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Investments in Affiliates and Affiliate Sponsored Investment Products | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2018
Variable Interest Entities |
Investments in Affiliates and Affiliate Sponsored Investment Products | Investments in Affiliates and Affiliate Sponsored Investment Products In evaluating whether an investment must be consolidated, the Company evaluates the risk, rewards and significant terms of each of its Affiliates and other investments to determine if an investment is considered a voting rights entity (“VRE”) or a variable interest entity (“VIE”). An entity is a VRE when the total equity investment at risk is sufficient to enable the entity to finance its activities independently and when the equity holders have the obligation to absorb losses, the right to receive residual returns and the right to direct the activities of the entity that most significantly impact its economic performance. An entity is a VIE when it lacks one or more of the characteristics of a VRE, which, for the Company, are Affiliate investments structured as partnerships (or similar entities) where the limited partners lack substantive kick-out or substantive participation rights over the general partner. Assessing whether an entity is a VRE or VIE involves judgment. Upon the occurrence of certain events, management reviews and reconsiders its previous conclusion regarding the status of an entity as a VRE or a VIE. The Company consolidates VREs when it has control over significant operating, financial and investment decisions of the entity. When the Company lacks such control, but is deemed to have significant influence, the Company accounts for the entity under the equity method. Other investments in which the Company does not have rights to exercise significant influence are recorded at fair value, with changes in fair value reflected within Investment and other income. The Company consolidates VIEs when it is the primary beneficiary of the entity, which is defined as having the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses of or the right to receive benefits from the entity that could potentially be significant to the VIE. The Company applies the equity method of accounting to VIEs where the Company is not the primary beneficiary, but has the ability to exercise significant influence over operating and financial matters of the VIE. Investments in Affiliates Substantially all of the Company’s Affiliates are considered VIEs and are either consolidated or accounted for under the equity method. A limited number of the Company’s Affiliates are considered VREs and most of these are accounted for under the equity method. When an Affiliate is consolidated, the portion of the Affiliate’s management equity owners’ earnings attributable to Owners’ Allocation is included in Net income (non-controlling interests) in the Consolidated Statements of Income. Undistributed Operating and Owners’ Allocation attributable to Affiliate management equity owners, along with their share of any tangible or intangible net assets, are presented within Non-controlling interests on the Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets. Affiliate equity interests where the holder has certain rights to demand settlement are presented, at their current redemption values, as Redeemable non-controlling interests on the Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets. The Company periodically issues, sells and repurchases the equity of its consolidated Affiliates. Because these transactions take place between entities that are under common control, any gains or losses attributable to these transactions are required to be included within Additional paid-in capital in the Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets, net of any related income tax effects, in the period the transactions occur. When an Affiliate is accounted for under the equity method, the Company’s share of an Affiliate’s earnings or losses, net of amortization and impairments, is included in Equity method income (net) in the Consolidated Statements of Income and the Company’s interest in the Affiliate is reported in Equity method investments in Affiliates (net) in the Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets. The Company’s share of income taxes incurred directly by Affiliates accounted for under the equity method is recorded within Income tax expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income. The Company periodically evaluates its equity method Affiliates for impairment. In such impairment evaluations, the Company assesses whether or not the fair value of the investment has declined below its carrying value for a period considered to be other-than-temporary. If the Company determines that a decline in fair value below the carrying value of the investment is other-than-temporary, then the carrying value of the investment is reduced to its fair value and the reduction is recorded in Equity method income (net). The unconsolidated assets, net of liabilities and non-controlling interests of equity method Affiliates considered VIEs, and the Company’s maximum risk of loss, were as follows:
| December 31, 2017 |  | September 30, 2018
| Unconsolidated VIE Net Assets |  | Carrying Value and Maximum Exposure to Loss |  | Unconsolidated VIE Net Assets |  | Carrying Value and Maximum Exposure to Loss
Affiliates accounted for under the equity method | $ | 1,594.4 |  |  | $ | 2,765.7 |  |  | $ | 1,169.8 |  |  | $ | 2,530.8 |
The carrying value and maximum exposure to loss of equity method Affiliates considered VREs were $539.0 million and $524.5 million as of December 31, 2017 and September 30, 2018, respectively. Affiliate Sponsored Investment Products The Company’s Affiliates sponsor various investment products where they also act as the investment advisor. These investment products are typically owned primarily by third-party investors; however, certain products are funded with general partner and seed capital investments from the Company and its Affiliates. Third-party investors in Affiliate sponsored investment products are generally entitled to substantially all of the economics of these products, except for the management and performance fees earned by the Company’s consolidated Affiliates or any gains or losses attributable to the Company’s or its consolidated Affiliates’ investments in these products. As a result, the Company does not generally consolidate these products unless the Company’s or its Affiliate’s interest in the product is considered substantial. When the Company’s or its Affiliate’s interest is considered substantial and the products are consolidated, the Company retains the specialized investment company accounting principles of the underlying products, and all of the underlying investments are carried at fair value in Investments in marketable securities, with corresponding changes in the investments’ fair values reflected in Investment and other income. Purchases and sales of securities are presented within purchases and sales by Affiliate sponsored consolidated products in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. When the Company or its Affiliates no longer control these products, due to a reduction in ownership or other reasons, the products are deconsolidated with only the Company’s or its consolidated Affiliate’s investment in the product reported from the date of deconsolidation. The Company’s carrying value, and maximum exposure to loss from unconsolidated Affiliate sponsored investment products, is its or its consolidated Affiliate’s interest in the unconsolidated net assets of the respective products. The net assets of unconsolidated VIEs attributable to Affiliate sponsored investment products, and the Company’s carrying value and maximum risk of loss, were as follows:
| December 31, 2017 |  | September 30, 2018
| Unconsolidated VIE Net Assets |  | Carrying Value and Maximum Exposure to Loss |  | Unconsolidated VIE Net Assets |  | Carrying Value and Maximum Exposure to Loss
Affiliate sponsored investment products | $ | 2,154.6 |  |  | $ | 10.2 |  |  | $ | 2,227.3 |  |  | $ | 1.0 |

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- Definition This element represents the disclosure of variable interest entities (VIE), including, but not limited to the nature, purpose, size, and activities of the VIE, the carrying amount and classification of consolidated assets that are collateral for the VIE's obligations, lack of recourse if creditors (or beneficial interest holders) of a consolidated VIE have no recourse to the general credit of the primary beneficiary. Which also include information related to Sponsored Investment Funds and Trust Preferred Vehicles related to variable interest entities (VIE). + References No definition available. + Details
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