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SCOTT JAGOW: Hedge funds are kinda like Wall Street’s country clubs. You can’t get in unless you have a lot of money, a $100,000 minimum investment. But by the end of this week, one hedge fund will open its doors to everybody. Amy Scott explains.

AMY SCOTT: Most people can’t afford to invest directly in hedge funds, but more and more hedge fund management companies are going public. That means any investor can buy shares on the stock market.

The Fortress IPO expected this Friday, the first by an American company, will give smaller investors a chance to cash in on the success of the notoriously secretive partnerships.

It could also make the funds less secretive.

TOM WHELAN: The veils start to disappear in an IPO.

Tom Whelan heads advisory firm Greenwich Alternative Investments. He says the industry should benefit from the extra scrutiny public companies face.

WHELAN: Because it demystifies so much of the process, and it brings the management companies into the mainstream.

Hedge fund IPOs could soon hit the mainstream. Analysts expect several more in the coming year.

In New York, I’m Amy Scott for Marketplace.