Fair Value

Certain assets and liabilities are measured at fair value in the Consolidated Financial Statements or have fair values disclosed in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements. These assets and liabilities are classified into one of three levels of a hierarchy defined by GAAP. In instances in which the inputs used to measure fair value fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy, the fair value measurement is categorized in its entirety based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular item to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment, including the consideration of inputs specific to the asset or liability.

The fair value hierarchy is summarized as follows:

Level 1 — Quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets/liabilities in active markets.

Level 2 — Other observable inputs, either directly or indirectly, including:


•	Quoted prices for similar assets/liabilities in active markets;


•	Quoted prices for identical or similar assets/liabilities in inactive markets (e.g., few transactions, limited information, noncurrent prices, high variability over time);


•	Inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset/liability (e.g., interest rates, yield curves, implied volatilities, credit spreads); and


•	Inputs that are corroborated by other observable market data.

Level 3 — Unobservable inputs that cannot be corroborated by observable market data.

Transfers between levels, if any, are recorded as of the beginning of the reporting period in which the transfer occurs; there was no transfer between Levels 1, 2 or 3 of any financial assets or liabilities during the year ended December 31, 2017 or 2016.

Nonfinancial assets and liabilities or financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis are subject to fair value adjustments only in certain circumstances, such as when the Company records an impairment. There were no significant fair value adjustments for these assets and liabilities recorded during the year ended December 31, 2017 or 2016.

The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair value and determine the fair value hierarchy classification of each class of financial instrument included in the tables below:

Cash and Cash Equivalents. The carrying value of cash and cash equivalents approximates fair value as maturities are less than three months. Fair values of cash equivalent instruments that do not trade on a regular basis in active markets are classified as Level 2.

Debt and Equity Securities. Fair values of debt and equity securities are based on quoted market prices, where available. The Company obtains one price for each security primarily from a third-party pricing service (pricing service), which generally uses quoted or other observable inputs for the determination of fair value. The pricing service normally derives the security prices through recently reported trades for identical or similar securities, and, if necessary, makes adjustments through the reporting date based upon available observable market information. For securities not actively traded, the pricing service may use quoted market prices of comparable instruments or discounted cash flow analyses, incorporating inputs that are currently observable in the markets for similar securities. Inputs that are often used in the valuation methodologies include, but are not limited to, benchmark yields, credit spreads, default rates, prepayment speeds and nonbinding broker quotes. As the Company is responsible for the determination of fair value, it performs quarterly analyses on the prices received from the pricing service to determine whether the prices are reasonable estimates of fair value. Specifically, the Company compares the prices received from the pricing service to prices reported by a secondary pricing source, such as its custodian, its investment consultant and third-party investment advisors. Additionally, the Company compares changes in the reported market values and returns to relevant market indices to test the reasonableness of the reported prices. The Company’s internal price verification procedures and reviews of fair value methodology documentation provided by independent pricing services have not historically resulted in adjustment in the prices obtained from the pricing service.

Fair values of debt securities that do not trade on a regular basis in active markets but are priced using other observable inputs are classified as Level 2.

Fair value estimates for Level 1 and Level 2 equity securities are based on quoted market prices for actively traded equity securities and/or other market data for the same or comparable instruments and transactions in establishing the prices.

The fair values of Level 3 investments in venture capital portfolios are estimated using a market valuation technique that relies heavily on management assumptions and qualitative observations. Under the market approach, the fair values of the Company’s various venture capital investments are computed using limited quantitative and qualitative observations of activity for similar companies in the current market. The Company’s market modeling utilizes, as applicable, transactions for comparable companies in similar industries that also have similar revenue and growth characteristics and preferences in their capital structure. Key significant unobservable inputs in the market technique include implied earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) multiples and revenue multiples. Additionally, the fair values of certain of the Company’s venture capital securities are based on recent transactions in inactive markets for identical or similar securities. Significant changes in any of these inputs could result in significantly lower or higher fair value measurements.

Throughout the procedures discussed above in relation to the Company’s processes for validating third-party pricing information, the Company validates the understanding of assumptions and inputs used in security pricing and determines the proper classification in the hierarchy based on that understanding.

Assets Under Management. Assets under management consists of debt securities and other investments held to fund costs associated with the AARP Program and are priced and classified using the same methodologies as the Company’s investments in debt and equity securities.

Long-Term Debt. The fair values of the Company’s long-term debt are estimated and classified using the same methodologies as the Company’s investments in debt securities.

The following table presents a summary of fair value measurements by level and carrying values for items measured at fair value on a recurring basis in the Consolidated Balance Sheets:



(in millions)	Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)			Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)			Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)			Total Fair and Carrying Value
December 31, 2017
Cash and cash equivalents	$	11,718		$	263		$	—		$	11,981
Debt securities - available-for-sale:
U.S. government and agency obligations	2,428			216			—			2,644
State and municipal obligations	—			7,660			—			7,660
Corporate obligations	65			12,989			140			13,194
U.S. agency mortgage-backed securities	—			3,911			—			3,911
Non-U.S. agency mortgage-backed securities	—			1,015			—			1,015
Total debt securities - available-for-sale	2,493			25,791			140			28,424
Equity securities	1,784			14			194			1,992
Assets under management	1,117			1,984			—			3,101
Total assets at fair value	$	17,112		$	28,052		$	334		$	45,498
Percentage of total assets at fair value	38		%	61		%	1		%	100		%
December 31, 2016
Cash and cash equivalents	$	10,386		$	44		$	—		$	10,430
Debt securities - available-for-sale:
U.S. government and agency obligations	2,017			247			—			2,264
State and municipal obligations	—			7,059			—			7,059
Corporate obligations	21			10,804			102			10,927
U.S. agency mortgage-backed securities	—			2,927			—			2,927
Non-U.S. agency mortgage-backed securities	—			1,002			—			1,002
Total debt securities - available-for-sale	2,038			22,039			102			24,179
Equity securities	1,591			13			437			2,041
Assets under management	1,064			2,041			—			3,105
Total assets at fair value	$	15,079		$	24,137		$	539		$	39,755
Percentage of total assets at fair value	38		%	61		%	1		%	100		%

The following table presents a summary of fair value measurements by level and carrying values for certain financial instruments not measured at fair value on a recurring basis in the Consolidated Balance Sheets:



(in millions)	Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)		Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)		Total Fair Value		Total Carrying Value
December 31, 2017
Debt securities - held-to-maturity:
U.S. government and agency obligations	$	251	$	3	$	—	$	254	$	254
State and municipal obligations	—		—		2		2		2
Corporate obligations	16		1		263		280		280
Total debt securities - held-to-maturity	$	267	$	4	$	265	$	536	$	536
Long-term debt and other financing obligations	$	—	$	34,504	$	—	$	34,504	$	31,542
December 31, 2016
Debt securities - held-to-maturity:
U.S. government and agency obligations	$	251	$	—	$	—	$	251	$	250
State and municipal obligations	—		—		5		5		5
Corporate obligations	20		8		210		238		238
Total debt securities - held-to-maturity	$	271	$	8	$	215	$	494	$	493
Long-term debt and other financing obligations	$	—	$	31,295	$	—	$	31,295	$	29,337

The carrying amounts reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheets for other current financial assets and liabilities approximate fair value because of their short-term nature. These assets and liabilities are not listed in the table above.