Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018
Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies
Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies	WADDELL & REED FINANCIAL, INC. NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 1.Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. and Subsidiaries Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as the “Company,” “we,” “our” or “us”) is a holding company, incorporated in the state of Delaware in 1981, that conducts business through its subsidiaries. Founded in 1937, we are one of the oldest mutual fund complexes in the United States, having introduced the Waddell & Reed Advisors group of mutual funds (the “Advisors Funds”) in 1940. Over time, we added additional mutual funds: Ivy Funds (the “Ivy Funds”); Ivy Variable Insurance Portfolios, our variable product offering (“Ivy VIP”); InvestEd Portfolios, our 529 college savings plan (“InvestEd”); and the Ivy High Income Opportunities Fund, a closed-end mutual fund (“IVH”). In 2016, we introduced the Ivy NextShares® exchange-traded managed funds (“Ivy NextShares”) (collectively, Ivy Funds, Ivy VIP, InvestEd, IVH, and Ivy NextShares are referred to as the “Funds”). On February 26, 2018, we completed the merger of Advisor Funds into Ivy Funds with substantially similar objectives and strategies. As of September 30, 2018, we had $79.5 billion in assets under management. We derive our revenues from providing investment management and advisory services, investment product underwriting and distribution, and shareholder services administration to the Funds and institutional and separately managed accounts. Investment management and/or advisory fees are based on the amount of average assets under management and are affected by sales levels, financial market conditions, redemptions and the composition of assets. Our underwriting and distribution revenues consist of fees earned on fee‑based asset allocation programs and related advisory services, asset‑based service and distribution fees promulgated under the 1940 Act (“Rule 12b-1”), distribution fees on certain variable products, and commissions derived from sales of investment and insurance products. The products sold have various commission structures and the revenues received from those sales vary based on the type and dollar amount sold. Shareholder service fee revenue includes transfer agency fees, custodian fees from retirement plan accounts, portfolio accounting and administration fees, and is earned based on assets under management or number of client accounts. Our major expenses are for commissions, employee compensation, field services, dealer services, information technology, occupancy and marketing and advertising. Basis of Presentation We have prepared the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations, although we believe that the disclosures are adequate to enable a reasonable understanding of the information presented. The information in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with Part I, Item 2 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our audited financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 (the “2017 Form 10-K”). Certain amounts in the prior year’s financial statements have been reclassified for consistent presentation. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements are prepared consistent with the accounting policies described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements included in our 2017 Form 10-K with the exception of the adoption of Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts from Customers,” ASU 2016-01, “Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities,” ASU 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows: Restricted Cash,” ASU 2017-07, “Compensation-Retirement Benefits: Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost,” and ASU 2018-02, “Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income,” which all became effective January 1, 2018. The implementation of ASU 2014-09 did not have a material impact on the measurement or recognition of revenue from prior periods. See Note 3 – Revenue Recognition, for additional accounting policy information and the additional disclosures required by this ASU. Upon adoption of ASU 2016-01, we reclassified net unrealized holding gains, net of taxes, related to our available for sale investment portfolio from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings. See consolidated statement of stockholders’ equity and redeemable noncontrolling interests for the financial statement reclassification impact of adopting this ASU. Upon adoption of ASU 2016-18, the Cash and cash equivalents – restricted financial statement line item was included as a component of cash and cash equivalents on the Company’s consolidated statements of cash flows for all periods presented. The adoption of ASU 2017-07 changed the income statement presentation of our noncontributory retirement plan that covers substantially all employees and certain vested employees of our former parent company (the “Pension Plan”) by requiring separation between operating expense (service cost component) and non-operating expense (all other components, including interest cost, amortization of prior service cost, mark-to-market gains and losses, curtailments and settlements, etc.). In addition, only the service cost component is eligible for capitalization as part of an asset. The adoption of this ASU had no effect on our net income because it only impacted the classification of certain information on the consolidated statements of income. An amendment to freeze the Pension Plan was approved effective September 30, 2017; therefore, after September 30, 2017, we no longer incur service costs. The service cost component of net periodic benefit cost was recognized in compensation and related costs through September 30, 2017. The other components of net periodic cost were reclassified to investment and other income (loss) on a retrospective basis. Upon early adoption of ASU 2018-02 tax effects that were stranded in other comprehensive income due to the Tax Reform Act were reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. See consolidated statement of stockholders’ equity and redeemable noncontrolling interests for the financial statement reclassification impact of adopting this ASU. Additionally, during the first quarter of 2018, we changed the presentation of certain line items in the consolidated statements of income that were intended to improve the transparency of the Company’s financial statements through clearer alignment of operating expenses with financial statement captions. Specifically, the Company revised its accounting policy related to the reporting of indirect underwriting and distribution expenses in the former underwriting and distribution caption and certain expenses historically reported as general and administrative. Expenses previously recorded as Underwriting and distribution expenses were retrospectively reclassified into (a) the following existing operating expense captions: Compensation and benefits and General and administrative, and (b) the following newly created operating expense captions: Distribution, Technology, Occupancy, and Marketing and advertising. Certain expenses historically reported as general and administrative were retrospectively reclassified into the following newly created operating expense captions: Technology, Occupancy, and Marketing and advertising. The Company considered the change in policy to be preferable and did not consider the change to be material to its consolidated financial statements. These changes were applied retrospectively to all periods presented and did not affect net income attributable to the Company. In our opinion, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting of only a normal and recurring nature) necessary to present fairly our financial position at September 30, 2018 and the results of operations and cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.

