Use these links to rapidly review the document
Table of ContentsTABLE OF CONTENTS1
WADDELL & REED FINANCIAL, INC. Index to Consolidated Financial StatementsTABLE OF CONTENTS2

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

ý    Annual report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 20122014

OR

o    Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Commission file number 001-13913

WADDELL & REED FINANCIAL, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

6300 Lamar Avenue
Overland Park, Kansas 66202
913-236-2000
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number of Registrant's principal executive offices)

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OF THE ACT

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(g) OF THE ACT:

None
(Title of class)

        Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    YES ý    NO o

        Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    YES o    NO ý.

        Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes ý    No o.

        Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes ý    No o.

        Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendments to this Form 10-K.    (    )o

        Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

        Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes o    No ý.

        The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common stock equity held by non-affiliates (i.e. persons other than officers, directors and stockholders holding greater than 5% of the registrant's common stock) based on the closing sale price on June 30, 20122014 was $2.32$5.13 billion.

        Shares outstanding of each of the registrant's classes of common stock as of February 15, 201313, 2015 Class A common stock, $.01 par value: 85,595,30483,564,556

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

        In Part III of this Form 10-K, portions of the definitive proxy statement for the 20132015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held April 17, 2013.15, 2015.

Index of Exhibits (Pages 8489 through 88)93)
Total Number of Pages Included Are 8893

Table of Contents

WADDELL & REED FINANCIAL, INC.
INDEX TO ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 20122014

Table of Contents

PART I

ITEM 1.    Business

General

        Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as the "Company," "we," "our" or "us") is a corporation, incorporated in the state of Delaware in 1981, that conducts business through its subsidiaries. Founded in 1937, we are one of the oldest mutual fund complexes in the United States, having introduced the Waddell & Reed Advisors Groupgroup of Mutual Fundsmutual funds (the "Advisors Funds") in 1940. Over time we added additional mutual fund families: Ivy Funds (the "Ivy Funds"), Ivy Funds Variable Insurance Portfolios ("Ivy Funds VIP") and, InvestEd Portfolios, our 529 college savings plan ("InvestEd") (collectively, the Advisors Funds, Ivy Funds, Ivy Funds VIP and InvestEd are referred to as the "Funds") and the Selector Management Fund SICAV and its Ivy Global Investors sub-funds, an undertaking for the collective investment in transferable securities (the "Selector Management Funds" or "UCITS"). As of December 31, 2012,2014, we had $96.4$123.7 billion in assets under management.

        We derive our revenues from providing investment management, investment advisory, investment product underwriting and distribution, and shareholder services administration to mutual fundsthe Funds and the Selector Management Funds and institutional and separately managed accounts. Investment management fees are based on the amount of average assets under management and are affected by sales levels, financial market conditions, redemptions and the composition of assets. Our underwriting and distribution revenues consist of commissions derived from sales of investment and insurance products, Rule 12b-1 asset-based service and distribution fees, distribution fees on certain variable products, fees earned on fee-based asset allocation products and related advisory services.services, commissions derived from sales of investment and insurance products and distribution fees on certain variable products. The products sold have various commission structures and the revenues received from those sales vary based on the type and dollar amount sold. Shareholder service feesfee revenue includes transfer agency fees, custodian fees from retirement plan accounts, and portfolio accounting and administration fees, and is earned based on assets under management or number of client accounts.

        We operate our business through three distincta balanced distribution channels.network. Our retail products are distributed through third-partiesthird parties such as other broker/dealers, registered investment advisors and various retirement platforms, (collectively, the "Wholesale channel") or through our sales force of independent financial advisors (the "Advisors channel"). We also market our investment advisory services to institutional investors, either directly or through consultants (the "Institutional channel").

        Our Wholesale channel efforts include retail fund distribution through broker/dealers (the largestprimary method of distributing mutual funds for the industry), registered investment advisors (fee-based financial advisors who generally sell mutual funds through financial supermarkets) and retirement and insurance platforms. Assets under management in this channel were $48.9$60.3 billion at the end of 2012.2014.

        In the Advisors channel, our sales force focuses its efforts primarily on financial planning, serving primarilymostly middle class and mass affluent clients. We compete with smaller broker/dealers and independent financial advisors, as well as a span of other financial service providers. Assets under management in this channel were $35.7$45.5 billion at December 31, 2012.2014.

        Through our Institutional channel, we manage assets in a varietyserve as subadvisor for domestic and foreign distributors of investment stylesproducts for a varietypension funds, Taft-Hartley plans and endowments. Additionally, we serve as investment advisor and distributor of types of institutions. The largest client type is funds that hire us to act as subadvisor; they are typically distributors who lack scale or the track record to manage internally, or choose to market multi-manager styles.Selector Management Funds. Assets under management in the Institutional channel were $11.8$17.8 billion at December 31, 2012.2014.

Organization

        We operate our investment advisory business through our subsidiary companies, primarily Waddell & Reed Investment Management Company ("WRIMCO"), a registered investment adviser for the Advisor

Table of Contents

Funds, the Ivy Funds VIP and InvestEd, and Ivy Investment Management Company ("IICO"), the registered investment adviser for the Ivy Funds and the Selector Management Funds.

        Our underwriting and distribution business operates through two broker/dealers: Waddell & Reed, Inc. ("W&R") and Ivy Funds Distributor, Inc. ("IFDI"). W&R is a registered broker/dealer and investment adviser that acts primarily as the national distributor and underwriter for shares of the Advisors

Table of Contents

Funds, Ivy Funds VIP, InvestEd and other mutual funds, and as a distributor of variable annuities and other insurance products issued by our business partners. In addition, W&R is the ninthseventh largest distributor of ourthe Ivy Funds. IFDI is the distributor and underwriter for the Ivy Funds and serves as the global distributor of the Selector Management Funds.

        DuringIn 2012, the Company committed tosigned a plandefinitive agreement to sell its Legend group of subsidiaries ("Legend"), and on October 29, 2012 the Company signed a definitive agreement to execute the transaction. The sale closed effective January 1, 2013. Legend is awas our mutual fund distribution and retirement planning subsidiary based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Through its network of financial advisors, Legend primarily servesserved employees of school districts and other not-for-profit organizations. Legend Advisory Corporation, the registered investment adviser for the Legend, group, and Legend Equities Corporation, a registered broker/dealer ("LEC"), were among the subsidiaries sold.

        Waddell & Reed Services Company ("WRSCO") provides transfer agency and accounting services to the Advisors Funds, Ivy Funds, Ivy Funds VIP and InvestEd.Funds. W&R, WRIMCO, WRSCO, IICO and IFDI are hereafter collectively referred to as the "Company," "we," "us" or "our" unless the context requires otherwise.

Investment Management Operations

        Our investment advisory business provides one of our largest sources of revenues and profits.revenues. We earn investment management fee revenues by providing investment advisory and management services pursuant to investment management agreements with each fund within the Advisors Funds family,and the Ivy Funds family, the Ivy Funds VIP family, and InvestEd (collectively, the "Funds").Selector Management Funds. While the specific terms of the agreements vary, the basic terms are similar. The agreements provide that we render overall investment management services to each of the Funds, subject to the oversight of each Fund's board of trustees and in accordance with each Fund's investment objectives and policies. The agreements permit us to enter into separate agreements for shareholder services or accounting services with each respective Fund.

        Each Fund's board of trustees, including a majority of the trustees who are not "interested persons" of the Fund or the Company within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "ICA") ("disinterested members") and the Fund's shareholders must approve the investment management agreement between the respective Fund and the Company. These agreements may continue in effect from year to year if specifically approved at least annually by (i) the Fund's board, including a majority of the disinterested members, or (ii) the vote of a majority of both the shareholders of the Fund and the disinterested members of each Fund's board, each vote being cast in person at a meeting called for such purpose. Each agreement automatically terminates in the event of its assignment, as defined by the ICA or the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the "Advisers Act"), and may be terminated without penalty by any Fund by giving us 60 days' written notice if the termination has been approved by a majority of the Fund's trustees or the Fund's shareholders. We may terminate an investment management agreement without penalty on 120 days' written notice.

        In addition to performing investment management services for the Funds, we act as an investment adviser for institutional and other private investors and we provide subadvisory services to other investment companies. Such services are provided pursuant to various written agreements and our fees are generally based on a percentage of assets under management.

Table of Contents

        Our investment management team meets every morningbegins each business day in a collaborative settingdiscussion that fosters idea sharing, yet reinforces individual accountability. Through all market cycles, we remain dedicated to the following investment principles:

•

Rigorous fundamental research — research—an enduring investment culture that dedicates itself to analyzing companies on our own rather than relying exclusively on widely available research produced by others.

Table of Contents

•

Collaboration and accountability — accountability—a balance of collaboration and individual accountability, which ensures the sharing and analysis of investment ideas among investment professionals while empowering portfolio managers to shape their portfolios individually.



•

Focus on growing and protecting investors' assets — assets—a sound approach that seeks to capture asset appreciation when market conditions are favorable and strives to manage risk during difficult market periods.

        These three principles shape our investment philosophy and money management approach. Over seven decades,For nearly 80 years, our investment organization has delivered consistently competitive investment performance. Through bull and bear markets, our investment professionals have not strayed from what works —works—fundamental research and a time-tested investment process and fundamental research.process. We believe investors turn to us because they appreciate that our investment approach continues to identify and create opportunities for wealth creation.

