Only the Rich Are Invited to the Peer Organization Tiger 21

If you happened to see Michael Sonnenfeldt’s interview on CNBC on Thursday, Aug. 11, you might be curious about his group, Tiger 21, and its membership requirements.

Tiger 21 is an “exclusive” group of “high-net-worth” individuals, which basically means that only rich people are allowed. The rest of us common folk need not apply.

Sonnenfeldt, the group’s founder, said on CNBC’s Street Signs Europe that Tiger 21 members are seeing some “real bargains” in the stock market. “Obviously, one of the big areas is energy, not only on the oil and gas side, but much bigger growing interest in renewables and how to play the solar opportunities, the wind opportunities,” he explained. “They know this is the biggest investment theme perhaps in human history, and it is getting a lot of their attention.”

On its website, Tiger 21 calls itself an “exclusive peer membership organization of high-net-worth entrepreneurs, investors, and executives” that claims to help these individuals “navigate the challenges and opportunities that success creates.”

Real estate businessman Michael W. Sonnenfeldt, the founder of Emmes & Company, launched Tiger 21 in 1999. He formed a group with other New York City entrepreneurs who had recently sold their businesses and were looking to preserve their wealth. Now the organization says it has more than 1,100 members across 95 groups and 42 markets. Each group has 12–15 members and meets once per month.

“Fellow visionaries, entrepreneurs, investors, and executives from an array of industries comprise each member’s personal peer group,” the Tiger 21 website explains. “Our network of members effectively serve as legacy planning partners who help each other improve their investment acumen, tackle common issues of wealth preservation, manage family-related challenges, understand estate planning options, and share ideas on philanthropic endeavors.”

To qualify for membership in Tiger 21, you have to have $20 million in investable assets, a readiness to share, a willingness to learn, a commitment not to solicit, and a commitment to attend monthly meetings, according to the website.

Then there’s this vague caveat: “Meeting the specific quantitative requirement of a minimum of $20 [million] in investable assets does not automatically guarantee admittance into TIGER 21. There are other important, less easily defined requirements that also need to be met. These are qualitative in nature and are at the discretion of Tiger 21 and the chair of the group.”

If you have $20 million to spare and Tiger 21 sounds like something you would be interested in, you can submit a membership inquiry on the organization’s website. The inquiry form asks you to fill in your contact information, to describe your professional background, your goals and challenges, and your areas of interest. It also asks “where you see yourself in terms of investible assets,” with options ranging from $0–$9 million to $100+ million.