SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	6 Months Ended
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	Jun. 30, 2016
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Accounting	Basis of Presentation The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and instructions to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The condensed consolidated financial statements, including these notes, are unaudited and exclude some of the disclosures required in annual financial statements. Management believes it has made all necessary adjustments (consisting of only normal recurring items) so that the condensed consolidated financial statements are presented fairly and that estimates made in preparing its condensed consolidated financial statements are reasonable and prudent. The operating results presented for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any other interim period or for the entire year. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 filed with the SEC. The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts and activities of the AOG entities, their consolidated subsidiaries and certain Consolidated Funds. These Consolidated Funds include certain Ares-affiliated funds, related co-investment entities and collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) (collectively, the “Consolidated Funds”) managed by AM LLC and its wholly owned subsidiaries that have been consolidated pursuant to GAAP. Including the results of the Consolidated Funds significantly increases the reported amounts of the assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and cash flows in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements; however, the Consolidated Funds results included herein have no direct effect on the net income attributable to controlling interests or on total controlling equity. Instead, economic ownership interests of the investors in the Consolidated Funds are reflected as non-controlling interests in Consolidated Funds in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements. Further, cash flows allocable to non-controlling interest in Consolidated Funds are specifically identifiable in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated upon consolidation. The Company has reclassified certain prior period amounts to conform to the current presentation.
Equity Appropriated for Consolidated Funds and Adoption of ASU 2014-13	Equity Appropriated for Consolidated Funds and Adoption of ASU 2014-13 Effective January 1, 2016, the Company adopted FASB Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-13, Measuring the Financial Assets and the Financial Liabilities of a Consolidated Collateralized Financing Entity (“ASU 2014-13”). The Company applied the guidance using a modified retrospective approach by recording a cumulative-effect adjustment of $3.4 million to equity appropriated for Consolidated Funds as of January 1, 2016. Prior to the adoption of ASU 2014-13, the Company elected the fair value option for eligible liabilities to mitigate the accounting mismatch between the carrying value of the assets and liabilities of its consolidated CLOs. As a result, the Company accounted for the excess of fair value of assets over liabilities as an increase in equity appropriated for Consolidated Funds. Pursuant to the adoption of ASU 2014-13, the Company is required to determine whether the fair values of the financial assets or financial liabilities are more observable. Beginning January 1, 2016, the Company has determined that the fair value of the financial assets of the consolidated CLOs, which are mostly Level II assets within the GAAP fair value hierarchy, are more observable than the fair value of the financial liabilities of its consolidated CLOs, which are mostly Level III liabilities. As a result, the financial assets of consolidated CLOs are measured at fair value and the financial liabilities of the consolidated CLOs are measured in consolidation as: (1) the sum of the fair value of the financial assets, and the carrying value of any nonfinancial assets held temporarily, less (2) the sum of the fair value of any beneficial interests retained by the Company (other than those that represent compensation for services), and the Company’s carrying value of any beneficial interests that represent compensation for services. The resulting amount is allocated to the individual financial liabilities (other than the beneficial interests retained by the Company).
Equity Compensation	Equity Compensation Forfeitures During the quarter ended March 31, 2016, the Company adopted ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718) (“ASU 2016-09”). In accordance with ASU No. 2016-09, the Company elected to recognize share-based award forfeitures in the period they occur as a reversal of previously recognized compensation expense. The reduction in compensation expense is determined based on the specific awards forfeited during that period. Prior to the adoption of ASU 2016-09, the Company applied an estimated forfeiture rate as a reduction of current period equity compensation expense.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements The Company considers the applicability and impact of all ASUs issued. ASUs not listed below were assessed and determined to be either not applicable or are expected to have minimal impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. ASU 2014-09 requires entities to recognize revenue in a way that depicts the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. This ASU provides alternative methods of adoption. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, Deferral of the Effective Date. ASU 2015-14 defers the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year to December 15, 2017 for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after that date and permits early adoption of the standard, but not before the original effective date for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. In March, April and May 2016, the FASB issued additional ASUs clarifying certain aspects of ASU 2014-09. The core principle of ASU 2014-09 was not changed by the additional guidance. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on its condensed consolidated financial statements. In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments – Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. The objective of the guidance in ASU 2016-01 is to enhance the reporting model for financial instruments to provide more decision-useful information. ASU 2016-01 requires an entity to carry all of its investments in equity securities at fair value, and to recognize periodic changes of that fair value in income. This guidance excludes equity method investments, investments that result in the consolidation of the investee and investments for which the entity has elected the practicability exception to the fair value measurement requirements. The guidance should be applied using a cumulative-effect adjustment to the beginning balance of retained earnings as of the beginning of the fiscal year in which the guidance becomes effective. ASU 2016-01 is effective for public entities for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within those reporting periods. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on its condensed consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The objective of the guidance in ASU 2016-02 is to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing lease assets and liabilities in the balance sheet and disclosing key information. ASU 2016-02 amends previous lease guidance, which required a lessee to categorize and account for leases as either operating leases or capital leases, and instead requires a lessee to recognize a lease liability and a right-of-use asset on the entity’s balance sheet for all leases with terms that exceed one year. The lease liability and right-of-use asset are to be carried at the present value of remaining expected future lease payments. The guidance should be applied using a modified retrospective approach. ASU 2016-02 is effective for public entities for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those reporting periods, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on its condensed consolidated financial statements. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-07, Investments – Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323). ASU 2016-07 removes the requirement to retroactively apply the equity method of accounting for an investment that becomes eligible for the equity method due to an increase in the level of ownership interest or degree of influence. The investment should be accounted for as an equity method investment as of the date that it becomes qualified for such treatment. At this date, any unrealized holding gain (loss), if the investment was an available-for-sale equity security, should be recognized in earnings. ASU 2016-07 is effective for public entities for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016 and interim periods within those reporting periods, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on its condensed consolidated financial statements. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations. The objective of the guidance in ASU 2016-08 is to provide clarity on the application of the current principal versus agent guidance. ASU 2016-08 clarifies how an entity should determine whether it is acting as a principal or an agent for each specified good or service promised to a customer and how to determine the nature of each specified good or service. The effective date and transition requirements of ASU 2016-08 are the same as that of ASU 2014-09. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on its condensed consolidated financial statements. During the second quarter of 2016, two ASUs: ASU 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing; and ASU 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients, were issued to provide clarification to previously issued revenue recognition guidance (ASU 2014-09) that has not yet been implemented. The two updates are required to be adopted with ASU 2014-09, but are not expected to change its application by the Company. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on its condensed consolidated financial statements. In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The objective of the guidance in ASU 2016-13 is to allow entities to recognize estimated credit losses in the period that the change in valuation occurs. ASU 2016-13 requires an entity to present financial assets measured on an amortized cost basis on the balance sheet net of an allowance for credit losses. Available for sale and held to maturity debt securities are also required to be held net of an allowance for credit losses. The guidance should be applied using a modified retrospective approach. ASU 2016-13 is effective for public entities for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim periods within those reporting periods. Early adoption is permitted for annual and quarterly reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on its condensed consolidated financial statements