        Our investment management team comprises 7987 professionals, including 3233 portfolio managers who average 2122 years of industry experience and 1516 years of tenure with our firm. We have significant experience in virtually all major asset classes, several specialized asset classes and a range of investment styles. At December 31, 2012,2014, over 75%80% of the Company's $96.4$123.7 billion in assets under management were invested in equities, of which 72%80% was domestic and 28%20% was international. In recent years, we have supported growth of international investments by adding investment professionals native to countries that we consider emerging markets. They, along with other members of the investment team, focus on understanding foreign markets and capturing investment opportunities. Our investment management team also includes subadvisors who bring similar investment philosophies and additional expertise in specific asset classes.

Investment Management Products

        Our mutual fund families offer a wide variety of investment options. We are the exclusive underwriter and distributor of 8186 registered open-end mutual fund portfolios in the Advisors Funds,Funds. Additionally, we have one closed-end offering through the Ivy Funds Ivyand offer the Selector Management Funds VIP and InvestEd.through our Institutional channel. The Advisors Funds, variable products offering the Ivy Funds VIP, and InvestEd are offered primarily through our financial advisors;advisors in the Advisors channel; in some circumstances, certain of thesethose funds are also offered through the Wholesale channel. The Ivy Funds are offered through both our Wholesale channel and Advisors channel. The Funds' assets under management are included in either our Wholesale channel or our Advisors channel depending on which channel marketed the client account or is the broker of record.

        WeDuring 2014, we completed the merger of two open-end mutual funds and added one fundtwo open-end mutual funds to our product lineline. Ivy Funds merged the Ivy Asset Strategy Opportunities Fund into the Ivy Emerging Markets Equity Fund, creating a fund that offers investors a single fund for emerging-market equity investments in 2012.any region of the world. We launched the Ivy Global Equity IncomeEmerging Markets Local Currency Debt Fund, subadvised by Pictet Asset Management. This fund forprovides investors interested in generatingthe opportunity to capture fixed income opportunities from a reasonable levelselect group of current income given currentemerging market conditions.economies. The fund focuses on equityinvests primarily in sovereign debt securities issued by companies located largely in developed markets,the local currencies of any size. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities. For this purpose, equity securities consist primarily of dividend-paying common stocks across the globe. The fundemerging market countries. We also may invest in preferred stock, convertible securities, or other instruments whose price is linked to the value of common stock. The fund may invest in U.S. and non-U.S. issuers. Although the fund primarily invests in large cap companies, it may invest in companies of any size.

        Additionally, in 2012,launched the Ivy International Balanced fund was renamed the Ivy GlobalMid Cap Income Allocation fund.Opportunities Fund. This fund seeksfund's objective is to provide total return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation. The fund invests principally in equity and debt securities issuedappreciation by companies and governments of any size and under normal market conditions, investsinvesting primarily in a diversified portfolio of income-producing securities acrosscommon stocks that the globe. The fund may invest in U.S. and non-U.S. issuers. In an attempt to enhance return, the fund may also invest, to a lesser extent, in securities not currently providing income or in companies and governments in countries with new or comparatively undeveloped and emerging economies.management team believes demonstrates favorable

Table of Contents

prospects for total return. The fund intends to focus primarily on mid-capitalization companies believed to have the ability to sustain and potentially increase dividends while providing capital appreciation over the long-term.

        We also completed a fund adoption transaction agreement in 2014 with Emerging Managers Group, L.P. through which IICO assumed responsibility as investment adviser and IFDI serves as global distributor of the Selector Management Funds. The Selector Management Funds included in the fund adoption transaction are the Ivy Global Investors Asset Strategy Fund and the Ivy Global Investors High Income Fund. Subsequent to the fund adoption transaction we launched the following sub-funds: Ivy Global Investors Mid Cap Growth Fund, Ivy Global Investors Large Cap Growth Fund and Ivy Global Investors Science & Technology Fund. This transaction allows us to serve the non-U.S. resident customer market through national broker/dealer firms in the United States and establish greater international distribution of our investment management capabilities.

        In 2014, we launched the R6 share class for the majority of the Ivy Funds to meet the needs of our retirement and benefit plan clients. The share class does not charge any sales load or Rule 12b-1 expenses.

Other Products

        We offer our Advisors channel customers fee-based asset allocation investment advisory products, including Managed Allocation Portfolio ("MAP"), MAPPlus and Strategic Portfolio Allocation ("SPA"), which utilize the Funds. As of December 31, 2014, clients had $17.3 billion invested in our fee-based asset allocation investment advisory products, of which $15.7 billion is invested in our mutual funds and included in our mutual fund assets under management.

        In our Advisors channel, we distribute various business partners' variable annuity products, which offer the Ivy Funds VIP as an investment vehicle. We also offer our Advisors channel customers retirement and life insurance products underwritten by our business partners. Through our insurance agency subsidiaries,subsidiary, our financial advisors also sell life insurance and disability products underwritten by various carriers.

        In addition, we offer our Advisors channel customers fee-based asset allocation investment advisory products, including Managed Allocation Portfolio ("MAP"), MAPPlus and Strategic Portfolio Allocation ("SPA"), which utilize our Funds. As of December 31, 2012, clients had $8.2 billion invested in our MAP, MAPPlus and SPA products. These assets are included in our mutual fund assets under management.

Distribution Channels

        We distribute our investment products through the Wholesale, Advisors and Institutional channels. During 2014, our Asset Strategy funds continued to play a lead role in the Company's results, comprising 25% of the Company's gross sales and 29% of the assets under management as of December 31, 2014. While we recognize the past success of these funds, we are also aware of the concentration risks to our revenue streams created by the size of these funds, despite the flexible mandate. Over the past several years, our distribution channels have successfully marketed additional products to their clients, which contributed to total sales for the Asset Strategy funds decreasing from 46% in 2010 to 25% in 2014. Over the same time period, fixed income sales have grown from 13% to 26%. We plan to continue to stress diversification of sales in 2015.

Wholesale Channel

        Our Wholesale channel generates sales through various third-partythird party distribution outlets. Our assets under management in the Wholesale channel were $48.9$60.3 billion at December 31, 2012,2014, including $2.6$0.6 billion in assets subadvised by other managers.

        Our team of 5059 external wholesalers lead our wholesaling efforts, which focus principally on distributing the Ivy Funds through three segments: broker/dealers (the largest method of distributing mutual funds for the industry and for us), retirement platforms (401(k) platforms using multiple managers) and registered investment advisors (fee-based financial advisors who generally sell mutual funds through financial supermarkets).

        During 2012, Additionally, our Ivy Asset Strategy fund continued to play a lead role inNational Accounts team, comprised of 18 employees, work with the Wholesale channel's results, comprising 32%home offices of the channel's gross salesour distribution partners managing current and 27%new relationships.

Table of total assets under management as of December 31, 2012. While we recognize the past success of this fund, we are also aware of the concentration risks to our revenue streams created by the size of this fund, despite its flexible mandate. Our compensation program for wholesalers encourages the sales of other products with track records of strong performance. Over the past three years, our wholesalers successfully marketed additional products to their financial advisor clients, which resulted in Wholesale channel sales for the Ivy Asset Strategy fund decreasing from 60% in 2010 to 32% in 2012. We plan to continue to stress diversification of sales as we enter 2013.Contents

Advisors Channel

        Assets under management in the Advisors channel were $35.7$45.5 billion at December 31, 2012. Historically,2014. Throughout our history, our advisors have sold investment products primarily to middle income and mass affluent individuals, families and businesses across the country in geographic markets of all sizes. We assist clients on a wide range of financial issues with a significant focus on helping them plan, generally, for long-term investments such as retirement and education, and offer one-on-one consultations that emphasize long-term relationships through continued service. As a result of this approach, this channel has developed a loyal customer base with clients maintaining their accounts significantly longer than the industry average. Over the past several years, we have expanded our Choice brokerage platform technology and offerings, which should allowenable us to competitively recruit experienced advisors.

        As of December 31, 2012,2014, our sales force consisted of 1,7631,766 financial advisors who operate out of 165 offices located throughout the United States and 263 individual advisor offices.States. We believe, based on industry data, that our financial advisors are currently one of the largest sales forces in the United States selling primarily mutual funds, and that W&R, our broker/dealer subsidiary, ranks among the largest

Table of Contents

independent broker/dealers. As of December 31, 2012, ourWe continue to experience growth in sales force production. Advisors channel had approximately 484 thousand mutual fund customers.

        Over the past several years, we have instituted more stringent production requirements for our sales force, which has resulted in a steady decline in our number of advisors. However, gross sales have not declined, and this channel produced 12% more in 2012 with 13% fewer advisors, on average, compared to 2010. This headcount decline leveled off during 2012. We utilize gross revenue per advisor to measure advisor productivity. For purposes of this measure, gross revenue consists of front-end load salesunderwriting and distribution fee revenues as would be received from an underwriter, from salesper the average number of both our Funds and other mutual funds. It also includes fee revenues from our asset allocation products and financial plans, and commission revenues earned on insurance products. Gross revenue per advisor was $168advisors were $254 thousand, $156$215 thousand and $119$180 thousand for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. As of December 31, 2014, our Advisors channel had approximately 465 thousand mutual fund customers.