WADDELL & REED FINANCIAL, INC.

NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1.Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies

Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as the “Company,” “we,” “our” or “us”) is a holding company, incorporated in the state of Delaware in 1981, that conducts business through its subsidiaries. Founded in 1937, we are one of the oldest mutual fund complexes in the United States, having introduced the Waddell & Reed Advisors group of mutual funds (the “Advisors Funds”) in 1940. Over time, we added additional mutual funds: Ivy Funds (the “Ivy Funds”); Ivy Variable Insurance Portfolios, our variable product offering (“Ivy VIP”); InvestEd Portfolios, our 529 college savings plan (“InvestEd”); and the Ivy High Income Opportunities Fund, a closed-end mutual fund (“IVH”). In 2016, we introduced the Ivy NextShares® exchange-traded managed funds (“Ivy NextShares”) (collectively, Ivy Funds, Ivy VIP, InvestEd, IVH, and Ivy NextShares are referred to as the “Funds”). On February 26, 2018, we completed the merger of Advisor Funds into Ivy Funds with substantially similar objectives and strategies. As of September 30, 2018, we had $79.5 billion in assets under management.

We derive our revenues from providing investment management and advisory services, investment product underwriting and distribution, and shareholder services administration to the Funds and institutional and separately managed accounts. Investment management and/or advisory fees are based on the amount of average assets under management and are affected by sales levels, financial market conditions, redemptions and the composition of assets. Our underwriting and distribution revenues consist of fees earned on fee‑based asset allocation programs and related advisory services, asset‑based service and distribution fees promulgated under the 1940 Act (“Rule 12b-1”), distribution fees on certain variable products, and commissions derived from sales of investment and insurance products. The products sold have various commission structures and the revenues received from those sales vary based on the type and dollar amount sold. Shareholder service fee revenue includes transfer agency fees, custodian fees from retirement plan accounts, portfolio accounting and administration fees, and is earned based on assets under management or number of client accounts. Our major expenses are for commissions, employee compensation, field services, dealer services, information technology, occupancy and marketing and advertising.

Basis of Presentation

We have prepared the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations, although we believe that the disclosures are adequate to enable a reasonable understanding of the information presented. The information in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with Part I, Item 2 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our audited financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 (the “2017 Form 10-K”). Certain amounts in the prior year’s financial statements have been reclassified for consistent presentation.

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements are prepared consistent with the accounting policies described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements included in our 2017 Form 10-K with the exception of the adoption of Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts from Customers,” ASU 2016-01, “Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities,” ASU 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows: Restricted Cash,” ASU 2017-07, “Compensation-Retirement Benefits: Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost,” and ASU 2018-02, “Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income,” which all became effective January 1, 2018.

The implementation of ASU 2014-09 did not have a material impact on the measurement or recognition of revenue from prior periods. See Note 3 – Revenue Recognition, for additional accounting policy information and the additional disclosures required by this ASU. Upon adoption of ASU 2016-01, we reclassified net unrealized holding gains, net of taxes, related to our available for sale investment portfolio from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings. See consolidated statement of stockholders’ equity and redeemable noncontrolling interests for the financial statement reclassification impact of adopting this ASU. Upon adoption of ASU 2016-18, the Cash and cash equivalents – restricted financial statement line item was included as a component of cash and cash equivalents on the Company’s consolidated statements of cash flows for all periods presented. The adoption of ASU 2017-07 changed the income statement presentation of our noncontributory retirement plan that covers substantially all employees and certain vested employees of our former parent company (the “Pension Plan”) by requiring separation between operating expense (service cost component) and non-operating expense (all other components, including interest cost, amortization of prior service cost, mark-to-market gains and losses, curtailments and settlements, etc.). In addition, only the service cost component is eligible for capitalization as part of an asset. The adoption of this ASU had no effect on our net income because it only impacted the classification of certain information on the consolidated statements of income. An amendment to freeze the Pension Plan was approved effective September 30, 2017; therefore, after September 30, 2017, we no longer incur service costs. The service cost component of net periodic benefit cost was recognized in compensation and related costs through September 30, 2017. The other components of net periodic cost were reclassified to investment and other income (loss) on a retrospective basis. Upon early adoption of ASU 2018-02 tax effects that were stranded in other comprehensive income due to the Tax Reform Act were reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. See consolidated statement of stockholders’ equity and redeemable noncontrolling interests for the financial statement reclassification impact of adopting this ASU.

Additionally, during the first quarter of 2018, we changed the presentation of certain line items in the consolidated statements of income that were intended to improve the transparency of the Company’s financial statements through clearer alignment of operating expenses with financial statement captions. Specifically, the Company revised its accounting policy related to the reporting of indirect underwriting and distribution expenses in the former underwriting and distribution caption and certain expenses historically reported as general and administrative. Expenses previously recorded as Underwriting and distribution expenses were retrospectively reclassified into (a) the following existing operating expense captions: Compensation and benefits and General and administrative, and (b) the following newly created operating expense captions: Distribution, Technology, Occupancy, and Marketing and advertising. Certain expenses historically reported as general and administrative were retrospectively reclassified into the following newly created operating expense captions: Technology, Occupancy, and Marketing and advertising. The Company considered the change in policy to be preferable and did not consider the change to be material to its consolidated financial statements. These changes were applied retrospectively to all periods presented and did not affect net income attributable to the Company.

In our opinion, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting of only a normal and recurring nature) necessary to present fairly our financial position at September 30, 2018 and the results of operations and cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.