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Top 9 Investment Platforms for Accredited Investors
In the last five years, the investing landscape has broadened.
Investments that used to be reserved for the top 1% (and only those with the right connections) are now much more accessible. The rise in crowdfunding platforms has enabled investors to create portfolios filled with real estate, art, and other assets.
Generally speaking, portfolios with some allocation to alternative investments have experienced lower volatility than stock- or bond-only portfolios, something we all could use more of as public markets seem to be more correlated than ever.
Still, because of SEC regulations, not all investors can access the most sought-after investments and the teams of analysts and portfolio managers behind them. That's what this article is about.
You can qualify as an accredited investor if you:
- Earn more than $200,000 (individually) or $300,000 (jointly) in income per year.
- Have a net worth of more than $1,000,000, excluding your primary residence.
- Are a qualifying financial professional.
To register as an accredited investor, create an account with one of the platforms below. Afterward, the platform may reach out to you to verify your status. It is the responsibility of each platform to verify your accreditation status.
If you're an accredited investor, here are the 9 investment platforms you should know about to add diversification, lower volatility, and potentially higher returns to your portfolio.
Summary of the best investment platforms
| Platform | Our rating | Asset(s) | Risk-reward* | Minimum investment | Accreditation requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yieldstreet | Real estate, art, private credit & more | Medium-High | $10,000 | Primarily accredited | |
| Hiive | Private companies | High | $25,000 | Accredited only | |
| Percent | Private credit | Low-Medium | $500 | Accredited only | |
| CrowdStreet | Commercial real estate | Medium-High | $25,000 | Accredited only | |
| Masterworks | Art | Medium-High | $15,000 | Any investor | |
| EquityMultiple | Commercial real estate | Medium-High | $5,000 | Accredited only | |
| Arrived | Single-family homes | Medium-High | $100 | Any investor | |
| RealtyMogul | Commercial, multifamily, and single-family real estate | Medium-High | $5,000 | Primarily accredited | |
| AcreTrader | Farmland | Low-Medium | $15,000 | Accredited only |
Disclaimer: Based on the assumption that the higher the risk, the higher the reward. Ratings are my opinion. Actual results may vary. All investors should do their own due diligence.
Keep reading for detailed breakdowns of each platform listed above.
1. Yieldstreet: Real estate, art, private credit, & more
- Our rating:
- Asset(s): Real estate, art, private credit, cryptocurrencies, venture capital (VC), private equity, structured notes, infrastructure, legal finance, and a multi-asset class fund
- Risk-reward*: Medium-High
- Minimum investment: $10,000
- Accreditation requirement: Primarily accredited
By offering investors 11 asset classes under one login, Yieldstreet is the leading platform for private market investing and the obvious choice for the #1 spot on this list.
Since 2015, Yieldstreet has distributed more than $2.37 billion to investors and has averaged 9.7% net annualized returns. For reference, a 60/40 stock/bond portfolio returned just 6.5% annualized over the same period.
While the performance has been strong, Yieldstreet's primary goal is diversification and lowering your portfolio's volatility, especially during public market downturns.
Image source: Yieldstreet
Because of these characteristics, Yieldstreet believes private markets should be a fundamental component of every portfolio.
On the platform, you can filter investments by asset class, term length, investment strategy, IRA eligibility, minimum investment, and more. Each new investment is analyzed by Yieldstreet's team of 25+ analysts and seasoned portfolio managers.
And if you're not exactly sure what you want to invest in, the Yieldstreet Alternative Income Fund is a popular choice.
The income-focused fund invests across multiple asset classes and is professionally managed, so you get all the benefits of private market diversification without all the work. Plus, the fund is available to all investors, not just accredited investors.
If what you're looking for is diversification outside of public markets, Yieldstreet is for you. When it comes to lowering portfolio volatility via investments in private market alternatives, Yieldstreet is unmatched.
Quick facts
- Assets invested since inception: $4+ billion
- Number of investors: 450,000+
- Primary benefit: More private market asset classes than any other platform
2. Hiive: Buy shares of private companies
- Our rating:
- Asset(s): Private companies
- Risk-reward*: High
- Minimum investment: $25,000
- Accreditation requirement: Accredited only
Hiive is the best platform for investing in pre-IPO companies.
The platform gives you exclusive access to VC-backed startups like Databricks, Stripe, SpaceX, ByteDance, Kraken, and more.
Image source: Hiive
In total, there are more than 2,000 pre-IPO companies listed on Hiive.
