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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Nature of Operations SEI Investments Company (the Company), a Pennsylvania corporation, provides investment processing, investment management, and investment operations solutions to financial institutions, financial advisors, institutional investors, investment managers and ultra-high-net-worth families in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, continental Europe and other various locations throughout the world. Investment processing solutions consist of application and business process outsourcing services, professional services and transaction-based services. Revenues from investment processing solutions are recognized in Information processing and software servicing fees on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations, except for fees earned associated with trade execution services. Investment management programs consist of mutual funds, alternative investments and separate accounts. These include a series of money market, equity, fixed-income and alternative investment portfolios, primarily in the form of registered investment companies. The Company serves as the administrator and investment advisor for many of these products. Revenues from investment management programs are recognized in Asset management, administration and distribution fees on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. Investment operations solutions offer investment managers support for traditional investment products such as mutual funds, collective investment trusts, exchange-traded funds, and institutional and separate accounts, by providing outsourcing services including fund and investment accounting, administration, reconciliation, investor servicing and client reporting. These solutions also provide support to managers focused on alternative investments who manage hedge funds, funds of hedge funds, private equity funds and real estate funds, across registered, partnership and separate account structures domiciled in the United States and overseas. Revenues from investment operations solutions are recognized in Asset management, administration and distribution fees on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. Principles of Consolidation The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries and entities in which it holds a controlling financial interest. The Company determines whether it has a controlling financial interest either by its decision-making ability through voting interests or by the extent of the Company’s participation in the economic risks and rewards of the entity through variable interests. The Company’s principal subsidiaries are SEI Investments Distribution Co. (SIDCO), SEI Investments Management Corporation (SIMC), SEI Private Trust Company (SPTC), SEI Trust Company (STC), SEI Global Services, Inc. (SGSI) and SEI Investments (Europe) Limited (SIEL). All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. The Company accounts for investments in unconsolidated entities that are 20 percent to 50 percent owned or are 20 percent or less owned and have the ability to exercise significant influence over the operating and financial policies of the entity under the equity method of accounting. Under this method of accounting, the Company’s interest in the net assets of unconsolidated entities is reflected in Investment in unconsolidated affiliates on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet and its interest in the earnings or losses of unconsolidated entities is reflected in Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates on the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations. Variable Interest Entities The Company has involvement with various variable interest entities (VIE or VIEs). These VIEs consist of LSV Employee Group III, LLC (LSV Employee Group III) and investment products established for clients created in the form of various types of legal entity structures. According to the most recent accounting guidance issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), the determination of whether a company is required to consolidate an entity is based on, among other things, an entity’s purpose and design, a company’s ability to direct the activities of the entity that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance, and whether a company is obligated to absorb losses or receive benefits that could be potentially significant to the entity. The guidance requires ongoing reassessments of whether an enterprise is the primary beneficiary of a VIE and requires disclosures about an enterprises involvement in VIEs. The FASB deferred the accounting guidance for certain types of investment entities. The deferral allows asset managers that have no obligation to fund potentially significant losses of an investment entity to continue to apply the previous guidance to investment entities that have attributes of entities defined in the “Investment Company Guide.” The deferral applies to many mutual funds, hedge funds, private equity funds, venture capital and certain other types of entities. Also, money market funds subject to rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 qualify for deferral. However, the deferral does not apply to the new disclosure requirements. All of the Company’s investment products where the Company is the sponsor and/or investment manager that are VIEs qualify for the deferral; therefore, the Company will continue to apply the previous guidance for the consolidation of VIEs (See Note 3). Management’s Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Revenue Recognition The Company’s principal sources of revenues are: (1) asset management, administration and distribution fees earned based upon a contractual percentage of net assets under