Accounting Developments

Accounting Standards to be Adopted in Future Periods

Derivatives and Hedging. In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging: Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities. The objective of the guidance is to improve the financial reporting of hedging relationships to better portray the economic results of an entity’s risk management activities in its financial statements. The guidance is effective in the first quarter of fiscal 2019. We are currently evaluating the impact of the new guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

Stock Compensation. In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation: Scope of Modification Accounting. The guidance provides clarity and reduces diversity in practice and cost and complexity when accounting for a change to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award. The guidance is effective in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 and early adoption is permitted. We do not believe the new guidance will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Retirement Benefits. In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-07, Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost. The guidance impacts the presentation of net periodic pension costs in the statement of income. The update also allows the service cost to be eligible for capitalization, when applicable. The guidance is effective in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 and early adoption is permitted. We plan to adopt this guidance in the first quarter of fiscal 2018. We do not believe the new guidance will have a material impact on our Consolidated Statements of Earnings.

Goodwill. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, which simplifies goodwill impairment testing. The guidance is effective in the first quarter of fiscal 2021 and early adoption is permitted. We do not believe the new guidance will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Statement of Cash Flows. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. The guidance adds or clarifies guidance on the classification of certain cash receipts and payments in the statement of cash flows. We plan to adopt this guidance in the first quarter of fiscal 2018. In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, Restricted Cash. The guidance requires that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. We plan to adopt this guidance in the first quarter of fiscal 2018. We do not believe these new ASUs will have a material impact on our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

Financial Instruments-Credit Losses. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The guidance provides for estimating credit losses on certain types of financial instruments by introducing an approach based on expected losses. The guidance is effective in the first quarter of fiscal 2021 and early adoption is permitted in the first quarter of fiscal 2020. We are currently evaluating the impact of the new guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

Leases. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases. The guidance affects the accounting for leases and provides for a lessee model that brings substantially all leases onto the balance sheet. We plan on adopting the guidance as of our first quarter of fiscal 2019 and are currently evaluating the impact of the new guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

Financial Instruments. In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01, Financial Instruments-Overall: Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. The guidance affects the accounting for equity investments, financial liabilities under the fair value option and the presentation and disclosure requirements of financial instruments. The guidance is effective in the first quarter of fiscal 2019. We are currently evaluating the impact of the new guidance related to equity investments and the presentation and disclosure requirements of financial instruments on our consolidated financial statements. Early adoption is permitted for the accounting guidance on financial liabilities under the fair value option and we adopted this guidance in the first quarter of fiscal 2016. The adoption of this accounting guidance did not have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

Revenue Recognition. We adopted the new revenue standard on December 1, 2017 and recognized a reduction of $6.1 million after-tax to opening Member’s paid in capital as the cumulative effect of adoption of this accounting change. The impact of adoption is primarily related to 1) investment banking expenses that were deferred as of November 30, 2017 under the previously existing accounting guidance, which would have been expensed in prior periods under the new revenue standard and 2) investment banking revenues that were previously recognized in prior periods, which would have been deferred as of November 30, 2017 under the new revenue standard. We elected to adopt the new guidance using a modified retrospective approach. Accordingly, the new revenue standard will be applied prospectively in our financial statements from December 1, 2017 forward and reported financial information for historical comparable periods will not be revised and will continue to be reported under the accounting standards in effect during those historical periods.

The new revenue guidance does not apply to revenue associated with financial instruments, including loans and securities that are accounted for under other U.S. GAAP, and as a result, did not have an impact on the elements of our Consolidated Statements of Earnings most closely associated with financial instruments, including Principal transaction revenues, Interest income and Interest expense. The new revenue standard primarily impacts the following of our revenue recognition and presentation accounting policies:


•	Investment Banking Revenues. Advisory fees from mergers and acquisitions engagements are recognized at a point in time when the related transaction is completed, as the performance obligation is to successfully broker a specific transaction.


•	Certain Capital Markets Revenues. Revenues associated with price stabilization activities as part of a securities underwriting were historically recognized as part of Investment banking revenues. Under the new revenue standard, revenue from these activities is recognized within Principal transaction revenues, as these revenues are not considered to be within the scope of the new standard.

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Investment Banking Advisory Expenses. Historically, expenses associated with investment banking advisory assignments were deferred until reimbursed by the client, the related fee revenue is recognized or the engagement is otherwise concluded. Under the new revenue standard, expenses are deferred only to the extent they are explicitly reimbursable by the client and the related revenue is recognized at a point in time. All other investment banking advisory related expenses, including expenses incurred related to restructuring assignments, are expensed as incurred.

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Investment Banking Underwriting and Advisory Expenses. Expenses have historically been recorded net of client reimbursements and/or netted against revenues. Under the new revenue standard, all investment banking expenses will be recognized within their respective expense category on the consolidated income statement and any expense reimbursements will be recognized as Investment banking revenues (i.e., expenses are no longer recorded net of client reimbursements and are not netted against revenues).

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Asset Management Fees. In certain asset management fee arrangements, we receive performance-based fees, which vary with performance or, in certain cases, are earned when the return on assets under management exceed certain benchmark returns or other performance targets. Historically, performance fees have been accrued (or reversed) quarterly based on measuring performance to date versus any relevant benchmark return hurdles stated in the investment management agreement. Under the new revenue standard, performance fees are considered variable as they are subject to fluctuation (e.g., based on market performance) and/or are contingent on a future event during the measurement period (e.g., meeting a specified benchmark rate) and are recognized only to the extent it is not probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty is resolved. Accordingly, performance fee revenue will generally be recognized only at the end of the performance period to the extent that the benchmark return has been met.

The new revenue standard requires enhanced disclosures, which we will include in the footnotes to our consolidated financial statements beginning with the three months ended February 28, 2018.

Adopted Accounting Standards

Employee Share-Based Payments. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, which simplifies various aspects related to how share-based payments are accounted for and presented in the consolidated financial statements. The amendments include the recognition of all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies as income tax expense or benefit in our Consolidated Statements of Earnings and changes to the timing of recognition of excess tax benefits, the accounting for forfeitures, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities and classification in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. We early adopted this standard on December 1, 2016 and the adoption did not have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements. We elected to account for forfeitures as they occur, which results in dividends and dividend equivalents originally charged against retained earnings for forfeited shares to be reclassified to compensation cost in the period in which the forfeiture occurs. In addition, the current period’s excess tax benefit related to stock-based compensation is presented as an operating activity rather than a financing activity in our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows on a retrospective basis.