Each listing is created by a different seller who sets their own asking price and volume available. These sellers may be employees, venture capital firms, or angel investors.
As a buyer, you can either accept the asking price as listed or place a bid and negotiate directly with the sellers.
After creating an account, you can see the complete set of active bids and asks for any company. You can also see what prices recently accepted deals have been made at.
Additionally, there are no fees for buyers — only sellers pay fees.
As venture capitalists and startup founders know, the real money is often made before the IPO, not after. Now, you can join them by investing in Canva and other private companies right alongside them.
Quick facts
- Assets invested since inception: Not disclosed
- Number of investors: 12,000+
- Primary benefit: Invest in private, VC-backed companies
3. Percent: Invest in private credit
- Our rating:
- Asset(s): Private credit
- Risk-reward*: Low-Medium
- Minimum investment: $500
- Accreditation requirement: Accredited only
Percent gives you access to the $1.9 trillion private credit market, a market that used to be exclusively available to institutions.
What is private credit?
Companies without access to public markets turn to private credit markets to finance their operations and growth. Since the money is harder to come by, these companies are willing to give much better terms to receive the funding, which is great news for the lenders.
Private credit deals typically entail the following:
- Higher yields
- Shorter durations
- Returns that are largely uncorrelated with public markets
Plus, most of the debt is secured by assets, loan portfolios, or corporate debt.
Here's how it stacks up against other asset classes:
Image source: Percent
There's a lot to like about private credit as an investment, especially for high-net-worth individuals. And, while you can also invest in private credit on Yieldstreet, I've found Percent often has a larger inventory of deals to choose from, so it's worth it to have an account on both platforms.
Combine all that, and it's easy to understand why 89% of investors on Percent re-invest after their first deal. With our link below, Percent is offering a welcome bonus of up to $500 when new investors make their first investment.
Quick facts
- Assets invested since inception: $936+ million
- Number of investors: Not disclosed
- Primary benefit: Largest inventory of private credit deals and low historical default rate of 1.95%
4. CrowdStreet: Commercial real estate properties
- Our rating:
- Asset(s): Commercial real estate
- Risk-reward*: Medium-High
- Minimum investment: $25,000
- Accreditation requirement: Accredited only
CrowdStreet is one of the most established real estate crowdfunding platforms around.
Since its inception in 2014, CrowdStreet has funded more than 798 deals to date (168 of which have been sold) and has invested more than $4.2 billion. These deals have spanned 17 property types in 45 states.
CrowdStreet connects investors to investment firms and developers looking to raise capital for their real estate projects. These projects may be hotels, multifamily apartment complexes, storage facilities, industrial parks, and more.
Most deals on CrowdStreet target 3–5 year holding periods, though some deals may target up to 10 years.
Each deal is reviewed by a team with more than 120 combined years of private real estate experience and $6.5 billion in transactional experience before it is listed on CrowdStreet's Marketplace.
Here are some examples:
Image source: CrowdStreet
The company's deals have thus far generated a 17.9% realized internal rate of return (IRR). You can view its track record here.
As an investor, you can choose to invest in individual deals, diversified funds, or a professionally managed portfolio specifically tailored to you.
In my opinion, CrowdStreet is easily the best way to tap into commercial real estate investing.
Quick facts
- Assets invested since inception: $4.2+ billion
- Number of investors: Undisclosed
- Primary benefit: The most-established and most-trusted platform for commercial real estate investing
5. Masterworks: Invest in shares of art
- Our rating:
- Asset(s): Art
- Risk-reward*: Medium-High
- Minimum investment: $15,000
- Accreditation requirement: Any investor
Masterworks is the best way to invest in high-end art, one of the most time-tested assets on this list.
Why art? Two reasons: price appreciation and stability.
Image source: Masterworks
That's why millionaires have been investing in art for years. It's rare, can appreciate, and has historically been inflation- and recession-proof. But art investing requires time, skill, and a lot of money.
At least, that's how it used to be.
Today, Masterworks's research team scours the world for artists and paintings, purchasing only those with the most momentum. After purchasing the art, the company securitizes it with the SEC, allowing its users to invest in individual shares.
Investors can sell their shares to other users on the platform, or wait until the Masterworks team sells the painting and the proceeds are distributed.
Yes, you can invest in art on Yieldstreet, but if you're serious about art as an investment vehicle, then Masterworks is the obvious choice.
