. As you can assume, the risk associated with such investments is significant. Yet, the potential payout is considerable. As a result, qualified purchasers and accredited investors can both engage in private investment opportunities. 

But, there are distinctions between the two. There are also substantial differences in the types of investments available to each. With that in mind, let's compare accredited investors and qualified purchasers and discuss what you should know about each.

Who is An Accredited Investor?

An individual having a net worth exceeding $1 million is an accredited investor. A husband and wife who have a combined net worth exceeding $1 million are also considered accredited investors. But the value of the primary residence is not included in the net worth per SEC. 

An individual must demonstrate an annual individual income of $200,000 or more. But for a joint status (that is husband and wife), the yearly income must be greater than $300,000.

Furthermore, this income level must be proved for each of the two years before the accreditation application. Investors or investors may also demonstrate that it will persist in the current year.

Holding a FINRA Series 82, Series 65, Series 7, or financial securities license is another means to gain accreditation status.

The status of an accredited investor can also be obtained thru a trust. But, the trust must have assets over $5 million. The trust must also get directed by a sophisticated investor. A sophisticated investor is someone who has proven the ability to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of different investments (also known as a smart investor).

So, the goal here is to safeguard individual investors. This is done by assuring they have the necessary skills to properly analyze an investment. Also, they must have more than enough money in the store to endure the storm if the investment does not meet their expectations.

The Advantages of Accredited Investor Status

Accredited investors put money in funds that have rigorous limits on the investment pool size. 3(c)(1) funds are normally restricted to 100 accredited investors. If the fund's size is less than $10 million, this amount can be increased to 250 investors.

Who Is A Qualified Purchaser?

A qualified purchaser is an individual or a family company with an investment portfolio worth $5 million or above. 

A single person can represent the interests of a group of people who have qualified purchaser status and the ability to invest $25 million or more.

Also, a trust can qualify for qualified purchaser status if it has a portfolio worth at least $5 million. It also has to get held by at least 2 close members of a family unit. Owners can include siblings and spouses, primary investors' children, and the children’s spouses.

Every entity that holds and invests a minimum of $100 million in securities qualifies as a qualified purchaser. It also pertains to a bank that possesses and invests in securities that are worth no less than $100 million. It must also have an audited net worth of at least $25 million.

The Advantages of Qualified Purchaser Status

Having qualified purchaser status allows you to participate in a wide range of investment opportunities than accredited investors.

Accredited Investors Vs Qualified Purchasers: Examples

Now let us look at some examples of how an accredited investor differs from a qualified purchaser.

A may have a $10 million stock portfolio. Therefore, their overall net worth might be in the $15 million range.

B is a wealth manager in charge of investing $22 million on behalf of their clients. Some of these customers are not qualified purchasers.

C earns $500,000 annually along with their wife/husband and has a $2 million net worth.

A is a qualified purchaser since the value of his investments exceeds $5 million. B  is a wealth manager, but he is not a qualified purchaser since he does not invest a minimum of $25 million for his customers.

C is an accredited investor since he earns more than $300,000 combined with his spouse and has a combined net worth of more than a million dollars.

Accredited Investors Vs Qualified Purchasers: The Distinction?

The primary distinction between an accredited investor and a qualified purchaser is that the financial criterion for an accredited investor is significantly lower than that of a qualified purchaser. 

A qualified purchaser is frequently referred to as a super-accredited investor because they must meet greater financial standards. For the ordinary investor, obtaining qualified purchaser status is frequently more challenging.

Every qualified purchaser has the potential to be an accredited investor. But, accredited investors are not always qualified purchasers. This is because the qualification requirement for qualified purchaser status is higher than that of an accredited investor.

After all, qualified purchasers can invest $5 million or more on their own. It implies that they will most likely fulfill the $1 million net worth criterion to be designated an accredited investor. True, the two may not always coincide, but they do so frequently.

As a result, qualified purchasers gain access to 3(c)(7) funds plus the 3(c)(1) funds available to accredited investors. In contrast to the significantly lower restrictions permitted by 3(c) (1) funds, these funds can accept up to 2,000 qualified purchasers.

In short, since 3(c)(1) funds have less than 100 investors, accredited investors can participate. 3(c)(7) funds have no investment restrictions and are only available to qualified purchasers. Because 3 (c)(7) funds have little investor capacity, the potential rewards are larger.

Accredited Investors Vs Qualified Purchasers: What kinds of investments fall within each category?

  • Accredited Investors

An accredited investor status enables individuals and businesses to acquire unregistered securities. Only individuals who qualify have access to these private funds, which are not available to other investors with much less financial knowledge.

Accredited investors have access to venture funding, hedge funds, angel investments, and complicated, high-risk transactions.

  • Qualified Purchasers

To qualify as a qualified purchaser, your investments are measured rather than yearly income. The following investments qualify an individual or business:

  1. Stocks, bonds, and notes.
  2. Real estate kept for investment reasons and not utilized for commercial purposes
  3. Commodity futures contracts, options or commodity futures, and physical commodity options held for financial reasons.

Accredited Investors Vs Qualified Purchasers: Verification Procedure

Asking your investment adviser, CPA, or lawyer to draft you a letter indicating your accreditation status is a good direction for either accredited investors or qualified purchasers to prepare to transform into verified investors.

Let's take a closer look at how to become each.

  • Accredited Investor

There is no official procedure for becoming an accredited investor. It is the responsibility of sellers of unregistered securities to check people or corporations that seek to invest to guarantee. They must check if they fulfill at least one of the qualifications outlined for accredited investors.

If you feel you are an accredited investor, you must contact the issuer of the unregistered securities in which you wish to invest. They will also provide you with a questionnaire to establish your suitability.

W-2 forms, financial statements, credit reports, account information, tax returns, a balance sheet, pay slips, or letters from evaluations by tax attorneys, CPAs, advisers, or investment brokers will be needed along with the questionnaire.

  • Qualified Purchasers

The verification procedure for qualified purchases is not a governmental or formal process. It is the obligation of each company supplying private funds to ensure that its investors are qualified purchasers before investing.

When qualified purchaser status is determined by investments, the financial documents required may differ. But the process stays the same. As long as you match the standards given, send your information to the firm in which you want to invest and wait for them to check your qualifications.

Are you eager to find out more?

When it comes to being an accredited investor vs. a qualified purchaser, both roles provide significant advantages in today's real estate market. Even if you match the net worth standards for an accredited investor or qualified purchaser, you may be underestimating yourself if you don't know how to profit on bargains in today's dynamic, ever-changing market.

Assetmonk, focussing on alternative investments and alternative investment opportunities has worked with accredited investors and qualified purchasers looking for passive real estate investment options. It will locate the ideal real estate investment property for you to invest in, create a strong plan for increasing the property's cash flow, and arrange the real estate transaction. Finally, you'll be able to create revenue without having to perform a 9-to-5 job.

Assetmonk is one of the best alternative investment platforms. It works with accredited investors and qualified purchasers looking for alternaive investing and passive real estate investing. There are many ways for real estate investors investing in real estate like syndication real estate or real estate syndication and real estate crowdfunding. It will locate the ideal real estate investment property for you to invest in, create a strong plan for increasing the property's cash flow, and arrange the real estate transaction. Finally, you'll be able to create revenue without having to perform a 9-to-5 job.

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