Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of presentation

The accompanying financial statements are unaudited. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair statement of such consolidated financial statements have been included. Such interim results are not necessarily indicative of full year results.

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial reporting and accordingly they do not include all of the information and footnotes required in the annual consolidated financial statements and accompanying footnotes.

The year-end condensed balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by U.S. GAAP. As a result, the interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements included in APAM’s latest annual report on Form 10-K.

The accompanying financial statements were prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and related rules and regulations of the SEC. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates or assumptions that affect the reported amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Actual results could differ from these estimates or assumptions.

Principles of consolidation

Artisan’s policy is to consolidate all subsidiaries or other entities in which it has a controlling financial interest. The consolidation guidance requires an analysis to determine if an entity should be evaluated for consolidation using the voting interest entity (“VOE”) model or the variable interest entity (“VIE”) model. Under the VOE model, controlling financial interest is generally defined as a majority ownership of voting interests. Under the VIE model, controlling financial interest is defined as (i) the power to direct activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of the entity and (ii) the right to receive potentially significant benefits or the obligation to absorb potentially significant losses.

Artisan generally consolidates VIEs in which it meets the power criteria and holds an equity ownership interest of greater than 10%. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of APAM and all subsidiaries or other entities in which APAM has a direct or indirect controlling financial interest. All material intercompany balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Artisan serves as the investment adviser to Artisan Funds, Artisan Global Funds and Artisan Private Funds. Artisan Funds and Artisan Global Funds are corporate entities the business and affairs of which are managed by their respective boards of directors. The shareholders of the funds retain voting rights, including rights to elect and reelect members of their respective boards of directors. Each series of Artisan Funds is a VOE and is separately evaluated for consolidation under the VOE model. The shareholders of Artisan Global Funds lack simple majority liquidation rights, and as a result, each sub-fund of Artisan Global Funds is evaluated for consolidation under the VIE model. Artisan Private Funds are also evaluated for consolidation under the VIE model because third-party equity holders of the funds generally lack the ability to divest Artisan of its control of the funds.

From time to time, the Company makes investments in Artisan Funds, Artisan Global Funds, and Artisan Private Funds. If the investment results in a controlling financial interest, APAM consolidates the fund, and the underlying activity of the entire fund is included in Artisan’s Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements. As of September 30, 2019, Artisan had a controlling financial interest in three sub-funds of Artisan Global Funds and one Artisan Private Fund and, as a result, these funds are included in Artisan’s Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements. Because these consolidated investment products meet the definition of investment companies under U.S. GAAP, Artisan has retained the specialized industry accounting principles for investment companies in the consolidated financial statements. See Note 6, “Variable Interest Entities and Consolidated Investment Products” for additional details.

Recent accounting pronouncements

Accounting standards adopted as of January 1, 2019

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases, which introduced a lessee model that brings most leases on the balance sheet. The Company adopted the new standard on January 1, 2019, using the modified retrospective transition method that does not adjust comparative periods. The adoption had no impact on previously reported results, and did not result in a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings. In accordance with the adoption of the new lease standard, the Company recorded operating lease assets and operating lease liabilities in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition. The adoption of ASU 2016-02 had no impact on the Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, and did not impact operating, financing or investing cash flows in the Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2019.

Artisan elected to adopt the short-term lease exemption, which allows companies to exclude contracts that have an initial term of 12 months or less. Artisan also elected the package of practical expedients available for existing contracts which allowed the Company to carry forward historical assessments of (1) whether contracts are or contain leases, (2) lease classification, and (3) initial direct costs. Additionally, Artisan elected the practical expedient to account for lease and non-lease components as a single component. See Note 14, “Leases” for additional information.

Accounting standards not yet adopted

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract, which aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. The capitalized implementation costs will be expensed over the term of the hosting arrangement. The Company currently expenses implementation costs in hosting arrangements as the costs are incurred. The new guidance will be effective on January 1, 2020. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adoption on the consolidated financial statements, but expects certain types of costs will be capitalized that would have previously been expensed as incurred.