In late April, Fidelity Investments made a big announcement.

It officially declared that people with a 401(k) account with the company would now be able to invest in Bitcoin with those funds.

It marked a watershed moment for the face of cryptocurrency, further cementing it as a viable, mainstream asset class.

It will be far from the last new type of investment okayed by these investment corporations. In fact, there are murmurs that we could be seeing a new one introduced in the near future.

One that we are intimately familiar with: angel investing.

A few weeks ago, senators from Pennsylvania and South Carolina and a representative from Michigan unveiled the details of the Retirement Savings Monetization Act. This act would assert that fiduciaries tasked with managing contribution plans – in this case, investment companies like Fidelity – would no longer be restricted to stocks and bonds, thus opening the door to alternative asset classes.

“Americans deserve flexibility with their retirement options, especially in times of fiscal uncertainty,” said U.S. Representative for Michigan Peter Meijer in a press release September 29. “It is past due for retirement plans to reflect the demands of the modern workforce, and the Retirement Savings Modernization Act takes a necessary step towards that. With this bill, Americans can better prepare for retirement, and I am proud to join my colleagues in both the House and Senate in introducing this meaningful legislation.”

It comes on the heels of one of the most tumultuous stretches of public market performance in history. And as the prospect for a recession looms larger by the day – including Bloomberg’s Economics model calling it a 100% likelihood – the need for alternatives is greater now than ever.

“Inflation has eroded and devalued the savings many Americans spent their lives accumulating,” said Senator Tim Scott (R-PA). “This bill would modernize retirement plans to ensure they can provide diverse investments with higher returns. American workers and their families deserve to go about their lives with peace of mind, knowing their hard-earned money will be secure when they choose to retire.”

As Sen. Scott mentioned, the higher returns found through these alternative asset classes are particularly appealing. And there are few realms that provide a higher ROI than angel investing, where investors get in on the ground floor of companies with the potential to reach multi-billion-dollar valuations.

But we don’t need to tell you that. You’ve been plugged into this world for quite some time.

Which means you’re in an advantageous position.

While this development is a boon to the future of alternative asset investments and angel investing, it is sort of like discovering you enjoy playing golf at the age of 45. You might still end up good – however, there are a lot of people who have been doing it for much longer, and they’ve naturally got the leg up.

This experience will only serve angel investors well as the markets become more mainstream, and while newcomers take their lumps and learn their lessons, veterans can move with conviction.

Taking things one step further, it helps promote angel investing as a viable means of securing capital for companies, which then helps boost the quality and volume of companies raising funds.

Remember, we’re still only a decade removed from the JOBS Act opening the door to non-accredited investors. This is still early days. But this progression – like the aforementioned approval of Bitcoin – is a step toward the future of angel investing.

And just like those who bought loads of crypto in the early 2010s, it is undeniably a good thing that you’re already at the table.