Hi,
Since I read through the website last night! Are you telling me you believe this company operates differently than there website outlines?
Let's start with basics:
Yes, an investment club is legal in the US as long as it does not exceed 100 members! Members all come in with the exact equal amounts of money, all members become owners per each membership of exactly 1/100 of the underlying LLC. The investment club can know what there investing in IE: Real Estate, Mining, Venture Capital, Stock Options, Bonds, Etc.
The investment does not become a done deal until all 100 members are given the right to speak on behalf of the investment, all members must vote in favor of the investment and then documents are signed and money is exchanged! All members must then elect managers to operate on behalf of the investment group, and the group has the right to quarterly and yearly audit's. Any write off's are passed through the LLC to it's members.
The cost for an attorney to prepare documents and function as trustee until the investment club is finalized approximently 1/2 of a billable hour per member!
SEC (Securities Exchange Commission) Regulation D Offering under Sections 504, 505 and 506 are generally as follows:
Rule 504 of Regulation D
Rule 504 of Regulation D provides an exemption from the registration requirements of the federal securities laws for some companies when they offer and sell up to $1,000,000 of their securities in any 12-month period.
A company can use this exemption so long as it is not a blank check company and does not have to file reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Also, the exemption generally does not allow companies to solicit or advertise their securities to the public, and purchasers receive "restricted" securities, meaning that they may not sell the securities without registration or an applicable exemption.
Rule 504 does allow companies to sell securities that are not restricted, if one of the following circumstances is met:
The company registers the offering exclusively in one or more states that require a publicly filed registration statement and delivery of a substantive disclosure document to investors;
A company registers and sells the offering in a state that requires registration and disclosure delivery and also sells in a state without those requirements, so long as the company delivers the disclosure documents required by the state where the company registered the offering to all purchasers (including those in the state that has no such requirements); or
The company sells exclusively according to state law exemptions that permit general solicitation and advertising, so long as the company sells only to "accredited investors."
Even if a company makes a private sale where there are no specific disclosure delivery requirements, a company should take care to provide sufficient information to investors to avoid violating the antifraud provisions of the securities laws. This means that any information a company provides to investors must be free from false or misleading statements. Similarly, a company should not exclude any information if the omission makes what is provided to investors false or misleading.
While companies using the Rule 504 exemption do not have to register their securities and usually do not have to file reports with the SEC, they must file what is known as a "Form D" after they first sell their securities. Form D is a brief notice that includes the names and addresses of the company’s owners and stock promoters, but contains little other information about the company.
In February 2008, the SEC adopted amendments to Form D, requiring that electronic filing of Form D be phased in during the period September 15, 2008 to March 16, 2009. Although as amended, the electronic Form D requires much of the same information as the paper Form D, the amended Form D requires disclosure of the date of first sale in the offering. Previously, the first date of sale was not required. The Office of Small Business Policy has posted information on its web page about the filing requirements for the new Form D.
If you are thinking about investing in a Reg D company, you should access the EDGAR database to determine whether the company has filed Form D. If you need a copy of a Form D filed as a paper filing (which will include any Form D filed before September 15, 2008) that has not been scanned into IDEA, you can request a copy using our online form. If the company has not filed a Form D, this should alert you that the company might not be in compliance with the federal securities laws
You should always check with your state securities regulator to see if it has more information about the company and the people behind it. Be sure to ask whether your state regulator has cleared the offering for sale in your state. You can get the address and telephone number for your state securities regulator by calling the North American Securities Administrators Association at (202) 737-0900 or by visiting its website. You’ll also find this information in the state government section of your local phone book.
For more information about the SEC’s registration requirements and common exemptions, read our brochure, Q&A: Small Business & the SEC.
http://www.sec.gov/answers/rule504.htmRule 505 of Regulation D
Rule 505 of Regulation D allows some companies offering their securities to have those securities exempted from the registration requirements of the federal securities laws. To qualify for this exemption, a company:
Can only offer and sell up to $5 million of its securities in any 12-month period;
May sell to an unlimited number of "accredited investors" and up to 35 other persons who do not need to satisfy the sophistication or wealth standards associated with other exemptions;
Must inform purchasers that they receive "restricted" securities, meaning that the securities cannot be sold for six months or longer without registering them; and
Cannot use general solicitation or advertising to sell the securities.
Rule 505 allows companies to decide what information to give to accredited investors, so long as it does not violate the antifraud prohibitions of the federal securities laws. But companies must give non-accredited investors disclosure documents that generally are equivalent to those used in registered offerings. If a company provides information to accredited investors, it must make this information available to non-accredited investors as well. The company must also be available to answer questions by prospective purchasers.
Here are some specifics about the financial statement requirements applicable to this type of offering:
Financial statements need to be certified by an independent public accountant;
If a company other than a limited partnership cannot obtain audited financial statements without unreasonable effort or expense, only the company's balance sheet (to be dated within 120 days of the start of the offering) must be audited; and
Limited partnerships unable to obtain required financial statements without unreasonable effort or expense may furnish audited financial statements prepared under the federal income tax laws.
