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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
 FORM 10-K
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 20192020
OR
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from                   to
Commission File Number 000-25131
bcor-20201231_g1.jpg
Blucora, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware91-1718107
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
(IRS Employer
Identification No.)
6333 State Hwy 161, 4th Floor, Irving, 3200 Olympus Blvd, Suite 100, Dallas, Texas75038 75019
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)
(972) (972) 870-6400
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each classTrading Symbol(s)Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per shareBCORNASDAQ Global Select Market
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes    No  
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.  Yes    No  
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    No  
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted 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 such files).  Yes    No  
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large Accelerated Filer

Accelerated filer
Non-accelerated filer

Non-accelerated filer

Smaller reporting company
Emerging growth company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes     No  
The aggregate market value of the Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant outstanding as of June 30, 2019,2020, based upon the closing price of Common Stock on June 30, 20192020 as reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, was $1,461.5$546.9 million. Common Stock held by each officer and director (or his or her affiliate) has been excluded because such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for any other purposes.
As of February 21, 2020, 47,837,75019, 2021, 48,256,094 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock were outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the Proxy Statement for the registrant’s 20202021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Proxy Statement”), to be filed within 120 days of the end of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019,2020, are incorporated by reference in Part III hereof. Except with respect to information specifically incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K, the Proxy Statement is not deemed to be filed as part hereof.



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Trademarks, Trade Names and Service Marks
This report includes some of trademarks, trade names, and service marks of Blucora, Inc. (referred to throughout this report as “Blucora,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), including Blucora, Avantax Wealth Management, Avantax Planning Partners, Avantax Retirement Plan Services, HD Vest, 1st Global, TaxAct, Tax-Smart Investing, Capital Gains Analyzer, Tax-Loss Harvester,HKFS, and Social Security Planner.TaxAct. Each one of these trademarks, trade names, or service marks is either (i) our registered trademark, (ii) a trademark for which we have a pending application, (iii) a trade name or service mark for which we claim common law rights, or (iv) a registered trademark or application for registration that we have been authorized by a third party to use.
Solely for convenience, the trademarks, service marks, and trade names included in this report are without the ®, ™, or other applicable symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensors to these trademarks, service marks, and trade names. This report may also include additional trademarks, service marks, and trade names of others, which are the property of their respective owners. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names included in this report are, to our knowledge, the property of their respective owners.

References to our or our subsidiaries’ website addresses or the website addresses of third parties in this report do not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained on such websites and should not be considered part of this report.