Institutional Channel

        Through this channel, we manage assets in a variety of investment styles for a variety of institutions. The largest client type is other asset managers that hire us to act as subadvisor; they are typically domestic and foreign distributors of investment products who lack scale or the track record to manage internally, or choose to market multi-manager styles. Our diverse client list also includes corporations, foundations, endowments, Taft-Hartley plans and public funds, including defined benefit plans and defined contribution plans. Over time, the Institutional channel has been successful in developing subadvisory relationships. Asrelationships, and as of December 31, 2012, this type of2014, subadvisory business comprised more than 65%70% of the Institutional channel's assets, which management views as a positive development as it believes this type of business has better growth potential thanassets. Our diverse client list also includes the defined benefit business.Selector Management Funds, pension funds, Taft-Hartley plans and endowments. Assets under management in the Institutional channel were $11.8$17.8 billion at December 31, 2012.2014.

Service Agreements

        We earn service fee revenues by providing various services to the Funds and their shareholders. Pursuant to the shareholder servicing agreements, we perform shareholder servicing functions for which the Funds pay us a monthly fee, including: maintaining shareholder accounts; issuing, transferring and redeeming shares; distributing dividends and paying redemptions; furnishing information related to the Funds; and handling shareholder inquiries. Pursuant to the accounting service agreements, we provide the Funds with bookkeeping and accounting services and assistance for which the Funds pay us a monthly fee, including: maintaining the Funds' records; pricing Fund shares; and preparing prospectuses for existing shareholders, proxy statements and certain other shareholder reports.

        Agreements with the Funds may be adopted or amended with the approval of the disinterested members of each Fund's board of trustees and have annually renewable terms of one year.

Competition

        The financial services industry is a highly competitive global industry. According to the Investment Company Institute, or ICI, at the end of 20122014 there were more than 8,7009,200 open-end investment companies and more than 500 closed-end investment companies of varying sizes, investment policies and objectives whose shares are being offered to the public in the United States alone. Factors affecting our business include brand recognition, business reputation, investment performance, quality of service and the continuity of both client relationships and assets under management. A majority of mutual fund sales go to funds that are highly rated by a small number of well-known ranking services that focus on investment

Table of Contents

performance. Competition is based on distribution methods, the type and quality of shareholder services, the success of marketing efforts, and the ability to develop investment products for certain market segments to meet the changing needs of investors, and to achievethe achievement of competitive investment management performance.

        We compete with hundreds of other mutual fund management, distribution and service companies that distribute their fund shares through a variety of methods, including affiliated and unaffiliated sales

Table of Contents

forces, broker/dealers and direct sales to the public of shares offered at a low or no sales charge. Many larger mutual fund complexes have significant advertising budgets and established relationships with brokerage houses with large distribution networks, which enable these fund complexes to reach broad client bases. Many investment management firms offer services and products similar to ours, as well as other independent financial advisors. We also compete with brokerage and investment banking firms, insurance companies, commercial banks and other financial institutions and businesses offering other financial products in all aspects of their businesses. Although no single company or group of companies consistently dominates the mutual fund management and services industry, many are larger than us, have greater resources and offer a wider array of financial services and products. We believe that competition in the mutual fund industry will increase as a result of increased flexibility afforded to banks and other financial institutions to sponsor mutual funds and distribute mutual fund shares. Additionally, barriersBarriers to entry into the investment management business are relatively few, and thus, we face a potentially growing number of competitors, especially during periods of strong financial and economic markets.

        The distribution of mutual funds and other investment products has undergone significant developments in recent years, which has intensified the competitive environment in which we operate. These developments include the introduction of new products, increasingly complex distribution systems with multiple classes of shares, the development of internet websites providing investors with the ability to invest on-line, the introduction of sophisticated technological platforms used by financial advisors to sell and service mutual funds for their clients, the introduction of separately managed accounts—previously available only to institutional investors—to individuals, and growth in the number of mutual funds offered.

        We believe we effectively compete across multiple dimensions of the asset management and broker/dealer businesses. First, we market our products, primarily the Ivy Funds family, to unaffiliated broker/dealers and advisors and compete against other asset managers offering mutual fund products. This distribution method allows us to move beyond proprietary distribution and increases our potential pool of clients. Competition is based on sales techniques, personal relationships and skills, and the quality of financial planning products and services offered. We compete against asset managers that are both larger and smaller than our firm, but we believe that the breadth and depth of our products position us to compete in this environment. Second, our proprietary broker/dealer consists of a sales force of independent contractors affiliated with our companyCompany who have access to our proprietary financial products. We believe our business model targets customers seeking personal assistance from financial advisors or planners where the primary competition is companies distributing products through financial advisors. The market for financial advice is extremely broad and fragmented. Our financial advisors compete primarily with large and small broker/dealers, independent financial advisors, registered investment advisors, financial institutions and insurance representatives. The market for financial advice is extremely broad and fragmented. Finally, we compete in the institutional marketplace, working with consultants who select asset managers for various opportunities, as well as working directly with plan sponsors, foundations, endowments, sovereign funds and other asset managers who hire subadvisors. In this marketplace, we compete with a broad range of asset managers.

        We also face competition in attracting and retaining qualified financial advisors and employees. To maximize our ability to compete effectively in our business, we offer competitive compensation.

Regulation

        The securities industry is subject to extensive regulation and virtually all aspects of our business are subject to various federal and state laws and regulations. These laws and regulations are primarily intended to protect investment advisory clients and shareholders of registered investment companies. Under such laws and regulations, agencies and organizations that regulate investment advisers, broker/dealers, and

Table of Contents

transfer agents like us have broad administrative powers, including the power to limit, restrict or prohibit an investment adviser, broker/dealer or transfer agent from carrying on its business in the event that it fails to comply with applicable laws and regulations. In such event, the possible sanctions that may be imposed include, but are not limited to, the suspension of individual employees or agents, limitations on engaging in

Table of Contents

certain lines of business for specified periods of time, censures, fines and the revocation of investment adviser and other registrations.

        The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") is the federal agency responsible for the administration of federal securities laws. Certain of our subsidiaries are registered with the SEC as investment advisers under the Advisers Act, which imposes numerous obligations on registered investment advisers including, among other things, fiduciary duties, record-keeping and reporting requirements, operational requirements and disclosure obligations, as well as general anti-fraud prohibitions. Investment advisers are subject to periodic examination by the SEC, and the SEC is authorized to institute proceedings and impose sanctions for violations of the Advisers Act, ranging from censure to termination of an investment adviser's registration.

        Our Funds are registered as investment companies with the SEC under the ICA, and various filings are made with states under applicable state rules and regulations. The ICA regulates the relationship between a mutual fund and its investment adviser and prohibits or severely restricts principal transactions and joint transactions. Various regulations cover certain investment strategies that may be used by the Funds for hedging and/or speculative purposes. To the extent the Funds purchase futures contracts, options on futures contracts, swaps and foreign currency contracts, they are subject to the commodities and futures regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

        We derive a large portion of our revenues from investment management agreements. Under the Advisers Act, our investment management agreements terminate automatically if assigned without the client's consent. Under the ICA, investment advisory agreements with registered investment companies, such as the Funds, terminate automatically upon assignment. The term "assignment" is broadly defined and includes direct assignments, as well as assignments that may be deemed to occur, under certain circumstances, upon the transfer, directly or indirectly, of a controlling interest in the Company.

        The Company is also subject to federal and state laws affecting corporate governance, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, ("S-OX"), as well as rules adopted by the SEC. In 2004, we implemented compliance with Section 404 of S-OX. Our related report on internal controls over financial reporting for 20122014 is included in Part I, Item 9A.

        As a publicly traded company, we are also subject to the rules of the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE"), the exchange on which our stock is listed, including the corporate governance listing standards approved by the SEC.

        Two of our subsidiaries, W&R and IFDI, are registered as broker/dealers with the SEC and the states. A third broker/dealer subsidiary, LEC, was sold effective January 1, 2013. Much of the broker/dealer regulation has been delegated by the SEC to self-regulatory organizations, principally the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA"), which is the primary regulator of our broker/dealer activities. These self-regulatory organizations adopt rules (subject to approval by the SEC) that govern the industry and conduct periodic examinations of our operations over which they have jurisdiction. Securities firms are also subject to regulation by state securities administrators in those states in which they conduct business. Broker/dealers are subject to regulations that cover all aspects of the securities business, including sales practices, market making and trading among broker/dealers, the use and safekeeping of clients' funds and securities, capital structure, record-keeping, and the conduct of directors, officers and employees. Violation of applicable regulations can result in the revocation of broker/dealer licenses, the imposition of censures or fines, and the suspension or expulsion of a firm, its officers or employees.

Table of Contents

        W&R LEC and IFDI are each subject to certain net capital requirements pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). Uniform Net Capital Rule 15c3-1 of the Exchange Act (the "Net Capital Rule") specifies the minimum level of net capital a registered broker/dealer must maintain and also requires that part of its assets be kept in a relatively liquid form. The Net

Table of Contents

Capital Rule is designed to ensure the financial soundness and liquidity of broker/dealers. Any failure to maintain the required minimum net capital may subject us to suspension or revocation of our registration or other limitations on our activity by the SEC, and suspension or expulsion by FINRA or other regulatory bodies, and ultimately could require the broker/dealer's liquidation. The maintenance of minimum net capital requirements may also limit our ability to pay dividends. As of December 31, 2012, 20112014 and 2010,2013, net capital for W&R LEC and IFDI exceeded all minimum requirements.

