Goodwill and Other Intangibles

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2021

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

The Company is required to assess goodwill and any indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment annually, or more frequently if circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred. The Company performs the annual impairment assessment for each of its reporting units during the third quarter of each year. In accordance with applicable accounting guidance, a company can assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform a quantitative goodwill impairment test. Alternatively, the Company may elect to proceed directly to the quantitative goodwill impairment test. In 2020, the Company elected to perform a qualitative impairment assessment. As part of its assessment, the Company considered numerous factors, including:

•that the fair value of each reporting unit exceeds its carrying value by a substantial margin based on its most recent quantitative assessment in 2019;

•whether significant acquisitions or dispositions occurred which might alter the fair value of its reporting units;

•macroeconomic conditions and their potential impact on reporting unit fair values;

•actual performance compared with budget and prior projections used in its estimation of reporting unit fair values;

•industry and market conditions; and

•the year-over-year change in the Company’s share price.

The Company completed its qualitative assessment in the third quarter of 2020 and concluded that goodwill was not impaired.

Other intangible assets that are not deemed to have an indefinite life are amortized over their estimated lives and assessed for impairment upon the occurrence of certain triggering events in accordance with applicable accounting literature. Based on its assessment, the Company concluded that other intangible assets were not impaired. The Company does not have any indefinite lived intangible assets.

Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill are as follows:


June 30,
(In millions)	2021		2020
Balance as of January 1,	$	15,517	$	14,671
Goodwill acquired	338		466
Other adjustments(a)	(80)		(340)
Balance at June 30,	$	15,775	$	14,797

(a) Primarily reflects the impact of foreign exchange.

The goodwill arising from the acquisitions in 2021 and 2020 consist largely of the synergies and economies of scale

expected from combining the operations of the Company and the acquired entities and the trained and assembled

workforce acquired.

The goodwill acquired in 2021 and 2020 included approximately $338 million and $466 million, respectively, of which approximately $1 million and $141 million is deductible for tax purposes, and is primarily related to the Risk and Insurance Services segment.

Goodwill allocable to the Company’s reportable segments at June 30, 2021 is as follows: Risk and Insurance Services, $11.9 billion and Consulting, $3.9 billion.

The gross cost and accumulated amortization of identified intangible assets at June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020 are as follows:


	June 30, 2021						December 31, 2020
(In millions)	Gross Cost		Accumulated Amortization		Net Carrying Amount		Gross Cost		Accumulated Amortization		Net Carrying Amount
Client relationships	$	3,882	$	1,320	$	2,562	$	3,713	$	1,170	$	2,543
Other (a)	407		252		155		386		230		156
Amortized intangibles	$	4,289	$	1,572	$	2,717	$	4,099	$	1,400	$	2,699

(a) Primarily non-compete agreements, trade names and developed technology.

Aggregate amortization expense for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 was $189 million and $174 million, respectively. The estimated future aggregate amortization expense is as follows:


For the Years Ending December 31,
(In millions)	Estimated Expense
2021 (excludes amortization through June 30, 2021)	$	182
2022	337
2023	309
2024	289
2025	251
Subsequent years	1,349
	$	2,717