Quick facts
- Assets invested since inception: $941+ million
- Number of investors: 883,000+
- Artworks purchased: 392
- Primary benefit: An unparalleled specialization in fine art investing
6. EquityMultiple: Commercial real estate projects
- Our rating:
- Asset(s): Commercial real estate projects
- Risk-reward*: Medium-High
- Minimum investment: $5,000
- Accreditation requirement: Accredited only
EquityMultiple is another crowdfunding real estate platform focused on commercial real estate projects. Similar to CrowdStreet, EquityMultiple analyzes deals and connects investors with developers (sponsors).
If you're still wondering why you should consider investing in private commercial real estate, EquityMultiple provides a simple answer: risk-adjusted returns.
Image source: EquityMultiple
The primary benefit of choosing EquityMultiple over CrowdStreet is that while CrowdStreet only offers equity and fund investments, EquityMultiple also offers short-term notes and debt, which are more focused on short-term income (similar to Percent).
Additionally, EquityMultiple offers a much lower minimum investment ($5,000 vs $25,000).
Quick facts
- Assets invested since inception: ~$1.5 billion (estimated)
- Number of investors: Not disclosed
- Primary benefit: Invest in commercial real estate via short-term debt, equity, and funds
7. Arrived: Own single-family rentals
- Our rating:
- Asset(s): Single-family homes
- Risk-reward*: Medium-High
- Minimum investment: $100
- Accreditation requirement: Any investor
While the other crowdfunding real estate platforms primarily target accredited investors, Arrived targets a broader audience. Any investor can own single-family rentals via Arrived.
While Arrived is solely focused on single-family homes, it acquires them for both long-term rentals and short-term (vacation) rentals. Investors benefit from both rental income and price appreciation.
Arrived takes care of everything — the company evaluates, buys, lists, and manages every property. You don't have to worry about studying the market, legal contracts, closing costs, maintenance, repairs, or tenants.
After purchasing a new property, the company will securitize and make shares available for purchase on its platform (similar to Masterworks). Then, you sit back and collect your “rental income” (which comes in the form of dividends).
In October 2023, 353 properties paid dividends, with annualized yields ranging from 2.0% to 10.1%. You can see the current annualized dividend rate across all of Arrived's properties mapped over the number of months owned in the chart below:
Image source: Arrived
The average occupancy rate is 93.5% in the long-term portfolio and 57% in vacation rentals, which had an average daily rate of $322.
Price appreciation has also been strong across the portfolio:
Image source: Arrived
Share prices are updated every 3–6 months based on third-party valuations of each property's market value.
The company began in the Southeast US but is beginning to buy properties in more states across the country where its research team believes there is value.
Quick facts
- Property value funded since inception: $126+ million across 353 properties
- Number of investors: 540,000+
- Primary benefit: Build a real estate portfolio starting with just $100
8. RealtyMogul: Invest in properties and REITs
- Our rating:
- Asset(s): Commercial, multifamily, and single-family real estate
- Risk-reward*: Medium-High
- Minimum investment: $5,000
- Accreditation requirement: Primarily accredited
If you're looking for a platform that allows you to invest in residential and commercial properties under one login, RealtyMogul is the best option.
Like CrowdStreet and EquityMultiple, RealtyMogul connects investors to developers (sponsors) and takes care of most of the due diligence process for you.
You can invest in individual real estate projects like industrial parks, mixed-use facilities, and residential developments. These projects have a $25,000 to $35,000 minimum investment.
In addition to its individual projects, RealtyMogul makes this list because of its REITs. It offers two REITs, an Income REIT and a Growth REIT, which have $5,000 minimum investments and are available to all investors.
Image source: RealtyMogul
REITs are known for providing investors with stable cash flow (in the form of dividends, which are tax-efficient), liquidity, stability, and diversification. Since the Income REIT's inception in 2016, it has distributed monthly dividends averaging 6% to 8% (net of fees) for 86 consecutive months.
REITs are a pain to set up and manage, which is why RealtyMogul is the only company on this list to offer them. REITs are most beneficial for retirees and high-net-worth individuals.
Quick facts
- Assets invested since inception: $1+ billion
- Number of investors: 280,000+
- Primary benefit: Private real estate investing via REITs
9. AcreTrader: Own farmland
- Our rating:
- Asset(s): Farmland
- Risk-reward*: Low-Medium
- Minimum investment: $15,000
- Accreditation requirement: Accredited only
AcreTrader is the only crowdfunding platform that allows you to invest in farmland.
Why invest in farmland?
The demand for food will never go away. Regardless of inflation, economic conditions, or how the stock market is performing, we need food.