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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Form 10-K”) contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that involve risks and uncertainties. Many of the forward-looking statements are located in Part II, Item 7 of this Form 10-K under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Forward-looking statements can also be identified by words such as “anticipates,“believes,“plans,“expects,“future,“intends,“may,“will,“should,“would,” “could,” “should,“estimates,“predicts,“potential,“continues,” “target,” “outlook,” and similar terms and expressions, but the absence of these words does not mean that the statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include,Actual results may differ significantly from management’s expectations due to various risks and uncertainties including, but are not limited to, statements regarding:to:
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our results of operations and our business, including the impact of the resulting economic and market disruption, the extension of tax filing deadlines, and other related government actions;
our ability to effectively compete within our industry;industries;
our ability to attract and retain financial advisors,professionals, qualified employees, clients, and customers, as well as our ability to provide strong customer/client service;
our ability to close, finance, and realize all of the anticipated benefits of our recent or pending acquisitions, as well as our ability to integrate the operations of recently acquired businesses;businesses, and the potential impact of such acquisitions on our existing indebtedness and leverage;
our future capital requirements and the availability of financing, if necessary;
our ability to meet our current and future debt service obligations, including our ability to maintain compliance with our debt covenants;
any downgrade of the Company’s credit ratings;
our ability to generate strong performance for our clients and the impact of the financial markets on our clients’ portfolios;
the impact of new or changing legislation and regulations (or interpretations thereof) on our business, including our ability to successfully address and comply with such legislation and regulations (or interpretations thereof) and increased costs, reductions of revenue, and potential fines, penalties, or disgorgement to which we may be subject as a result thereof;
risks, burdens, and costs, including fines, penalties, or disgorgement, associated with our business being subjected to regulatory inquiries, investigations, or initiatives, including those of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”);
risks, burdens, and costs, including fines, penalties or disgorgement, associated with our business being subjected to regulatory inquiries, investigations or initiatives, including those of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”);
risks associated with legal proceedings, including litigation and regulatory proceedings;
our ability to manage leadership and employee transitions, including costs and time burdens on management and our board of directors related thereto;
our ability to manage leadership and employee transitions, including costs and time burdens on management and our board of directors (“Board”) related thereto;
political and economic conditions and events that directly or indirectly impact the wealth management and tax preparation industries;
our ability to respond to rapid technological changes, including our ability to successfully release new products and services or improve upon existing products and services;
the compromising of confidentiality, availability or integrity of information, including cyberattacks;
our expectations concerning the revenues we generate from fees associated with the financial products that we distribute;
risks related to goodwill and other intangible asset impairment;
our ability to develop, establish, and maintain strong brands;
risks associated with the use and implementation of information technology and the effect of security breaches, computer viruses, and computer hacking attacks;
our ability to comply with laws and regulations regarding privacy and protection of user data;
our ability to maintain our relationships with third-party partners, providers, suppliers, vendors, distributors, contractors, financial institutions, industry associations, and licensing partners, and our expectations regarding and reliance on the products, tools, platforms, systems, and services provided by these third parties;
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our beliefs and expectations regarding the seasonality of our business;
our assessments and estimates that determine our effective tax rate; and
our ability to protect our intellectual property and the impact of any claim that we have infringed on the intellectual property rights of others.


Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our results, levels of activity, performance, achievements, and prospects to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include, among others, those identified under “Item 1A. Risk Factors and elsewhere in this Form 10-K. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Form 10-K. We do not undertake any obligation and do not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect new information, events, or circumstances after the date of this Form 10-K or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.


