Private funds, such as hedge funds, private equity funds, and venture capital funds, are governed by a host of intersecting federal laws that impact who can invest in these fund, including the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, and the Investment Company Act of 1940. This post provides prospective and existing private fund managers with a basic understanding of the primary categories of investors and why understanding these categories is essential in structuring and marketing a fund.
Qualified Client Archives
The SEC Increases the Net Worth Requirement of the Definition of “Qualified Client” Impacting Both Registered and Some Unregistered Private Fund Managers
Private fund managers who are registered with the SEC are required to follow federal regulations on performance compensation. Generally, if a registered fund manager desires to collect fees based on fund performance (such at the typical 20% carried interest), then each investor in the fund must be a “qualified client.” Prior to the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act, a qualified client was defined as either (i) an individual or company that immediately after investing into the fund has at least $ 750,000 under the management of the fund manager or (ii) an individual or company that has a new worth of $1.5 Million or more or qualifies as a “qualified purchaser.”[1] The Dodd-Frank Act required that the SEC update these two thresholds for inflation, which it did, effective September 19, 2011. It updated the thresholds to $1 Million and $2 Million respectively. [Read more…]