What is registered public stock? What is unregistered private stock? And what are the main differences

Registered public stock is a security that has to be registered first with the Securities and Exchange Commission before it can be offered to the public through an initial public offering (IPO).

Unregistered private stock is a security offered to the company's existing investors, employees, and other specific individuals. Because it is offered privately to a limited number of investors, it is not registered with the Security and Exchange Commission.

The main difference of these stocks are:

1) Registration with SEC - one is registered the other is not

2) Offering Target - one is to the public the other is to a private party.

3) Liquidation - in the event that you need money, public stock can easily be liquidated because it will only be offered back to the public whereas private stock liquidation must follow certain conditions imposed by the issuing company