> I think this is true, but beside the point.I think you missed my point. To reiterate: the fact that people believe that it's not true is, ironically, a convincing justification for the accredited investor rule.
I'm pointing out the irony, not defending the rule per se.
> If you want to have an even playing field for investing, every barrier is an obstacle.
This clearly isn't true.
First, it's sort of prime facie false. Investments usually happen in markets. Markets are human inventions comprised of collections of barriers on behavior and enforcement mechanisms for those barriers. (Investments that happen outside of markets do exist, but they usually involve violence and/or coercion under threat of violence, so probably not what you mean when you say investment.)
Second, there are many ready examples. E.g., SEC filings and public exchanges are clear barriers to entry in fund raising, but also clearly level the playing field. The alternative is that the only way to know about a company's finances is to know the right people.