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970, W&R is a member of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (the "SIPC"). IFDI is exempt from the membership requirements and is not a member of the SIPC. The SIPC provides protection against lost, stolen or missing securities (but not loss in value due to a rise or fall in market prices) for clients in the event of the failure of a broker/dealer. Accounts are protected up to $500,000 per client with a limit of $100,000 for cash balances. However, since the Funds, and not our broker/dealer subsidiaries, maintain customer accounts, SIPC protection would not cover mutual fund shareholders whose accounts are maintained directly with the Funds.Funds, but would apply to brokerage accounts held on our brokerage platform.

        Title III of the USA PATRIOT Act, the International Money Laundering Abatement and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act of 2001, imposes significant anti-money laundering requirements on all financial institutions, including domestic banks and domestic operations of foreign banks, broker/dealers, futures commission merchants and investment companies.

        Our operations outside the United States are subject to the laws and regulations of various non-U.S. jurisdictions and non-U.S. regulatory agencies and bodies, including the regulation of the Selector Management Funds by Luxembourg's Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier as UCITS. As we broaden our distribution globally, we will become subject to increased international regulations, some of which are comparable to the regulations to which our United States operations are subject. Similar to the United States, non-U.S. regulatory agencies have broad authority in the event of non-compliance with laws and regulations.

        Our businesses may be materially affected not only by regulations applicable to us as an investment adviser, broker/dealer or transfer agent, but also by law and regulations of general application. For example, the volume of our principal investment advisory business in a given time period could be affected by, among other things, existing and proposed tax legislation and other governmental regulations and policies (including the interest rate policies of the Federal Reserve Board), and changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws and rules that affect the business and financial communities.

Intellectual Property

        We regard our names as material to our business, and have registered certain service marks associated with our business with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Employees

        At December 31, 20122014 we had 1,6561,648 full-time employees, consisting of 1,1631,314 home office employees 123 Legend employees and 370334 employees responsible for advisor field supervision and administration.

Available Information

        We file reports, proxy statements, and other information with the SEC, copies of which can be obtained from the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street NE, Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room can be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-732-0330.

        Reports we file electronically with the SEC via the SEC's Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system ("EDGAR") may be accessed through the internet. The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, atwww.sec.gov. The Company makesmake available free of charge our proxy statements, annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q,10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports under the "Reports & SEC Filings" menu on the "Investor Relations" section of our internet website atwww.waddell.com as soon as it is reasonably practical after such filing has been made with the SEC.

        Also available on the "Corporate Governance" page in the "Our Firm" dropdown menu is information on corporate governance. Stockholders can view our Corporate Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the "Code of Ethics"), which applies to directors, officers and all employees of the Company,

certain funds in this channel, namely the Ivy Asset Strategy fund. Compared to the industry average redemption rate of 24.5%24.7% and 27.0%25.7% for the years ended December 31, 20122014 and 2011,2013, respectively, the Wholesale channel had redemption rates of 30.2%34.8% and 29.5%25.2% for the years ended December 31, 20122014 and 2011,2013, respectively. Redemption rates were 9.9%8.3% and 10.0%8.9% for our Advisors channel in the same periods, reflecting the higher rate of transferability of investment assets in the Wholesale channel.

        Our Business Is Subject To Substantial Risk From Litigation, Regulatory Investigations And Potential Securities Laws Liability.    Many aspects of our business involve substantial risks of litigation, regulatory investigations and/or arbitration, and from time to time, we are involved in various legal proceedings in the course of operating our business. We are exposed to liability under federal and state securities laws, other federal and state laws and court decisions, as well as rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC, FINRA and other regulatory bodies. We, our subsidiaries, and/or certain of our past and present officers, have been named as parties in legal actions, regulatory investigations and proceedings, and securities arbitrations in the past and have been subject to claims alleging violation of such laws, rules and regulations, which have resulted in the payment of fines and settlements. An adverse resolution of any lawsuit, legal or regulatory proceeding or claim against us could result in substantial costs or reputational harm to us, and have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition to these financial costs and risks, the defense of litigation, regulatory investigations or arbitration may divert resources and management's attention from operations.

        Our Financial Advisors Are Classified As Independent Contractors, And Changes To Their Classification May Increase Our Operating Expenses.    From time to time, various legislative or regulatory proposals are introduced at the federal or state levels to change the status of independent contractors' classification to employees for either employment tax purposes (withholding, social security, Medicare and unemployment taxes) or other benefits available to employees. Currently, most individuals are classified as employees or

Table of Contents

independent contractors for employment tax purposes based on 20 "common law" factors, rather than any definition found in the Internal Revenue Code or Treasury regulations. We classify the majority of our financial advisors as independent contractors for all purposes, including employment tax and employee benefit purposes. There can be no assurance that legislative, judicial or regulatory (including tax) authorities will not introduce proposals or assert interpretations of existing rules and regulations that would change the independent contractor/employee classification of those financial advisors currently doing business with us. The costs associated with potential changes, if any, with respect to these independent contractor classifications could have a material adverse effect on our business.

        There May Be Adverse Effects On Our Business If Our Funds' Performance Declines.    Success in the investment management and mutual fund businesses is dependent on the investment performance of client accounts relative to market conditions and the performance of competing funds. Good relative performance stimulates sales of the Funds' shares and tends to keep redemptions low. Sales of the Funds' shares in turn generate higher management fees and distribution revenues. Good relative performance also attracts institutional and separate accounts. Conversely, poor relative performance results in decreased sales, increased redemptions of the Funds' shares and the loss of institutional and separate accounts, resulting in decreases in revenues. As of December 31, 2014, 22% and 7% of our assets under management were concentrated in the Ivy Asset Strategy fund and Ivy High Income fund, respectively. As a result, our operating results are significantly affected by the performance of those funds and our ability to minimize redemptions from and maintain assets under management in those funds. If a significant amount of investments are withdrawn from those funds for any reason, our revenues would decline and our operating results would be adversely affected. Further, given the size and prominence of those funds within our product line, any adverse performance of those funds may also indirectly affect the net sales and redemptions in our other products, which in turn may adversely affect our business.

        There May Be An Adverse Effect On Our Revenues And EarningsBusiness If Our Investors Redeem The Assets We Manage On Short Notice.    Mutual fund investors may redeem their investments in our mutual funds at any time without any prior notice. Additionally, our investment management agreements with institutions and other non-mutual fund accounts are generally terminable upon relatively short notice. Investors can terminate their relationship with us, reduce their aggregate amount of assets under management, or shift their funds to other types of accounts with different rate structures for any number of reasons, including investment performance, changes in prevailing interest rates and financial market performance. The ability of our investors to accomplish thisredeem their investments in our mutual funds on short notice has increased materially due to the growth of assets in our Wholesale channel and with the high concentration of assets in certain funds in this channel, including the Ivy Asset Strategy fund. The decrease in revenues that could result from any such event could have a material adverse effect on our business and earnings.

        There Is No Assurance That New Information Systems Will Be Implemented Successfully.    A number of the Company's key information technology systems were developed solely to handle the Company's particular information technology infrastructure. The Company is in the process of evaluating and implementing new information technology and systems that it believes could facilitate and improve our core businesses and our productivity. There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in implementing the new information technology and systems or that their implementation will be completed in a timely or cost effective manner. Failure to implement or maintain adequate information technology infrastructure could impede our ability to support business growth.business.

        Regulatory Risk Is Substantial In Our Business And Non-Compliance With Regulations, Or Changes In Regulations, Could Have A Significant Impact On The Conduct Of Our Business, Reputation And Our Prospects, Revenues And Earnings.Prospects.    Our investment advisory and broker/dealer businesses are heavily regulated, primarily at the federal level. Non-compliance with applicable laws or regulations could result in sanctions being levied against us, including fines and censures, suspension or expulsion from a certain jurisdiction or market, or the revocation of licenses. Non-compliance with applicable laws or regulations could also adversely affect our business, reputation prospects, revenues and earnings.prospects. In addition, changes in current legal, regulatory, accounting, tax or compliance requirements or in governmental policies could adversely affect our operations, revenues and earnings by, among other things, increasing expenses and reducing investor interest in certain products we offer. Distribution fees paid to mutual fund distributors in accordance with Rule 12b-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended ("Rule 12b-1"), are an important element of the distribution of the mutual funds we manage. The SEC has proposed replacing Rule 12b-1 with a new regulation that would significantly change current fund distribution practices in the industry. If this proposed regulation is adopted, it may have a material impact on the compensation we pay to distributors for distributing the mutual funds we manage and/or our ability to recover expenses related to the

Table of Contents

distribution of our funds, and thus could materially impactaffect our revenue and net income.business. Additionally, our profitability could be affected by rules and regulations that impact the business and financial communities generally, including changes to the laws governing state and federal taxation.

Table of Contents

        Our Revenues, EarningsBusiness And Prospects Could Be Adversely Affected If The Securities Markets Decline.    Our results of operations are affected by certain economic factors, including the levelsuccess of the securities markets. The on-going existence of adverse market conditions, which is particularly material to usthe U.S. domestic stock market due to our high concentration of assets under management in the United States domestic stockthat market, and lack of investor confidence could result in investors further withdrawing from the markets or decreasing their rate of investment, either of which could adversely affect our revenues, earnings and growth prospects to a greater extent. Because our revenues are, to a large extent, investment management fees that are based on the value of assets under management, a decline in the value of these assets adversely affects our revenues and earnings. Our growth is dependent to a significant degree upon our ability to attract and retain mutual fund assets, and, in an adverse economic environment, this may prove more difficult. Our growth rate has varied from year to year and there can be no assurance that theour average growth rates sustained in recent years will continue. Declines in the securities markets could significantly reduce our future revenues and earnings. In addition, a decline in the market value of these assets could cause our clients to withdraw funds in favor of investments they perceive as offering greater opportunity or lower risk, which could also negatively impact our revenues and earnings. The combination of adverse marketsmarket conditions reducing sales and investment management fees could compound on each other and materially affect earnings.

