and exemptions to the registration requirement: investment advisers whose clients all reside in the same state as the adviser's business office and who do not provide advice on securities listed on national exchanges; investment advisers whose clients are solely insurance companies; and certain investment advisers who manage solely private funds holding less than $100 million from US investors. Investment advisers covered A hallmark of the IAA is the required registration of virtually all investment advisers. Much verbiage, however, has gone into exactly what constitutes an investment adviser and corollary—investment advice. The act defines an investment adviser as "any person who, for compensation, engages in the business of advising others, either directly or through publications or writings, as to the value of securities or as to the advisability of investing in, purchasing, or selling securities, or who for compensation and as part of a regular business, issues or promulgates analyses or reports concerning securities." The SEC further refined its definition of an adviser in its Release 1092, which stated that the "giving of advice need not constitute the principal business activity or any particular portion of the business activities in order for a person to be an investment adviser." Release 1092 went on to state that the "giving of advice need only be done on such a basis that it constitutes a business activity occurring with some regularity. The frequency of the activity is a factor, but is not determinative." Whether or not a person is considered to be an investment adviser under the IAA generally depends on three criteria: the type of advice offered, the method of compensation, and whether or not a significant portion of the "adviser's" income comes from proffering investment advice. Related to the last criterion is the consideration of whether or not a person leads others to believe that he or she is an investment adviser, such as by through advertising. Under the Act, a person is generally considered to be an investment adviser by the offering of advice or the making of recommendations on securities as opposed to other types of investments. Securities may be defined under the act as including but not necessarily limited to notes, bonds, stocks (both common and preferred), mutual funds, money market funds, and certificates of deposit. The term "securities" does not generally include commodity contracts, real estate, insurance contracts, or collectibles such as works of art or rare stamps