Wanna sell a security to the public? Then you gotta register it. Many hurdles. All kinds of disclosure. You have detailed, audited GAAP-conforming financials to file. Metrics. History of business papers to send out. A financial doctor will make you turn your head and cough. That's how things roll.
Why? Because, too often, unsuspecting farmers were taken by city slickers in the early 1900s, fomenting all kinds of laws that tried to protect them from this chicanery and let them keep their meager winnings from farming walnuts, so that they'd hopefully (eventually) have a few nuts to store away for their own winters.
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Finance: What is a registration statemen...2 Views
finance a la shmoop what is a registration statement....Hi I'm a
registration statement okay there I said [Uncle Sam poster talking]
it that's a registration statement alright
what am I good for well if you want to go public that is raise money from Joe [Joe Sixpack and Josephine Sixpack appear]
Sixpack and his wife Josephine well then you have to jump through all kinds of
hoops the most important of which is that you have to file a prospectus with
the Securities Exchange Commission or SEC all right what's a prospectus[Prospectus with SEC badge]
it used to be an amateur spectus but the well then it took some continuing ed
classes owned expecting skills and it turned pro and took money all
right well a prospectus basically just outlines all of the information that the
SEC deems is key to the offering like trailing revenues and profits and growth
the units sold, any lawsuits outstanding against the company, distribution,
contracts with vendors patents who the management is debts owed and on and on [examples of what is outlined in a prospectus]
why the need for all this registration well because so many unsuspecting
investors who likely didn't watch this video well they got taken taken in the [Person picks up red phone]
past yeah farmers, not educated government came to their aid they
invested in some sleazy thing that wasn't run through the SEC and now
they're walking around in a barrel saying we'll uh shmoop for food yeah [Man walking in a barrel]
good luck you know the phrase a barrel of fun yeah this is not what it's
referring to [Man walking inside a barrel and a tiger appears]
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