management or administration; (2) information processing and software servicing fees that are either recurring and primarily earned based upon the number of trust accounts being serviced or non-recurring and based upon project-oriented contractual agreements related to client implementations; and (3) transaction-based fees for providing trade-execution services. The Company’s revenues are based on contractual arrangements. Revenues are recognized in the periods in which the related services are performed provided that persuasive evidence of an agreement exists, the fee is fixed or determinable, and collectibility is reasonably assured. Cash received by the Company in advance of the performance of services is deferred and recognized as revenue when earned. Reimbursements received for out-of-pocket expenses incurred are recorded as revenue. Certain portions of the Company’s revenues require management’s consideration of the nature of the client relationship in determining whether to recognize as revenue the gross amount billed or net amount retained after payments are made to suppliers for certain services related to the product or service offering. Cash and Cash Equivalents The Company considers investment instruments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents include $435,268 and $387,201 at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, primarily invested in SEI-sponsored open-ended money market mutual funds. The SEI-sponsored mutual funds are considered Level 1 assets. Restricted Cash Restricted cash includes $5,000 at December 31, 2014 and 2013 segregated for regulatory purposes related to trade-execution services conducted by SIEL. Restricted cash also includes $500 at December 31, 2014 and 2013 segregated in special reserve accounts for the benefit of SIDCO customers in accordance with certain rules established by the Securities and Exchange Commission for broker-dealers. Allowances for Doubtful Accounts The Company provides an allowance for doubtful accounts equal to the estimated uncollectible amounts. The Company’s estimate is based on historical collection experience and a review of the current status of trade accounts receivable. Concentration of Credit Risk Financial instruments which potentially expose the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash equivalents and trade receivables. Cash equivalents are principally invested in short-term money market funds or placed with major banks and high-credit qualified financial institutions. Cash deposits maintained with institutions are in excess of federally insured limits. Concentrations of credit risk with respect to our receivables are limited due to the large number of clients and their dispersion across geographic areas. No single group or customer represents greater than ten percent of total accounts receivable. Property and Equipment Property and Equipment are recorded at cost. Expenditures for major additions and improvements are capitalized and minor replacements, maintenance, and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. Construction in progress includes the cost of construction and other direct costs attributable to the construction. When property and equipment are retired or disposed of, the related cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is included in the results of operations for the respective period. Depreciation is provided over the estimated useful lives using the straight line method for financial statement purposes. No provision for depreciation is made for construction in progress until such time as the relevant assets are completed and put into service. The Company uses other depreciation methods, generally accelerated, for tax purposes where appropriate. Buildings and building improvements are depreciated over 25 to 39 years. Equipment, purchased software and furniture and fixtures have useful lives ranging from 3 to 5 years. Amortization of leasehold improvements is computed using the straight line method over the shorter of the remaining lease term or the estimated useful lives of the improvements. Marketable Securities The classification of investments in marketable securities is determined at the time of purchase and reevaluated at each balance sheet date. Debt and equity securities classified as available-for-sale are reported at fair value as determined by the most recently traded price of each security at the balance sheet date. Unrealized gains and losses, net of income taxes, are reported as a separate component of comprehensive income. SIDCO, the Company’s broker-dealer subsidiary, reports changes in fair value of marketable securities through current period earnings due to specialized accounting practices related to investments by broker-dealers. The Company records its investments in funds sponsored by LSV on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets at fair value. Unrealized gains and losses from the change in fair value of these securities are recognized in current period earnings. The specific identification method is used to compute the realized gains and losses on all of the Company’s marketable securities (See Note 6). The Company evaluates the realizable value of its marketable securities on a quarterly basis. In the event that the carrying value of an investment exceeds its fair value and the decline in value is determined to be other-than-temporary, an impairment charge is recorded and a new cost basis for the investment is established. Some of the factors considered in determining other-than-temporary impairment for equity securities include, but are not limited to, significant or prolonged declines in the fair value of the investments, the Company’s ability and intent to retain the investment for a period sufficient to allow the value to recover, and the financial condition of the investment. Some