Lawmakers and federal regulators are contemplating changing the definition of "accredited investor." There's a philosophical debate raging in Washington that could transform the multitrillion-dollar capital markets and change the way startups raise money. The origins of the definition of "accredited investor" trace back to the Great Depression and the Securities Act of 1933. And since the Reg D exemption's creation, private markets have become the dominant way for most issuers to access capital markets. According to analysis from the Brookings Institution, in 2020, 13.85% of US households qualified as accredited investors, compared with just 1.8% in 1983.

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Persons: Gary Gensler, Elizabeth Holmes, Sam Bankman, Ronald Reagan, Reg D, Maxine Waters, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Micah Hauptman, Hauptman, haven't, Marcia Dawood, Dawood, Tyler Gellasch, Gellasch, Theranos Organizations: Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Apple, Securities, Financial Services, Politico, Consumer Federation of America, Yale Endowments, Brookings Institution, Angel Capital Association, ACA, Healthy Markets Association Locations: Washington, of Arkansas, California