While companies using the Rule 505 exemption do not have to register their securities and usually do not have to file reports with the SEC, they must file what is known as a "Form D" after they first sell their securities. Form D is a brief notice that includes the names and addresses of the company’s owners and stock promoters, but contains little other information about the company.
In February 2008, the SEC adopted amendments to Form D, requiring that electronic filing of Form D be phased in during the period September 15, 2008 to March 16, 2009. Although as amended, the electronic Form D requires much of the same information as the paper Form D, the amended Form D requires disclosure of the date of first sale in the offering. Previously, the first date of sale was not required. The Office of Small Business Policy has posted information on its web page about the filing requirements for the new Form D.
If you are thinking about investing in a company, you should access the EDGAR database to determine whether the company has filed Form D. If you need a copy of a Form D filed as a paper filing (which will include any Form D filed before September 15, 2008) that has not been scanned into IDEA, you can request a copy using our online form. If the company has not filed a Form D, this should alert you that the company might not be in compliance with the federal securities laws
You should always check with your state securities regulator to see if it has more information about the company and the people behind it. Be sure to ask whether your state regulator has cleared the offering for sale in your state. You can get the address and telephone number for your state securities regulator by calling the North American Securities Administrators Association at (202) 737-0900 or by visiting its website. You’ll also find this information in the state government section of your local phone book.
For more information about the SEC’s registration requirements and common exemptions, read our brochure, Q&A: Small Business & the SEC.
http://www.sec.gov/answers/rule505.htmRule 506 of Regulation D
Rule 506 of Regulation D is considered a "safe harbor" for the private offering exemption of Section 4(2) of the Securities Act. Companies using the Rule 506 exemption can raise an unlimited amount of money. A company can be assured it is within the Section 4(2) exemption by satisfying the following standards:
The company cannot use general solicitation or advertising to market the securities;
The company may sell its securities to an unlimited number of "accredited investors" and up to 35 other purchases. Unlike Rule 505, all non-accredited investors, either alone or with a purchaser representative, must be sophisticated—that is, they must have sufficient knowledge and experience in financial and business matters to make them capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the prospective investment;
Companies must decide what information to give to accredited investors, so long as it does not violate the antifraud prohibitions of the federal securities laws. But companies must give non-accredited investors disclosure documents that are generally the same as those used in registered offerings. If a company provides information to accredited investors, it must make this information available to non-accredited investors as well;
The company must be available to answer questions by prospective purchasers;
Financial statement requirements are the same as for Rule 505; and
Purchasers receive "restricted" securities, meaning that the securities cannot be sold for at least a year without registering them.
While companies using the Rule 506 exemption do not have to register their securities and usually do not have to file reports with the SEC, they must file what is known as a "Form D" after they first sell their securities. Form D is a brief notice that includes the names and addresses of the company’s owners and stock promoters, but contains little other information about the company.
In February 2008, the SEC adopted amendments to Form D, requiring that electronic filing of Form D be phased in during the period September 15, 2008 to March 16, 2009. Although as amended, the electronic Form D requires much of the same information as the paper Form D, the amended Form D requires disclosure of the date of first sale in the offering. Previously, the closing date of an offering was used as the first date of sale. The Office of Small Business Policy has posted information on its web page about the filing requirement for the new Form D.
If you are thinking about investing in a Reg D company, you should access the EDGAR database to determine whether the company has filed Form D. If you need a copy of a Form D filed as a paper filing (which will include any Form D filed before September 15, 2008), you can request a copy using our online form. If the company has not filed a Form D, this should alert you that the company might not be in compliance with the federal securities laws
You should always check with your state securities regulator to see if it has more information about the company and the people behind it. Be sure to ask whether your state regulator has cleared the offering for sale in your state. You can get the address and telephone number for your state securities regulator by calling the North American Securities Administrators Association at (202) 737-0900 or by visiting its website. You’ll also find this information in the state government section of your local phone book.
For more information about the SEC’s registration requirements and common exemptions, read our brochure, Q&A: Small Business & the SEC.
http://www.sec.gov/answers/rule506.htmNow you and I and ten friends can get together and put our money together because were known to one another and were all agreeing to function and format as a private enterprise, however you and I can not get together and advertise for partners on the open market, since REI Club provides a sign in as members you or I could probable make a pitch for a partner or two under the premise of private ownership of real property, in fact if we needed ten friends to put money in as long as there on the deed were all fine, however if we take our ten friends money and issue a promissory note or certificate in exchange for cash then we just created a non legal security being sold but not legal or registered!
A potential buyer of a securities is entitled to a prospectus or business plan!
There is potentially a conflict of interests unless full disclosure is made!
The information on Regulation D Section 504, 505 and 506 was taken from the SEC Website!
Gold River
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