Ben McCulloch, General Counsel at XA Investments, spoke with Tom Stabile of FundFire Alts to discuss the impact of changing the definition of accredited investor. Stabile’s article examines how alternative investment managers might experience disruptions should the SEC implement tighter restrictions for accredited investors. The SEC reviews the definition every four years, which determines who can invest in certain securities, including many non-listed alts products. While the SEC hasn’t revealed its plans, it could make changes with little notice. The current SEC, led by Chair Gary Gensler, has developed a reputation for its aggressive approach to rulemaking..
The primary concern for managers is the possibility that the SEC might index accredited investor income levels to inflation, which would adjust current limits upwards from as far back as 1982, the year in which the SEC first established such limits. This change could lead to the exclusion of approximately half of the current accredited investor market.
Mr. McCulloch underscores the effect such a change would have, noting that changes to the definition would impact a broader range of investment managers today than in the past. Sales of non-listed interval funds hit record levels last year, and any updates to the definition would likely entail significant adjustment to current business plans for investment managers.