At the recent Small Business Forum at the SEC held this past November one of the hot topics of discussion was the definition of an “Accredited Investor”.  As it stands today, an accredited investor is a wealthy sort that earns over $200,000 per year or happens to have $1 million in his or her bank account.  This definition has been the qualifier for individuals being allowed to invest in certain private placements; risky yet potentially very lucrative opportunities to generate wealth. This definition has been in place since the early 1980′s but is currently up for a refresher.