        There May Be Adverse Effects On Our Revenues And Earnings If Our Funds' Performance Declines.    Success in the investment management and mutual fund businesses is dependent on the investment performance of client accounts relative to market conditions and the performance of competing funds. Good relative performance stimulates sales of the Funds' shares and tends to keep redemptions low. Sales of the Funds' shares in turn generate higher management fees and distribution revenues. Good relative performance also attracts institutional and separate accounts. Conversely, poor relative performance results in decreased sales, increased redemptions of the Funds' shares and the loss of institutional and separate accounts, resulting in decreases in revenues. Failure of our Funds to perform well could, therefore, have a material adverse effect on our revenues and earnings.business.

        Our Ability To Hire And Retain Senior Executive Management And Other Key Personnel Is Significant To Our Success And Growth.    Our continued success depends to a substantial degree on our ability to attract and retain qualified senior executive management and other key personnel to conduct our broker/dealer, fund management and investment advisory businesses. The market for qualified fund managers, investment analysts, financial advisors and wholesalers is extremely competitive. Additionally, we are dependent on our financial advisors and select wholesale distributors to sell our mutual funds and other investment products. Our growth prospects will be directly affected by the quality, quantity and productivity of financial advisors and wholesalers we are able to successfully recruit and retain. There can be no assurances that we will be successful in our efforts to recruit and retain the required personnel.

        We Have Substantial Intangibles On Our Balance Sheet, And Any Impairment Of Our Intangibles Could Adversely Affect Our Results of Operations And Financial Position.    At December 31, 2012, our total assets were approximately $1.2 billion, of which approximately $162.0 million, or 14%, consisted of goodwill and identifiable intangible assets. We complete an ongoing review of goodwill and intangible assets for impairment on an annual basis or more frequently whenever events or a change in circumstances warrant. Important factors in determining whether an impairment of goodwill or intangible assets might exist include significant continued underperformance compared to peers, the likelihood of termination or non-renewal of a mutual fund advisory or subadvisory contract or substantial changes in revenues earned from such contracts, significant changes in our business and products, material and ongoing negative industry or economic trends, or other factors specific to each asset or subsidiary being tested. Because of the significance of goodwill and other intangibles to our consolidated balance sheets, the annual impairment analysis is critical. Any changes in key assumptions about our business and our prospects, or changes in market conditions or other externalities, could result in an impairment charge. Any such charge could have a material effect on our results of operations and financial position.

Table of Contents

        There May Be Adverse Effects On Our Business And Earnings Upon The Termination Of, Or Failure To Renew, Certain Agreements.    A majority of our revenues are derived from investment management agreements with the Funds that, as required by law, are terminable on 60 days' notice. Each investment management agreement must be approved and renewed annually by the disinterested members of each Fund's board of trustees or its shareholders, as required by law. Additionally, our investment management agreements provide for automatic termination in the event of assignment, which includes a change of control, without the consent of our clients and, in the case of the Funds, approval of the Funds' board of directors/trustees and shareholders to continue the agreements. There can be no assurances that our clients will consent to any assignment of our investment management agreements, or that those and other contracts will not be terminated or will be renewed on favorable terms, if at all, at their expiration and new agreements may not be available. See "Business—Distribution Channels—Wholesale Channel, Institutional Channel." The decrease in revenues that could result from any such event could have a material adverse effect on our business and earnings.

A Failure In Or Breach Of Our Operational Or Security Systems Or Our Technology Infrastructure, Or Those Of Third Parties, Could Result In A Material Adverse Effect On Our Business Reputation, Cash Flows and Results Of Operations.And Reputation.    We are highly dependent upon the use of various proprietary and third-partythird party software applications and other technology systems to operate our business. As part of our normal operations, we process a large number of transactions on a daily basis and maintain and transmit confidential client and employee information, the safety and security of which is dependent upon the effectiveness of our information security policies, procedures and capabilities to protect such systems and the data that reside on or are transmitted through them.

        Although we take protective measures and endeavor to modify these protective measures as circumstances warrant, technology is subject to rapid change and the nature of the threats continue to evolve. As a result, our operating and technology systems, software and networks may fail to operate properly or become disabled, or may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, inadvertent disclosure, loss or destruction of data (including confidential client information), computer viruses or other malicious code, cyber attacks and other events that could materially damage our operations, have an adverse security impact, or cause the disclosure or modification of sensitive or confidential information. Most of the software applications that we use in our business are licensed from, and supported, upgraded and maintained by, third-partythird party vendors. A suspension or termination of certain of these licenses or the related support, upgrades and maintenance could cause temporary system delays or interruption. We also take precautions to password protect and/or encrypt our laptops and other mobile electronic hardware. If such hardware is stolen, misplaced or left unattended, it may become vulnerable to hacking or other

Table of Contents

unauthorized use, creating a possible security risk and resulting in potentially costly actions by us. Further, while we have in place a disaster recovery plan to address catastrophic and unpredictable events, there is no guarantee that this plan will be sufficient in responding to or ameliorating the effects of all disaster scenarios, and we may experience system delays and interruptions as a result of natural disasters, power failures, acts of war, and third-partythird party failures.

        The breach of our operational or security systems or our technology systems, software and networks,infrastructure, or those of third parties, due to one or more of these events could cause interruptions, malfunctions or failures in our operations and/or the loss or inadvertent disclosure of confidential client information could result in substantial financial loss or costs, liability for stolen assets or information, breach of client contracts, client dissatisfaction and/or loss, regulatory actions, remediation costs to repair damage caused by the breach, additional security costs to mitigate against future incidents and litigation costs resulting from the incident. These events, and those discussed above, could have a material adverse effect on our business reputation,and reputation.

        There Is No Assurance That New Information Technology Systems Will Be Implemented Successfully.    A number of our key information technology systems were developed solely to handle our particular information technology infrastructure. We are in the process of implementing new information technology systems that we believe could facilitate and improve our core businesses and our productivity. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in implementing the new information technology systems or that their implementation will be completed in a timely or cost effective manner. Failure to implement or maintain adequate information technology infrastructure could impede our ability to support business growth.

        Support Provided To New Products May Reduce Fee Revenue, Increase Expenses And Expose Us To Potential Loss On Invested Capital.    We may support the development of new investment products by waiving a portion of the fees we usually receive for managing such products, by subsidizing expenses or by making seed capital investments. Seed investments in new products utilize Company capital that would otherwise be available for general corporate purposes and expose us to capital losses. There can be no assurance that new investment products we develop will be successful, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Failure to have or devote sufficient capital to support new products could have an adverse impact on our future growth.

        Expansion Into International Markets May Increase Operational And Regulatory Risks.    As we broaden our distribution globally, we face increased operational and regulatory risks. The failure of our systems of internal control to properly mitigate such additional risks, or of our operating infrastructure to support such international expansion could result in operational failures and regulatory fines or sanctions. Local regulatory environments may vary widely and place additional demands on our sales, legal and compliance personnel. Identifying and hiring well qualified personnel and adopting policies, procedures and controls to address local or regional requirements require time and resources. Regulators in non-U.S. jurisdictions could also change their policies or laws in a manner that might restrict or otherwise impede our ability to offer our investment strategies in their respective markets. Any of these local requirements, activities or needs could increase the costs and expenses we incur in a specific jurisdiction without any corresponding increase in revenues and income from operating in the jurisdiction.

        We Have Substantial Intangibles On Our Balance Sheet, And Any Impairment Of Our Intangibles Could Adversely Affect Our Results of Operations.    At December 31, 2014, our total assets were approximately $1.5 billion, of which approximately $158.1 million, or 10%, consisted of goodwill and identifiable intangible assets. We complete an ongoing review of goodwill and intangible assets for impairment on an annual basis or more frequently whenever events or a change in circumstances warrant. Important factors in determining whether an impairment of goodwill or intangible assets might exist include significant continued underperformance compared to peers, the likelihood of termination or non-renewal of a mutual fund advisory or subadvisory contract or substantial changes in revenues earned from such contracts,

Table of Contents

significant changes in our business and products, material and ongoing negative industry or economic trends, or other factors specific to each asset or subsidiary being tested. Because of the significance of goodwill and other intangibles to our consolidated balance sheets, the impairment analysis is critical. Any changes in key assumptions about our business and our prospects, or changes in market conditions or other externalities, could result in an impairment charge. Any such charge could have a material effect on our results of operations, financial position, cash flow,operations.

        There May Be Adverse Effects On Our Business Upon The Termination Of, Or Failure To Renew, Certain Agreements.    A majority of our revenues are derived from investment management agreements with the Funds that, as required by law, are terminable on 60 days' notice. Each investment management agreement must be approved and income.renewed annually by the disinterested members of each Fund's board of trustees or its shareholders, as required by law. Additionally, our investment management agreements provide for automatic termination in the event of assignment, which includes a change of control, without the consent of our clients and, in the case of the Funds, approval of the Funds' board of directors/trustees and shareholders to continue the agreements. There can be no assurances that our clients will consent to any assignment of our investment management agreements, or that those and other contracts will not be terminated or will be renewed on favorable terms, if at all, at their expiration and new agreements may not be available. See "Business—Distribution Channels—Wholesale Channel, Institutional Channel." The decrease in revenues that could result from any such event could have a material adverse effect on our business.

