what is an accredited investor 
an accredited investor usually described as a sophisticated investor they are someone with enough experience or wealth to make certain risky investments that are not available or permitted to the general public in the united states an accredited investor must have a net worth of over 1 million excluding the value of their primary residence the bottom lineinstitutional investors are the big fish on wall street and can move markets with their large block trades the group is generally considered more sophisticated than the retail crowd and often subject to less regulatory oversight institutional investors are usually not investing their own money but making investment decisions on behalf of clients shareholders or customers 