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Organization and Basis of Presentation
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2022
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Organization and Basis of Presentation

1. Organization and Basis of Presentation

Organization

Overview

Siebert Financial Corp., a New York corporation, incorporated in 1934, is a holding company that conducts the following lines of business through its wholly-owned subsidiaries and variable interest entity (“VIE”):

Muriel Siebert & Co., Inc. (“MSCO”) provides retail brokerage services. MSCO is a Delaware corporation and broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the Exchange Act and the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936, and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (“SIPC”), and the National Futures Association (“NFA”).

Siebert AdvisorNXT, Inc. (“SNXT”) provides investment advisory services. SNXT is a New York corporation registered with the SEC as a Registered Investment Advisor (“RIA”) under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940

Park Wilshire Companies, Inc. (“PW”) provides insurance services. PW is a Texas corporation and licensed insurance agency.  

Siebert Technologies, LLC (“STCH”) provides robo-advisory technology development. STCH is a Nevada limited liability company.  

RISE Financial Services, LLC (“RISE”) provides prime brokerage services. RISE was formerly known as WPS Prime Services, LLC (“WPS”), and is a Delaware limited liability company and a broker-dealer registered with the SEC and NFA. RISE is a woman-owned and operated financial services firm that offers a comprehensive suite of prime brokerage services aligned with the growing mission-driven environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) initiatives of institutional investors.

StockCross Digital Solutions, Ltd. (“STXD”), an inactive subsidiary headquartered in Bermuda.

For purposes of this Report on Form 10-Q, the terms “Siebert,” “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Siebert Financial Corp., MSCO, SNXT, PW, STCH, RISE, and STXD collectively, unless the context otherwise requires.

The Company is headquartered in New York, NY, with primary operations in New Jersey, Florida, and California. The Company has 14 branch offices throughout the U.S. and clients around the world. The Company’s SEC filings are available through the Company’s website at www.siebert.com, where investors can obtain copies of the Company’s public filings free of charge. The Company’s common stock, par value $.01 per share, trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “SIEB.”

The Company primarily operates in the securities brokerage and asset management industry and has no other reportable segments. All of the Company's revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 were derived from its operations in the U.S.

As of March 31, 2022, the Company is comprised of a single operating segment based on the factors related to management’s decision-making framework as well as management evaluating performance and allocating resources based on assessments of the Company from a consolidated perspective.

Transaction with Hedge Connection

On January 21, 2022, RISE entered into an agreement with Hedge Connection, Inc. (“Hedge Connection”), a Florida corporation and a woman-owned fintech company founded by Lisa Vioni that provides capital introduction software solutions for the prime brokerage industry. Refer to Note 9 – Other Equity Investment in Related Party, at Fair Value for additional detail.

Change in Membership Interests of RISE

During the three months ended March 31, 2022, RISE issued and Siebert sold membership interests in RISE to certain employees, directors, and affiliates of RISE and Siebert.

From January 1, 2022 to March 30, 2022, RISE issued 8.3% of RISE’s total issued and outstanding membership interests in exchange for a net increase in assets of $1,000,000. Siebert sold membership interests representing 2% of RISE’s total issued and outstanding membership interests to two Siebert employees. Through March 30, 2022 Siebert continued to hold a majority ownership interest in RISE.

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On March 31, 2022, Siebert exchanged $2,880,000 in aggregate of notes payable to Gloria E. Gebbia for 24% ownership interest in RISE. As a result of the aforementioned transactions, Siebert’s direct ownership percentage in RISE declined from 76% as of December 31, 2021 to approximately 44% as of March 31, 2022. The change in membership interest on March 31, 2022 required Siebert to reassess its interest in RISE in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 810 – Consolidation. As of March 31, 2022, Siebert determined that RISE is a VIE as the equity holders lack the characteristics of a controlling financial interest. Siebert holds a variable interest in RISE and is the primary beneficiary of RISE since it holds both the power to direct the activities of RISE that most significantly impact RISE’s economic performance, as well as the obligation to absorb losses and right to receive the returns from RISE that would be significant to RISE. Accordingly, Siebert consolidates RISE as a VIE. Refer to Note 3 – Consolidation of Variable Interest Entity for further information.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements (“financial statements”) of the Company have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“GAAP”) for interim financial information with the instructions for Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete annual financial statements.

In the opinion of management, the financial statements contain all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring entries) necessary to fairly present such interim results. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations which may be expected for a full year or any subsequent period. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto in the Company’s 2021 Form 10-K.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Siebert and its consolidated subsidiaries, each of which is a wholly-owned subsidiary, as well as the 44% investment in a VIE for which the Company has determined it is the primary beneficiary. Upon consolidation, all intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated. The U.S. dollar is the functional currency of the Company and numbers are rounded for presentation purposes.

The Company’s investments in non-majority-owned partnerships and affiliates are accounted for using the equity method or at fair value, until such time that they become wholly or majority-owned. Earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests are recorded on the statements of operations relating to wholly or majority-owned subsidiaries with the appropriate noncontrolling interest that represents the portion of equity not related to the Company’s ownership interest recorded on the statements of financial condition in each period.

Significant Accounting Policies

The Company’s significant accounting policies are included in Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in the Company’s 2021 Form 10-K. Other than the below, there have been no material changes to the Company’s significant accounting policies during the three months ended March 31, 2022.

Variable Interest Entities

The Company evaluates whether an entity is a VIE and determines if the primary beneficiary status is appropriate on a quarterly basis. The Company consolidates a VIE for which it is the primary beneficiary. When assessing the determination of the primary beneficiary, the Company considers all relevant facts and circumstances, including factors such as the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact its economic performance, the obligation to absorb the losses and/or the right to receive the expected returns of the VIE. Through this evaluation, the Company determined that RISE is a VIE and the Company is the primary beneficiary, primarily due to the Company having the power to direct the activities of RISE that most significantly impact its economic performance. Additionally, the Company may be obligated to fund RISE’s operations at an amount that is disproportional to its ownership percentage.