        Regulations Restricting The Use Of "Soft Dollars" Could Result In An Increase In Our Expenses.    On behalf of our mutual fund and investment advisory clients, we make decisions to buy and sell securities for each portfolio, select broker/dealers to execute trades, and negotiate brokerage commission rates. In connection

Table of Contents

with these transactions, we may receive "soft dollar credits" from broker/dealers that we can use to defray certain of our expenses. If regulations are adopted eliminating the ability of asset managers to use "soft dollars," our operating expenses could increase.

        Fee Pressures Could Reduce Our Revenues And Profitability.    There is a trend toward lower fees in some segments of the investment management business. In addition, the SEC has adopted rules that are designed to improve mutual fund corporate governance, which could result in further downward pressure on investment advisory fees in the mutual fund industry. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain our current fee structure. Fee reductions on existing or future new business could adversely affect us.

        Challenges To Our Tax Positions May Adversely Affect Our Effective Tax Rate and Business.    The application of complex tax laws and regulations involves numerous uncertainties. Tax authorities may disagree with certain tax positions that we have an adversetaken and assess additional taxes, which could result in adjustments to, or impact onthe timing or amount of, taxable income, deductions or other tax allocations, which may adversely affect our revenueseffective tax rate and profitability.business.

        We Could Experience Adverse Effects On Our Revenues, Profits And Market Share Due To Strong Competition From Numerous And Sometimes Larger Companies.    We compete with stock brokerage firms, mutual fund companies, investment banking firms, insurance companies, banks, internet investment sites, and other financial institutions and individual registered investment advisers. Many of these companies not only offer mutual fund investments and services, but also offer an ever-increasing number of other financial products and services. Many of our competitors have more products and product lines, services and brand recognition and may also have substantially greater assets under management. Many larger mutual fund complexes have developed more extensive relationships with brokerage houses with large distribution networks, which may enable those fund complexes to reach broader client bases. In recent years, there has been a trend of consolidation in the mutual fund industry resulting in stronger competitors with greater financial resources than us. There has also been a trend toward online internet financial services. If existing or potential customers decide to invest with our competitors instead of with us, our market share revenues and income could decline.decline, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Table of Contents

        The Terms Of Our Credit Facility And Senior Unsecured Notes Impose Restrictions On Our Operations That May Adversely Impact Our Prospects And The Operations Of Our Business.    There are no assurances that we will be able to raise additional capital if needed, which could negatively impact our liquidity, prospects and operations. We have entered into a 3-year5-year revolving credit facility with various lenders providing for total loansavailability of $125.0 million. Under this facility, the lenders may, at their option upon our request, expand the facility to $200.0 million. At February 15, 2013,13, 2015, there was no balance outstanding under the revolving credit facility. We also entered into a note purchase agreement with various purchasers for the sale and issuance of $190.0 million of unsecured senior notes comprised of $95 million of 5.0% senior notes, series A, due 2018 and $95 million of 5.75% senior notes, series B, due 2021, all of which were issued on January 13, 2011. The terms and conditions of our revolving credit facility and note purchase agreement impose restrictions that affect, among other things, our ability to incur additional debt, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, merge, sell assets, pay dividends and create or incur liens. Our ability to comply with the financial covenants set forth in our credit facility and note purchase agreement could be affected by events beyond our control, and there can be no assurance that we will achieve operating results that will comply with such terms and conditions, a breach of which could result in a default under our credit facility and note purchase agreement. In the event of a default under the credit facility and/or note purchase agreement, the banks could elect to declare the outstanding principal amount of our credit facility, all interest thereon, and all other amounts payable under our credit facility to be immediately due and payable, and the Company's obligations under the senior unsecured notes could be accelerated and become due and payable, including any make-whole amount, respectively.

        Our ability to meet our cash needs and satisfy our debt obligations will depend upon our future operating performance, asset values, the perception of our creditworthiness and, indirectly, the market value of our stock. These factors will be affected by prevailing economic, financial and business conditions and other circumstances, some of which are beyond our control. We anticipate that any funds generated by the issuance of our senior unsecured notes and any borrowings from our existing credit facility and/or cash provided by operating activities will provide sufficient funds to finance our business plans, meet our operating expenses and service our debt obligations as they become due. However, in the event that we

Table of Contents

require additional capital, there can be no assurance that we will be able to raise such capital when needed or on satisfactory terms, if at all, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to renew or refinance our credit facility or senior unsecured notes upon their maturity or on favorable terms. If we are unable to raise capital or obtain financing, we may be forced to incur unanticipated costs or revise our business plan.

        Our Own Operational Failures Or Those Of Third Parties We Rely On, Including Failures Arising Out Of Human Error, Could Disrupt Our Business And Damage Our Reputation.    Our business is highly dependent on our ability to process, on a daily basis, large numbers of transactions. These transactions generally must comply with client investment guidelines, as well as stringent legal and regulatory standards. Despite our employees being highly trained and skilled, due to the large number of transactions we process errors may occur. If we make mistakes in performing our services that cause financial harm to our clients, our clients may seek to recover their losses. The occurrence of mistakes, particularly significant ones, could have a material adverse effect on our reputation and business.

Potential Misuse Of Funds And Information In The Possession Of Our Employees And/Or Advisors Could Result In Liability To Our Clients, Subject Us To Regulatory Sanctions Or Otherwise Adversely Affect Our Revenues and Profitability.Business.    Our business is based on the trust and confidence of our clients, for whom our financial advisors handle a significant amount of funds, as well as financial and personal information. Although we have implemented a system of internal controls to minimize the risk of fraudulent taking or misuse of funds and confidential information, there can be no assurance that our controls will be adequate or that a taking or misuse of funds and confidential information by our employees or financial advisors can be prevented. We could be liable in the event of a taking or misuse of funds and confidential information by our employees or financial advisors and we could also be subject to regulatory sanctions. Although we believe that we have adequately insured against these risks, there can be no assurance that our insurance will be maintained or

Table of Contents

that it will be adequate to meet any liability.liability resulting from these activities. Any damage to the trust and confidence placed in us by our clients may cause our assets under management to decline, which could adversely affect our revenues, financial condition, resultsbusiness and prospects.

        There Are No Assurances That We Will Pay Future Dividends, Which Could Adversely Affect Our Stock Price.    The Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. Board of operationsDirectors (the "Board of Directors") currently intends to continue to declare quarterly dividends on our Class A common stock. However, the declaration and payment of dividends is subject to the discretion of our Board of Directors. Any determination as to the payment of dividends, as well as the level of such dividends, will depend on, among other things, general economic and business prospects.conditions, our strategic plans, our financial results and condition, and contractual, legal, and regulatory restrictions on the payment of dividends by us or our subsidiaries. We are a holding company and, as such, our ability to pay dividends is subject to the ability of our subsidiaries to provide us with cash. There can be no assurance that the current quarterly dividend level will be maintained or that we will pay any dividends in any future period. Any change in the level of our dividends or the suspension of the payment of dividends could adversely affect our stock price.

        Our Stockholders Rights Plan Could Deter Takeover Attempts, Which Some Of Our Stockholders May Believe To Be In Their Best Interest.    Under certain conditions, the rights under our stockholders rights plan entitle the holders of such rights to receive shares of our common stock having a value equal to two times the exercise price of the right. The rights are attached to each share of our outstanding common stock and generally are exercisable only if a person or group acquires 15% or more of the voting power represented by our common stock. Our stockholders rights plan could impede the completion of a merger, tender offer, or other takeover attempt even though some or a majority of our stockholders might believe that a merger, tender offer or takeover is in their best interests, and even if such a transaction could result in our stockholders receiving a premium for their shares of our stock over the then current market price of our stock.

        Provisions Of Our Organizational Documents Could Deter Takeover Attempts, Which Some Of Our Stockholders May Believe To Be In Their Best Interest.    Under our Restated Certificate of Incorporation, our Board of Directors has the authority, without action by our stockholders, to fix certain terms and issue shares of our Preferred Stock, par value $1.00 per share. Actions of our Board of Directors pursuant to this authority may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of the Company. Other provisions in our Restated Certificate of Incorporation and in our Amended and Restated Bylaws impose procedural and other requirements that could be deemed to have anti-takeover effects, including replacing incumbent directors. Our Board of Directors is divided into three classes, each of which is to serve for a staggered three-year term after the initial classification and election, and incumbent directors may not be removed without cause, all of which may make it more difficult for a third party to gain control of our Board of Directors. In addition, as a Delaware corporation we are subject to section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. With certain exceptions, section 203 imposes restrictions on mergers and other business combinations between us and any holder of 15% or more of our voting stock.

        Our Holding Company Structure Results In Structural Subordination And May Affect Our Ability To Fund Our Operations And Make Payments On Our Debt.    We are a holding company and, accordingly, substantially all of our operations are conducted through our subsidiaries. As a result, our cash flow and our ability to service our debt, including $190.0 million of our senior notes, are dependent upon the earnings of our subsidiaries and the distribution of earnings, loans or other payments by our subsidiaries to us. Our subsidiaries are separate and distinct legal entities and have no obligation to pay any amounts due on our debt or provide us with funds for our payment obligations, whether by dividends, distributions, loans or other payments. In addition, any payment of dividends, distributions, loans or advances to us by our subsidiaries could be subject to statutory or contractual restrictions. Payments to us by our subsidiaries will also be contingent upon our subsidiaries' earnings and business considerations. Our right to receive any

Table of Contents

assets of any of our subsidiaries upon their liquidation or reorganization, and therefore the right of the

Table of Contents

holders of our debt to participate in those assets, would be effectively subordinated to the claims of those subsidiaries' creditors, including trade creditors. In addition, even if we were a creditor of any of our subsidiaries, our rights as a creditor would be effectively subordinate to any security interest in the assets of our subsidiaries and any indebtedness of our subsidiaries senior to that held by us.

