Our accredited investor laws are dumb and exclusionary. But repealing them without other changes would be net bad for Americans… it would mostly democratize access to the worst deals: scams and leftovers.
The better fix: incentivize companies to go public sooner.
Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong)
I think it’s time to revisit the accredited investor laws in the US.
Companies are staying private longer, where only accredited investors (aka rich people!) can invest. Retail investors can only come in after IPO, when much of the upside has already been captured.
These rules were created with the best of intentions, to protect regular people from scams - a noble idea. Unfortunately, in practice they've often made it illegal to get richer, unless you're already rich. A regressive tax!
We have to judge policies based on their outcomes, not on their intentions.
These are two possible routes I see:
1) Replace the rule with something merit-based, like a financial literacy test. Pass it and you're accredited. Having a qualification based on competency rather than your bank balance or income seems far more fair.
2) Remove the rule entirely. Let consenting adults assess their own risk. Disclosure requirements stay and fraud enforcement stays to punish bad actors.
— https://nitter.net/brian_armstrong/status/2066709436916252846#m