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Investments in Affiliates and Affiliate Sponsored Investment Products | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2021
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 Company is a limited partner and lacks 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 investing decisions of the entity. When the Company lacks such control, but is deemed to have significant influence, the Company accounts for the VRE under the equity method. Other investments in which the Company does not have rights to exercise significant influence are recorded at fair value on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, with changes in fair value included in 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. Substantially all of the Company’s consolidated Affiliates considered VIEs are controlled because the Company holds a majority of the voting interests or it is the managing member or general partner. Furthermore, an Affiliate’s assets can be used for purposes other than the settlement of the respective Affiliate’s obligations. 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 earnings attributable to Affiliate management’s equity ownership is included in Net income (non-controlling interests) in the Consolidated Statements of Income. Undistributed earnings attributable to Affiliate managements’ equity ownership, along with their share of any tangible or intangible net assets, are presented within Non-controlling interests on the Consolidated 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 Balance Sheets. The Company periodically issues, sells and purchases 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 in Additional paid-in capital in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, net of any related income tax effects in the period the transaction occurs. 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 (loss) (net) in the Consolidated Statements of Income and the carrying value of the Affiliate is reported in Equity method investments in Affiliates (net) in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Deferred taxes recorded on intangible assets upon acquisition of an Affiliate accounted for under the equity method are presented on a gross basis within Equity method investments in Affiliates (net) and Deferred income tax liability (net) in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company’s share of income taxes incurred directly by Affiliates accounted for under the equity method is recorded in Income tax expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income. The Company periodically performs assessments to determine if the fair value of an investment may have declined below its related carrying value for its Affiliates accounted for under the equity method for a period that the Company considers to be other-than temporary. Where the Company believes that such declines may have occurred, the Company determines the amount of impairment using valuation methods, such as discounted cash flow analyses. Impairments are recorded as an expense in Equity method income (loss) (net) to reduce the carrying value of the Affiliate to its fair value. The unconsolidated assets, net of liabilities and non-controlling interests of Affiliates accounted for under the equity method considered VIEs, and the Company’s carrying value and maximum exposure to loss, were as follows:
| December 31, 2020 |  | March 31, 2021
| 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 | $ | 1,384.2 |  |  | $ | 1,962.1 |  |  | $ | 1,290.3 |  |  | $ | 1,890.9 |
As of December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021, the carrying value and maximum exposure to loss for all of the Company’s Affiliates accounted for under the equity method was $2,074.8 million and $1,999.5 million, respectively, including Affiliates accounted for under the equity method considered VREs of $112.7 million and $108.6 million, respectively. Affiliate Sponsored Investment Products The Company’s Affiliates sponsor various investment products where they also act as the investment adviser. 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 asset and performance based fees earned by the Company’s Affiliates or any gains or losses attributable to the Company’s or its Affiliates’ investments in these products. As a result, the Company does not generally consolidate these products unless the Company’s or its consolidated Affiliate’s interest in the product is considered substantial. When the Company’s or its consolidated Affiliates’ interests are 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 in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, with corresponding changes in the investments’ fair values included in Investment and other income. Purchases and sales of securities are presented within purchases and sales by consolidated Affiliate sponsored investment products in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows and the third-party investors’ interests are recorded in Redeemable non-controlling interests. When the Company or its consolidated 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 Affiliates’ 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 exposure to loss, were as follows:
| December 31, 2020 |  | March 31, 2021
| 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 | $ | 2,378.2 |  |  | $ | 0.9 |  |  | $ | 2,585.8 |  |  | $ | 2.7 |

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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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