        There Are No Assurances That We Will Pay Future Dividends, Which Could Adversely Affect Our Stock Price.    The Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. Board of Directors (the "Board of Directors") currently intends to continue to declare quarterly dividends on our Class A common stock (our "common stock"); however, the declaration and payment of dividends is subject to the discretion of our Board of Directors. Any determination as to the payment of dividends, as well as the level of such dividends, will depend on, among other things, general economic and business conditions, our strategic plans, our financial results and condition, and contractual, legal, and regulatory restrictions on the payment of dividends by us or our subsidiaries. We are a holding company and, as such, our ability to pay dividends is subject to the ability of our subsidiaries to provide us with cash. There can be no assurance that the current quarterly dividend level will be maintained or that we will pay any dividends in any future period(s). Any change in the level of our dividends or the suspension of the payment thereof could adversely affect our stock price.

ITEM 1B.    Unresolved Staff Comments

        None.

ITEM 2.    Properties

        We own twofour buildings in the vicinity of buildings currently leased by our home offices: two 50,000 square foot buildings and a 50,00052,000 square foot building located in Overland Park, KSKansas and a 45,000 square foot building located in Mission, KS.Kansas. Existing home office lease agreements cover approximately 310,000298,000 square feet for Waddell & Reed located in Overland Park, Kansas and 38,000 square feet for our disaster recovery facility and 39,000 square feet for Legend located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The lease agreement for Legend was assumed by the purchaser, effective January 1, 2013. An additional lease covers office space of 41,000 square feet in Boca Raton, Florida. This space has been sublet and the lease agreement ends March 31, 2013.facility. In addition, we lease office space for sales management which is available to our financial advisors for use, in various locations throughout the United States totaling approximately 661,000667,000 square feet. A majority of this office space is available to our financial advisors to use. In the opinion of management, the office space owned and leased by the Company is adequate for existing operating needs.

ITEM 3.    Legal Proceedings

        The Company is involved from time to time in various legal proceedings, regulatory investigations and claims incident to the normal conduct of business, which may include proceedings that are specific to us and others generally applicable to business practices within the industries in which we operate. A substantial legal liability or a significant regulatory action against us could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and on the results of operations in a particular quarter or year.

        The Company accrues an undiscounted liability for those contingencies where the incurrence of a loss is probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. These amounts are not reduced by amounts that may be recovered under insurance or claims against third parties, but undiscounted receivables from insurers or other third parties may be accrued separately. The Company regularly revises such accruals in light of new information. For contingencies where an unfavorable outcome is reasonably possible and that are significant, the Company discloses the nature of the contingency and, where feasible, an estimate of the possible loss. For purposes of our litigation contingency disclosures, "significant" includes material matters as well as other items that management believes should be disclosed. ManagementManagement's judgment is required related to contingent liabilities andbecause the outcome of litigation because bothoutcomes are difficult to predict.

Michael E. Taylor, Kenneth B. Young, individuals, In our opinion, the likelihood that any pending legal proceeding, regulatory investigation, claim, or other contingency will have a material adverse effect on behalfour business, financial condition or results of themselves individually and on behalf of others similarly situated v. Waddell & Reed, Inc., a Delaware Corporation; and DOES 1 through 10 inclusive; Case No. 09-CV-2909 DMS WVG; in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.operations is remote.

Table of Contents

        In this action filed December 28, 2009, the Company was sued in an individual action, class action and Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA") nationwide collective action by two former advisors asserting misclassification of financial advisors as independent contractors instead of employees. Plaintiffs, on behalf of themselves and a purported class of Waddell & Reed, Inc. financial advisors, assert claims under the FLSA for minimum wages and overtime wages, and under California Labor Code Statutes for timely payment of wages, minimum wages, overtime compensation, meal periods, reimbursement of losses and business expenses and itemized wage statements and a claim for Unfair Business Practices under §17200 of the California Business & Professions Code. Plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief and monetary damages.

        Plaintiffs moved for conditional collective action certification under the FLSA. The Company opposed this motion and additionally moved for summary judgment on Plaintiffs' individual FLSA claims. The Court issued an order on January 3, 2012 granting the Company's summary judgment motions, holding that Plaintiffs' individual FLSA claims fail as a matter of law, and denying Plaintiffs' motion for conditional collective action certification under the FLSA as moot. This ruling effectively removes all nationwide FLSA claims from the case.

        Subsequently, the Company moved for summary judgment on Plaintiffs' individual California claims. The Court issued an order on August 20, 2012 granting the Company's summary judgment motions, holding that Plaintiffs' individual California claims fail as a matter of law. This order effectively dismissed Plaintiffs from the case, both individually and as putative class representatives.

        However, in its August 20, 2012 order, the Court also granted Plaintiffs' motion to add a new individual and putative class representative to the action, effectively replacing the originally named Plaintiffs. The newly named Plaintiff continued to pursue the California claims referenced above on behalf of the putative class, as well as newly added representative derivative claims under the California Private Attorney General Act.

        The Company moved for summary judgment, asking the Court to dismiss the newly named Plaintiff's individual claims. The arguments made in support of this request were the same as those that prevailed in the Taylor and Young motions for summary judgment. On February 1, 2013, the Court issued an order granting the Company's summary judgment motion. This ruling effectively dismisses all remaining claims in the case in their entirety, pending appeal. No appeal has yet been filed. The Company intends to continue to vigorously defend the matter at appeal, if any.

ITEM 4.    Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

        During the fourth quarter of the fiscal year covered by this report, no matter was submitted to a vote of the Company's security holders, through the solicitation of proxies or otherwise.

Table of Contents

PART II

ITEM 5.    Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

        Our Class A common stock ("common stock") is traded on the NYSE under the ticker symbol "WDR." The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low sale prices of our common stock, as reported by the NYSE, as well as the cash dividends declared for these time periods:

Market Price

        The cash dividends declared during the fourth quarter of 2012 includes a special cash dividend on our common stock of $1.00 per share that was paid on December 6, 2012.

        Year-end closing prices of our common stock were $34.82$49.82 and $24.77$65.12 for 20122014 and 2011,2013, respectively. The closing price of our common stock on February 15, 201313, 2015 was $42.73.$49.94.

        According to the records of our transfer agent, we had 3,0012,433 holders of record of common stock as of February 15, 2013.13, 2015. We believe that a substantially larger number of beneficial stockholders hold such shares in depository or nominee form.

Dividends

        The declaration of dividends is subject to the discretion of the Board of Directors. We intend, from time to time, to pay cash dividends on our common stock as our Board of Directors deems appropriate, after consideration of our operating results, financial condition, cash and capital requirements, compliance with covenants in our revolving credit facility, note purchase agreement and such other factors as the Board of Directors deems relevant. To the extent assets are used to meet minimum net capital requirements under the Net Capital Rule, they are not available for distribution to stockholders as dividends. See Part I, Item 1. "Business—Regulation." We anticipate that quarterly dividends will continue to be paid.

Common Stock Repurchases

        Our Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of our common stock in the open market and/or private purchases. The acquired shares may be used for corporate purposes, including shares issued to employees in our stock-based compensation programs. During the year ended December 31, 2012,2014, we repurchased 1,536,9682,252,152 shares in the open market and privately at an aggregate cost, including commissions, of $48.7$131.0 million, including 568,568599,340 shares from related parties to cover their tax withholdings from the vesting of shares granted under our stock-based compensation programs. The aggregate cost of shares obtained from related parties during 20122014 was $19.1$40.9 million. The purchase price paid by us for private repurchases of our common stock from related parties is the closing market price on the purchase date.

Table of Contents

        The following table sets forth certain information about the shares of common stock we repurchased during the fourth quarter of 2012.2014.

Table of Contents

Total Return Performance

Comparison of Cumulative Total Return (1)

        The above graph compares the cumulative total stockholder return on the Company's Class A common stock from December 31, 20072009 through December 31, 2012,2014, with the cumulative total return of the Standard & Poor's 500 Stock Index and the SNL Asset Manager Index. The SNL Asset Manager Index is a composite of 3641 publicly traded asset management companies (including, among others, the companies in the peer group reviewed by the Compensation Committee for executive compensation purposes) prepared by SNL Financial, Charlottesville, Virginia. The graph assumes the investment of $100 in the Company's Class A common stock and in each of the two indices on December 31, 20072009 with all dividends being reinvested. The closing price of the Company's Class A common stock on December 31, 20072009 (the last trading day of the year) was $36.09$30.54 per share. The stock price performance on the graph is not necessarily indicative of future price performance.

Table of Contents

ITEM 6.    Selected Financial Data

        The following table sets forth our selected consolidated financial and other data atas of the dates and for the periods indicated, and reflects continuing operations data. Selected financial data should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and our Consolidated Financial Statements and the Notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this report.

