Basis of Presentation and Use of Estimates (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

All amounts in these notes, except per share data in the text and tables herein, are stated in millions unless otherwise indicated.

The Consolidated Financial Statements of Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all normal and recurring adjustments considered necessary for a fair statement of the results have been included. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. Certain reclassifications have been made to the prior period’s financial statements to conform to the current period’s presentation. Operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any other period or for the full year. The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 includes additional information about its operations, financial position and accounting policies, and should be read in conjunction with this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Recent Accounting Developments

Effective January 1, 2017, the Company adopted the following updates to GAAP:


•	ASU 2016-07, Investments - Equity Method and Joint Ventures: Simplifying the Transition to the Equity Method of Accounting


•	ASU 2016-06, Derivatives and Hedging: Contingent Put and Call Options in Debt Instruments

The adoption of these updates did not have a significant impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, and subsequently issued several related amendments. The new standard provides a comprehensive model for revenue recognition and is effective for interim and fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The standard may be adopted using either the full or modified retrospective methods. The Company continues to evaluate the impact of this standard on its Consolidated Financial Statements, but it does not expect the adoption to significantly impact the timing of the recognition of a majority of its Revenue.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Fair Value: Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Liabilities. Under the new standard, all equity investments in unconsolidated entities (other than those accounted for using the equity method of accounting) will generally be measured at fair value through earnings. The standard is effective for interim and fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and must be adopted using a modified retrospective method. The impact of this standard on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements will depend on the equity investments held by the Company at the time of adoption.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases, which requires lessees to recognize assets and liabilities arising from most operating leases on the statement of financial position. The standard is effective for interim and fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and must be adopted using a modified retrospective method. The Company is evaluating the impact of this standard on its Consolidated Financial Statements.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows - Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, which clarifies how cash receipts and cash payments are classified in the statement of cash flows. The standard is effective for interim and fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and must be adopted using a modified retrospective method. The Company is evaluating the impact of this standard on its Consolidated Financial Statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, Clarifying the Definition of a Business, which provides guidance on evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. The standard is effective for interim and fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and must be adopted using a modified retrospective method. The Company is evaluating the impact of this standard on its Consolidated Financial Statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other: Simplifying the Accounting for Goodwill Impairment. A goodwill impairment will now be the amount by which a reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. The standard is effective for interim and fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2019 and must be adopted using a modified retrospective method. The Company is evaluating the impact of this standard on its Consolidated Financial Statements.