of the factors considered in determining other-than-temporary impairment for debt securities include, but are not limited to, the intent of management to sell the security, the likelihood that the Company will be required to sell the security before recovering its cost, and management’s expectation to recover the entire amortized cost basis of the security even if there is no intent to sell the security. Fair Value of Financial Instruments Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The fair value hierarchy describes three levels of inputs that may be used by the Company to measure fair value: Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities without adjustment. The Company’s Level 1 assets primarily include investments in mutual funds sponsored by SEI that are quoted daily. Level 2 – Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices, such as quoted prices for similar assets, quoted prices in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities. Level 2 financial assets consist of Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) mortgage-backed securities, Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) and other U.S. government agency short-term notes and investment grade commercial paper, and investment funds sponsored by LSV. The investments in GNMA mortgage-backed securities were purchased for the sole purpose of satisfying applicable regulatory requirements imposed on our wholly-owned limited purpose federal thrift subsidiary, SPTC. The investments in FHLB and other U.S. government agency short-term notes and investment grade commercial paper were purchased as part of a cash management program requiring only short term, top-tier investment grade government and corporate securities. The investment funds sponsored by LSV primarily invest in equity securities of non-U.S. developed nations which are traded in active markets. Level 3 – Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. Level 3 assets and liabilities include financial instruments whose value is determined using pricing models, or similar techniques, as well as instruments for which the determination of fair value requires significant judgment by management. The Company had no Level 3 financial assets at December 31, 2014 or 2013. The fair value of an asset or liability may include inputs from more than one level in the fair value hierarchy. The lowest level of significant inputs used to value the asset or liability determines which level the asset or liability is classified in its entirety. Transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy are reported at fair value as of the beginning of the period in which the transfers occur. See Note 5 for information on related disclosures regarding fair value measurements. Capitalized Software Costs incurred for the development of internal use software to be offered in a hosting arrangement is capitalized during the development stage of the software application. These costs include direct external and internal costs to design the software configuration and interfaces, coding, installation, and testing. Costs incurred during the preliminary and post-implementation stages of the software application are expensed as incurred. Costs associated with significant enhancements to a software application are capitalized while costs incurred to maintain existing software applications are expensed as incurred. The capitalization of software development costs requires considerable judgment by management with respect to certain external factors, including, but not limited to, technological and economic feasibility, and estimated economic life. Amortization of capitalized software development costs begins when the product is ready for its intended use. Capitalized software development costs are amortized on a product-by-product basis using the straight-line method over the estimated economic life of the product or enhancement. The Company's capitalized software development costs primarily relate to the further development of the SEI Wealth Platform SM (the Platform). The initial version of the Platform was placed into service in July 2007. Further enhancements and upgrades will continue to occur. As of December 31, 2014, the net book value of the Platform was $309,040. The Company capitalized $34,877, $39,500 and $31,004 of software development costs during 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Included in the amount for 2013 is a one-time contractual payment of $8,812 to exercise a conversion option in lieu of periodic fee payments pertaining to a software license for functionality utilized by the Platform. The Platform has an estimated useful life of 15 years and a weighted average remaining life of 7.5 years. Amortization expense for the Platform was $38,357, $34,045 and $32,177 in 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively, and is included in Amortization expense on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. During 2012, the Company decided to discontinue the use of specific functionality within the Platform and expensed the remaining net book value of $2,661 related to previously capitalized software development costs of the component. This cost is included in total amortization expense on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. The Company evaluates the carrying value of capitalized software development costs when circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. The review of capitalized software development costs for impairment requires significant assumptions about operating strategies, underlying technologies utilized, and external market factors. External market factors include, but are not limited to, expected levels of competition, barriers to entry by potential competitors, stability in the target market and governmental regulations. The Company