Table of Contents

ITEM 7.    Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

        This ItemAnnual Report on Form 10-K contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which reflect the current views and assumptions of management with respect to future events regarding our business and the industry in general. These forward-looking statements include all statements, other than statements of historical fact, regarding our financial position, business strategy and other plans and objectives for future operations, including statements with respect to revenues and earnings, the amount and composition of assets under management, distribution sources, expense levels, redemption rates and the financial markets and other conditions. These statements are generally identified by the use of words such as "may," "could," "should," "would," "believe," "anticipate," "forecast," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "outlook," "will," "potential" and similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature. Readers are cautioned that any forward-looking information provided by or on behalf of the Company is not a guarantee of future performance. Certain important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations are disclosed in the Item 1 "Business" and Item 1A "Risk Factors" sectionsections of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which include, without limitation, the adverse effect from a decline in securities markets or in the relative investment performance of our products, our inability to pay future dividends, the loss of existing distribution channels or the inability to access new ones, a reduction of the assets we manage on short notice, and adverse results of litigation and/or arbitration. The forgoing factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read together with other cautionary statements included in this and other reports and filings we make with the SEC. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and we undertake no duty to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

        The following should be read in conjunction with the "Selected Financial Data" and our Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this report.

Executive Overview

        We are one of the oldest mutual fund and asset management firms in the country, with expertise in a broad range of investment styles and across a variety of market environments. Our earnings and cash flows are heavily dependent on financial market conditions. Significant increases or decreases in the various securities markets can have a material impact on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Revenue Sources

        We derive our revenues from providing investment management and advisory services, investment product underwriting and distribution, and shareholder services administration to mutual funds, UCITS sub-funds, and institutional and separately managed accounts. Investment management and/or advisory fees are based on the amount of average assets under management and are affected by sales levels, financial market conditions, redemptions and the composition of assets. Our underwriting and distribution revenues consist of commissions derived from sales of investment and insurance products, Rule 12b-1 asset-based service and distribution fees, distribution fees on certain variable products, fees earned on fee-based asset allocation products and related advisory services.services, distribution fees on certain variable products, and commissions derived from sales of investment and insurance products. The products sold have various commission structures and the revenues received from those sales vary based on the type and dollar amount sold. Shareholder service fee revenue includes transfer agency fees, custodian fees from retirement plan accounts, portfolio accounting and administration fees, and is earned based on assets under management or number of client accounts.

Expense Drivers

        Our major expenses are underwriting and distribution-relatedfor commissions, employee compensation, amortization of deferred sales commissions, subadvisory fee expensesfield support, dealer services and information technology expense.technology.

Table of Contents

Our Distribution Channels

        One of our distinctive qualities is that we aredistribute our investment products through a significant distributor of investment products.balanced distribution network. Our retail products are distributed through our Wholesale channel, which includes third-partiesthird parties such as other broker/dealers, registered investment advisors and various retirement platforms or through our Advisors

Table of Contents

channel sales force of independent financial advisors. We also market our investment advisory services to institutional investors, either directly or through consultants, in our Institutional channel.

        Our Wholesale Channelchannel is our fastest growing distribution channel. Channel efforts are led by the solid long-term performance record of the Ivy Funds family. We distribute retail mutual funds through broker/dealers, and registered investment advisors and various retirement platforms through a team of external, internal and hybrid wholesalers as well as a team dedicated to national accounts.

        The Ivy Funds maintain strong positions on many of the leading third-partythird party distribution platforms, and we continue efforts to diversify our sales by offering other solid performing funds besides our flagship Ivy Asset Strategy fund to our partners. During 2012,2014, we had nine funds exceed gross sales of $250 million. Sales of products other than our Ivy Asset Strategy fund accounted for 68%66% of total sales during 20122014 compared to 53%64% during 20112013 and 40%68% for 2010.2012. We expect the Wholesale Channelchannel to be critical in driving our organic growth rate in the coming years.

        Our Advisors channel sales force consists of 1,7631,766 independent financial advisors spread throughout the United States, who carry out our mission of providing financial advice for retirement, education funding, estate planning and other financial needs for our clients. A distinguishing aspect of this channel is its industry low redemption rate, which can be attributed to the personal and customized nature in which our advisors provide service to our clients by focusing on meeting their clients.long-term financial objectives, and this in turn leads to a more stable asset base for the channel.

        Over the past three years, weWe have experienced a decline in our number of financial advisors; however, the decline was not unexpected as we continue to push for higher production from our advisors by increasing minimum production requirements for them to stay licensed with us. Our gross revenue production per advisor increased 41%, to $168 thousand, and gross sales in the channel increased 12%, to $4.1 billion, during the past two years, despite the 13% decrease in advisor headcount. This headcount decline leveled off during 2012. We continue to focusfocused our recruiting efforts on bringing in experienced advisors.advisors, which has allowed us to achieve productivity growth, as Advisors channel underwriting and distribution fee revenues per advisor increased 18%, to $254 thousand, and sales in the channel increased 23%, to $5.5 billion, during the past two years.

        Through our Institutional channel we manage assets in a variety of investment styles for a variety of types of institutions.institutions as well as the Selector Management Funds. The largest percentage of our clients hire us to act as subadvisor for their branded products; they are typically domestic or foreign distributors of investment products who lack scale or the track record to manage internally, or choose to market multi-manager styles. Our subadvisory relationships account for more than 70% of the channel's $17.8 billion in assets at the end of 2014. Our diverse client list also includes pension funds, Taft-Hartley plans and endowments. This is the smallest of our three distribution channels but itchannel has experienced positive gross sales and net flow trends over the past two years due to our growing subadvisory relationships. Our subadvisory relationships currently account for more than 65% of the channel's $11.8 billion in assets at the end of 2012.

Market Developments

        The financial markets experienced strong gains in 2012 despite ongoing uncertainty surrounding government policy and global economic growth. Retail investors were willing to accept minimal returns rather than expose themselves to the highly unpredictable equity market, which led to meaningful outflows of actively managed equity funds. Through this volatile year, the Company generated net flows of $2.3 billion and maintained stable redemption rates compared to industry averages. Strong market appreciation combined with positive flows contributed to a 16% increase in assets under management compared to December 31, 2011, as we reached assets under management of $96.4 billion at December 31, 2012.

Sale of Legend

        During 2012, the Company committed to a plan to sell its Legend subsidiaries and on October 29, 2012 the Company signed a definitive agreement to executesell all the transaction. Thecommon interests of Legend and the sale closed effective January 1, 2013. Based on the value of the consideration the Company expected to receive upon closing, which iswas less than the carrying value of net assets to be sold, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $42.4 million, which is reflected in income (loss) from discontinued operations on the statement

Table of Contents

of income.income in 2012. The consideration received was subject to working capital and regulatory capital adjustments through the closing date. The Company retained $7.7 million of Legend's excess working capital as part of the agreement. The agreement also includes anAn earnout provision based on asset retention for a periodreceivable of two years following the closing date.$4.1 million was accrued as of December 31, 2014 and we received payment in February 2015.

        The operational results of Legend have been presented as discontinued operations in the consolidated financial statements for all periods presented. Unless otherwise stated, references in Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations refers to continuing operations.

Table of Contents

Operating Results

        The companyCompany ended the year with $1.2$1.6 billion in revenues. The revenue increase of 5%17% relative to fiscal 20112013 was reflective of an increase in our average managed assets and positive net flows.of 19%. Average assets under management were $91.7$130.1 billion in 20122014 compared to $87.1$109.2 billion in 2011.

2013. Income from continuing operations increased 12%24% compared to 20112013 while our operating margin improved slightly from 25.5%28.1% to 25.8%30.3%. We plan to continue our focus on cost controls during 2013.

        Our balance sheet remains strong, as we ended the year with cash and investments of $504.2 million, after payment of an $85.4 million special dividend in December.$809.9 million. At December 31, 2012,2014, we had no borrowings outstanding under our threefive year revolving credit facility, which provides for initial borrowings of up to $125.0 million and can be expanded to $200.0 million.

Table of Contents

Assets Under Management

        Assets under management of $96.4$123.7 billion on December 31, 2012 increased $13.22014 decreased $2.8 billion, or 16%2%, compared to $83.2$126.5 billion reported a year ago. Market appreciationon December 31, 2013. Outflows of $10.9$5.1 billion across the complex, and net sales of $1.4 billion generated byin the Wholesale channel were partially offset by aggregate net flows of $1.6 billion in the primary contributors to this increase.Advisors and Institutional channels.

Change in Assets Under Management (1)

Table of Contents

        Average assets under management, which are generally more indicative of trends in revenue for providing investment management services than the year over year change in ending assets under management, increased by 5%19% compared to 2011.2013.

Average Assets Under Management

Table of Contents

        The following table summarizes our five largest mutual funds as of December 31, 20122014 by ending assets under management and investment management fees for the last three years. The assets under management and management fees of our five largestthese mutual funds are presented as a percentage of our total assets under management and total management fees.

Five Largest Mutual Funds by Ending Assets Under Management and Investment Management Fees

Table of Contents

Results of Operations

Income from Continuing Operations

        We reported income from continuing operations

Table of $192.5 million, or $2.25 per diluted share, in 2012 compared to $172.2 million, or $2.01 per diluted share, in 2011 and $153.4 million, or $1.79 per diluted share, in 2010.Contents

Total Revenues

        Total revenues increased 5%17% in 20122014 compared to 2011,2013, attributable to an increase in average assets under management of 5%19%, partially offset by a decrease in gross sales of 8%, while total. Total revenues increased 15%17% in 20112013 compared to 2010,2012, attributable to an increaseincreases in average assets under management of 18%19% and an increase in gross sales of 10%28%.