Up and Running Blog

Your Investment Strategy Might be Illegal

by Tim Berry on April 21, 2009

I get asked frequently what’s the deal with friends and family, as in funding your startup with people who aren’t sophisticated investors as defined by securities and exchange laws. What that means, in a nutshell, is that it can be illegal to take money in exchange for stock from someone who doesn’t have the income or net worth as defined by the government as the minimum that makes that person a “sophisticated investor.”

I was browsing for an explanation of why not, yesterday, when I came up with this one: The Trouble with Raising Money from Non-Accredited Investors on The Startup Lawyer. That looks to me like a very good summary.

About Tim Berry

Tim Berry

Tim Berry is the founder of Palo Alto Software, a co-founder of Borland International, and a recognized expert in business planning. Tim is the originator of plan-as-you-go business planning. He has an MBA from Stanford and degrees with honors from the University of Oregon and the University of Notre Dame. Today, Tim dedicates most of his time to blogging, teaching, and evangelizing for business planning. His full biography is available on his blog.

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