Couple that with a rapidly growing global population (which will require more food and more land), and farmland looks like a pretty compelling investment.
Unsurprisingly, its historical returns have only gone one direction:
Image source: AcreTrader
Like CrowdStreet, AcreTrader connects investors with farmers. Each new listing must pass a thorough due diligence process by the company's team of expert analysts, which only approves 5% of deals.
In a typical week, 1–2 new listings will become available to investors. The types of farms listed range from timber and alfalfa to soybeans and corn — if it's farmable, you can expect to see it on AcreTrader.
The target holding periods range from 5–10 years. During that period, the farmers pay rent to AcreTrader, which distributes it among the investors. At the time of the sale, any price appreciation, pro rata rent, and principal is returned to investors. The median realized IRR has been around 15%.
Quick facts
- Assets invested since inception: $360+ million across 148 properties totaling 49,600 acres
- Number of investors: Undisclosed
- Primary benefit: The only platform where you can invest in shares of farmland
Price comparison
With many alternative investments, there are both direct and indirect fees to be considered.
Direct fees are paid by the investor and are typically disclosed in the offering documents. Indirect fees are less visible to the investor and include fees charged to the sponsor of the investment.
Some examples include property management fees, asset sale commissions, legal fees, and regulatory fees. Indirect fees are netted out of the interest and dividends, or subtracted from the final sales price an investor would get upon the disposition of an asset.
Here's how these platform's fees compare:
| Platform | Annual management fees | Other annual fees | Carry fees | Platform fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yieldstreet | Most are between 1.5–2.5%, stated range is 1–4% | Varies by structure type, typically 0–0.5% | - | - |
| Hiive | - | - | - | Sellers are charged 5% |
| Percent | 1% on blended note products | - | 10% of all interest payments | - |
| CrowdStreet | Sponsors bear costs on individual real estate deals, tailored portfolios are charged between 0.25–2.5% | - | - | - |
| Masterworks | 1.50% | - | 20% of profits once a painting sells | - |
| EquityMultiple | 0% on short-term notes, typically 1% on direct investments and fund investments | $0–$250 | - | - |
| Arrived | 0.15% of purchase price on long-term rentals, 5% of gross revenue on vacation rentals. | - | - | 3.5% on long-term rentals, 5% on vacation rentals |
| RealtyMogul | 1–2% | - | - | 1–2% |
| AcreTrader | 0.75% | - | - | 2% or less of offer value upon purchase, 5% upon sale paid by seller |
Final verdict
It's a good time to be an accredited investor. Investments that used to be reserved for institutions and the ultra-wealthy are now available to you.
If you're looking for a way to diversify your portfolio outside of public markets, Yieldstreet is the best option. It has almost every alternative asset you may be interested in, in some form or another.
The options may be a bit overwhelming at first, but you will quickly come to appreciate the diverse set of investments at your fingertips.
Outside of Yieldstreet, my most recommended platforms are Hiive, Percent, CrowdStreet, and Masterworks for their in-depth focus on their respective assets.
Between these five platforms and your brokerage account, you can easily build a very sophisticated, balanced, and efficient portfolio.
How we chose the best accredited investment opportunities
When evaluating investing products and services, we take the following into consideration:
- Core offering: How good is the primary product or service?
- Price and fees: Overall price, value for money, average cost per month, and any hidden fees.
- Usability: What the interface looks like, whether the site is easy to use and navigate, the inclusion of modern design elements and features, and accessibility.
- Credibility: Quality of information and data as well as company and brand reputation.
- Audience: Who the product is for, the range of uses and applications, whether it actually works for its target audience, if it's the best option available, and any limitations therein.
- Offers: Whether there is a special offer for signing up or any discounts.
What's an accredited investor?
An accredited investor is an individual classified by the SEC as being qualified to invest in complex or sophisticated financial products.
You can qualify as an accredited investor if you:
- Earn more than $200,000 (individually) or $300,000 (jointly) in income per year
- Have a net worth of more than $1,000,000 excluding your primary residence
- Are a qualifying financial professional
The accredited investor rule was established to protect investors from unexpected losses due to misunderstanding investment risk.
How do you become an accredited investor?
To become an accredited investor, you must sign up for and register with a platform and prove to them you meet one of the above requirements.
For example, if you want to invest on Yieldstreet, you must create an account and wait for their support team to reach out to you to confirm you meet the requirements. After confirmation, you will be free to invest in the different offerings on its platform.
You must register and confirm your status as an accredited investor with each new platform you want to invest on.
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