did not recognize any impairment charges related to its capitalized software development costs in 2014 or 2013. Income Taxes The Company applies the asset and liability approach to account for income taxes whereby deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The components of the deferred tax assets and liabilities are individually classified as current and non-current based on their characteristics. Foreign Currency Translation The assets and liabilities and results of operations of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries are measured using the foreign subsidiary’s local currency as the functional currency. Assets and liabilities have been translated into U.S. dollars using the rates of exchange at the balance sheet dates. The results of operations have been translated into U.S. dollars at average exchange rates prevailing during the period. The resulting translation gain and loss adjustments are recorded as a separate component of comprehensive income. Transaction gains and losses from exchange rate fluctuations are included in the results of operations in the periods in which they occur. There were no material gains or losses from exchange rate fluctuations in 2014, 2013 or 2012. Earnings Per Common Share Basic earnings per common share is computed by dividing net income attributable to SEI Investments common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per common share is computed by dividing net income attributable to SEI Investments common shareholders by the combination of the weighted average number of common shares outstanding and the dilutive potential common shares, such as stock options, outstanding during the period. The calculations of basic and diluted earnings per share for 2014, 2013 and 2012 are:
|  | For the Year Ended December 31, 2014
|  | Net income attributable to SEI (Numerator) |  | Shares (Denominator) |  | Per-Share Amount
Basic earnings per common share |  | $ | 318,713 |  |  | 168,246,000 |  |  | $ | 1.89 |
Dilutive effect of stock options |  | — |  |  | 4,319,000 |  |  |
Diluted earnings per common share |  | $ | 318,713 |  |  | 172,565,000 |  |  | $ | 1.85 |
|  | For the Year Ended December 31, 2013
|  | Net income attributable to SEI (Numerator) |  | Shares (Denominator) |  | Per-Share Amount
Basic earnings per common share |  | $ | 288,124 |  |  | 171,561,000 |  |  | $ | 1.68 |
Dilutive effect of stock options |  | — |  |  | 4,157,000 |  |  |
Diluted earnings per common share |  | $ | 288,124 |  |  | 175,718,000 |  |  | $ | 1.64 |
|  | For the Year Ended December 31, 2012
|  | Net income attributable to SEI (Numerator) |  | Shares (Denominator) |  | Per-Share Amount
Basic earnings per common share |  | $ | 206,848 |  |  | 174,295,000 |  |  | $ | 1.19 |
Dilutive effect of stock options |  | — |  |  | 1,577,000 |  |  |
Diluted earnings per common share |  | $ | 206,848 |  |  | 175,872,000 |  |  | $ | 1.18 |
Employee stock options to purchase approximately 10,166,000, 7,736,000 and 13,202,000 shares of common stock, with an average exercise price per share of $30.00, $30.54 and $24.76, were outstanding during 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively, but not included in the computation of diluted earnings per common share because the option’s exercise price was greater than the average market price of the Company’s common stock or the performance conditions have not been satisfied or would have been satisfied if the reporting date was the end of the contingency period and the effect on diluted earnings per common share would have been anti-dilutive (See Note 8). Stock-Based Compensation Stock-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date based on the fair value of the award and is recognized as expense over the requisite service period, which is the vesting period. The Company uses historical data to estimate pre-vesting forfeitures and record stock-based compensation expense only for those awards that are expected to vest. The amount of stock-based compensation expense that is recognized in a given period is dependent upon management’s estimate of when the vesting targets are expected to be achieved. If this estimate proves to be inaccurate, the remaining amount of stock-based compensation expense could be accelerated, spread out over a longer period, or reversed (See Note 8). New Accounting Pronouncements On May 28, 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASU 2014-09), requiring an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. ASU 2014-09 also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and changes in judgments and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract. The updated standard permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. Early adoption is not permitted. ASU 2014-09 becomes effective for the Company during the first quarter 2017. The Company is currently evaluating the transition method that will be elected and the effect that the updated standard will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. On February 18, 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-02, Consolidation (Topic 810) - Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis (ASU 2015-02). The new guidance applies to entities in all industries and provides a new scope exception to registered money market funds and similar unregistered money market funds. It makes targeted amendments to the current consolidation guidance and ends the deferral granted to investment companies from applying the VIE guidance. ASU 2015-02 becomes effective for the Company during the first quarter 2016. The Company is currently evaluating the effect that the standard will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. Reclassifications Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation.

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