Fair Value Measurements

ASC 820, "Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures" ("ASC 820") establishes a hierarchical disclosure framework which prioritizes and ranks the level of market price observability used in measuring investments at fair value. Market price observability is affected by a number of factors, including the type of investment and the characteristics specific to the investment. Investments with readily-available active quoted prices or for which fair value can be measured from actively quoted prices generally will have a higher degree of market price observability and a lesser degree of judgment used in measuring fair value.

Investments measured and reported at fair value are classified and disclosed in one of the following categories:

Level I – Quoted prices are available in active markets for identical investments as of the reporting date. The type of investments included in Level I include listed equities and listed derivatives. As required by ASC 820, the Company does not adjust the quoted price for these investments, even in situations where the Company holds a large position and a sale could reasonably impact the quoted price.

Level II – Pricing inputs are other than quoted prices in active markets, which are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reporting date, and fair value is determined through the use of models or other valuation methodologies. The estimated fair values of the Corporate Bonds, Municipal Bonds, Other Debt Securities and Securities Investments held at December 31, 2017 and 2016 are based on prices provided by external pricing services.

Level III – Pricing inputs are unobservable for the investment and includes situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the investment. The inputs into the determination of fair value require significant management judgment or estimation.

The following table presents the categorization of investments and certain other financial assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2017 and 2016:



	December 31, 2017
	Level I		Level II		Level III		Total
Corporate Bonds, Municipal Bonds and Other Debt Securities⁽¹⁾	$	—	$	44,648	$	—	$	44,648
Securities Investments⁽¹⁾	4,336		1,795		—		6,131
Investment Funds	27,699		—		—		27,699
Financial Instruments Owned and Pledged as Collateral at Fair Value	19,374		—		—		19,374
Total Assets Measured At Fair Value	$	51,409	$	46,443	$	—	$	97,852

	December 31, 2016
	Level I		Level II		Level III		Total
Corporate Bonds, Municipal Bonds and Other Debt Securities⁽¹⁾	$	—	$	44,630	$	—	$	44,630
Securities Investments⁽¹⁾	3,794		1,728		—		5,522
Investment Funds	25,508		—		—		25,508
Financial Instruments Owned and Pledged as Collateral at Fair Value	18,535		—		—		18,535
Total Assets Measured At Fair Value	$	47,837	$	46,358	$	—	$	94,195


(1)	Includes $13,446 and $9,173 of treasury bills, municipal bonds and commercial paper classified within Cash and Cash Equivalents on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

In certain cases, the inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, an investment's level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The Company's assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment, and considers factors specific to the investment.

The Company had no transfers between fair value levels during the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.

During the second quarter of 2017, the Company determined that the fair value of the Institutional Asset Management reporting unit was $14,401. The fair value of the reporting unit was estimated by utilizing both a market multiple approach and a discounted cash flow methodology based on the adjusted cash flows from operations. Goodwill is measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis as a Level III asset. See Note 4 for further information.

In addition, during the second quarter of 2017, the Company determined that the fair value of its equity method investment in G5 was $11,555. The fair value of the investment was estimated by utilizing both a market multiple approach and a discounted cash flow methodology based on the adjusted cash flows from operations. The equity method investment is measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis as a Level III asset. See Note 9 for further information.

During the fourth quarter of 2016, the Company determined that the fair value of its equity method investment in Atalanta Sosnoff was $14,730. The fair value of the investment was estimated by utilizing both a market multiple approach and a discounted cash flow methodology based on the adjusted cash flows from operations. The equity method investment was measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis as a Level III asset. See Note 4 for further information.

The carrying amount and estimated fair value of the Company's financial instrument assets and liabilities, which are not measured at fair value on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition, are listed in the tables below.



			December 31, 2017
	Carrying		Estimated Fair Value
	Amount		Level I		Level II		Level III		Total
Financial Assets:
Cash and Cash Equivalents	$	596,141	$	596,141	$	—	$	—	$	596,141
Certificates of Deposit	63,527		—		63,527		—		63,527
Debt Security Investment	10,995		—		—		10,995		10,995
Securities Purchased Under Agreements to Resell	10,645		—		10,645		—		10,645
Accounts Receivable	184,993		—		184,993		—		184,993
Receivable from Employees and Related Parties	17,030		—		17,030		—		17,030
Closely-held Equity Security	1,079		—		—		1,079		1,079
Financial Liabilities:
Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses	$	34,111	$	—	$	34,111	$	—	$	34,111
Securities Sold Under Agreements to Repurchase	30,027		—		30,027		—		30,027
Payable to Employees and Related Parties	31,167		—		31,167		—		31,167
Notes Payable	168,347		—		171,929		—		171,929
Subordinated Borrowings	6,799		—		6,859		—		6,859

			December 31, 2016
	Carrying		Estimated Fair Value
	Amount		Level I		Level II		Level III		Total
Financial Assets:
Cash and Cash Equivalents	$	549,351	$	549,351	$	—	$	—	$	549,351
Securities Purchased Under Agreements to Resell	12,585		—		12,585		—		12,585
Accounts Receivable	230,522		—		230,522		—		230,522
Receivable from Employees and Related Parties	15,034		—		15,034		—		15,034
Assets Segregated for Bank Regulatory Requirements	10,200		10,200		—		—		10,200
Closely-held Equity Security	1,079		—		—		1,079		1,079
Financial Liabilities:
Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses	$	30,723	$	—	$	30,723	$	—	$	30,723
Securities Sold Under Agreements to Repurchase	31,150		—		31,150		—		31,150
Payable to Employees and Related Parties	27,366		—		27,366		—		27,366
Notes Payable	168,097		—		170,251		—		170,251
Subordinated Borrowings	16,550		—		16,803		—		16,803

The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of these financial assets and liabilities:

On December 31, 2017, the Company exchanged all of its outstanding equity interests in G5 for debentures of G5. See Note 4 for further information. The Company recorded its investment in G5 as a held-to-maturity debt security of $10,995 within Investments on the Consolidated Statement of Financial Condition as of December 31, 2017, representing the fair value of the debentures at the date of the exchange. In determining the fair value of this security at the time of the transaction, the Company applied the forecasted revenues of G5 to a Monte Carlo simulation framework.

The fair value of the Company's Closely-held Equity Security is based on comparable transactions executed by the issuer.

The fair value of the Company's Notes Payable and Subordinated Borrowings is estimated based on a present value analysis utilizing aggregate market yields obtained from independent pricing sources for similar financial instruments.

The carrying amounts reported on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition for Cash and Cash Equivalents, Certificates of Deposit, Securities Purchased Under Agreements to Resell, Securities Sold Under Agreements to Repurchase, Accounts Receivable, Receivable from Employees and Related Parties, Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses, Payable to Employees and Related Parties and Assets Segregated for Bank Regulatory Requirements approximate fair value due to the short-term nature of these items.