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PART I
ITEM 1. Business
General Overview
Blucora, Inc. (the Company,Blucora,“Blucora,” “we,” “our, or we,our,orusus”) is a leading provider of technology-enabled, tax-smart financial solutions tointegrated tax-focused wealth management services and software, assisting consumers, small business owners, tax professionals, financial advisors,professionals, and certified public accounting firms. Blucora helps(“CPA”) firms in achieving better long-term outcomes via holistic, tax-advantaged solutions. Our mission is to empower people manageto improve their financial liveswellness through data and optimize their taxestechnology-driven solutions. We conduct our operations through its two primary businesses: (1) the Wealth Management business and (2) the Tax Preparation business. Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “BCOR.”
The Wealth Management business consists of the operations of Avantax Wealth Management (and Avantax Planning Partners (collectively, the Wealth Management business,business” or the Wealth Management segmentsegment”), which formerly operated under the HD Vest and 1st Global brands prior to the Rebranding (see “Item 1. Business—Our History” for more information about the Rebranding).
Avantax Wealth Management provides tax-focused wealth management solutions for financial advisors,professionals, tax preparers, certified public accountingprofessionals, CPA firms, and their clients. Avantax Wealth Management works with a nationwide network of financial professionals that operate as independent contractors and provides these financial professionals with an integrated platform of technical, practice, compliance, and product support tools to assist in making each financial professional a comprehensive financial service center for his or her clients.
Avantax Planning Partners, which we acquired on July 1, 2020, operates as a captive, or employee-based, registered investment advisor (“RIA”) and wealth management business that partners with CPA firms in order to provide their consumer and small business clients with holistic financial planning and is the leading tax-focused independent broker-dealer. advisory services, as well as retirement plan solutions. Avantax Planning Partners formerly operated as Honkamp Krueger Financial Services, Inc. (“HKFS”).
As of December 31, 2019, nearly 4,000 advisors2020, the Wealth Management business worked with branch offices in all 50 states utilized our Avantax platforma nationwide network of 3,770 financial professionals and supported $70.6$83.0 billion of total client assets, including $27.6$35.6 billion of advisory assets, for approximately 480,000 clients.assets.
The Tax Preparation business consists of the operations of TaxAct, Inc. (TaxAct,the Tax Preparation business, or the Tax Preparation segment) and provides affordable digital do-it-yourself (“DDIY”) tax preparation solutions for consumers, small business owners, and tax professionals through its website www.TaxAct.com.www.TaxAct.com, and its mobile applications. For the year ended December 31, 2019,2020, TaxAct powered approximately 3.2 million consumer e-files directly through end-users and another 2.02.1 million professional e-files through approximately 21,00020,000 tax professionals who used TaxAct to prepare and file their taxes or those of their clients. TaxAct generates revenue primarily through its digital service at www.TaxAct.com and its mobile applications.
Business Overview
We have two reportable segments: (1) the Wealth Management segment and (2) the Tax Preparation segment.
Wealth Management Business
As described above, the Wealth Management business consists of the operations of Avantax Wealth Management and Avantax Planning Partners, which we believe provide unique and complementary models through which tax and financial professionals can affiliate with us. These models include:
an independent broker-dealer for tax and wealth management professionals for whom independence is paramount;
multiple referral models for tax professionals who prefer a partnership or affiliation model through which their clients’ financial planning needs are met; and
an employee-based RIA model serving CPAs and tax professionals who desire to provide tax-advantaged financial solutions for their clients.
Flexible affiliation models are core to the Wealth Management business’s value proposition because they offer powerful ways for us to partner with CPAs and tax professionals of all sizes, from sole practitioners to multi-partner CPA firms.
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Avantax Wealth Management.Through its registered broker-dealer, registered investment advisor,RIA, and insurance agency subsidiaries, Avantax Wealth Management provides tax-focused wealth management solutions to financial professionals and their clients nationwide and operates the largest U.S. tax-focused independent broker-dealer, providing tax-smart wealth management solutions to financial advisors and their clients nationwide.broker-dealer.
Avantax Wealth Management works with a nationwide network of nearly 4,000 advisorsfinancial professionals that operate as independent contractors. Because Avantax provides these advisorsWealth Management primarily recruits and serves independent tax professionals, CPA firms, and financial professionals who partner with an integrated platform of technical, practice, and product support tools to assist in making each financial advisor a comprehensive financial service center for his or her clients.
Unlike traditional independent broker-dealers and investment advisors whose client relationships are limited to providing investment advice,established tax practices, most Avantax advisorsWealth Management financial professionals have long-standing tax advisory relationships that anchor their wealth management businesses. This is because Avantax primarily recruitscontrasts with traditional independent broker-dealers and serves independent tax professionals, CPA firms, and financial advisorsinvestment advisers who partner with established tax practices. are typically limited to providing investment advice to their clients.
We believe that tax and accounting professionals, with their existing client relationships and in-depth knowledge of their clients’ financial situations, possess a competitive advantageare well positioned to grow their wealth management practices as their tax advisory relationships provide a large base of potential wealth management clients. This competitive advantage results in an experienced and stable network of financial advisorsprofessionals who are ideallyuniquely positioned to provide tailored and comprehensive financial solutions that enable clients to meet their financial goals, including their tax goals. In turn, our advisorsfinancial professionals have multiple revenue-generating options to diversify their earnings sources.
To help tax and accounting professionals integrate wealth management services into their practice, we offer specialized training and support that introduces advisorsthese financial professionals to the investment business and helps them build their practices. The comprehensive training curriculum is administered through numerous outlets,a multi-medium approach, including an annual national sales conference, numerous localadvisor- and home-office led training events, regional meetings, and on-demand learning paths.


resources.
Once advisorsfinancial professionals have integrated wealth management into their practices, Avantax Wealth Management provides an open-architecture investment platform and technology tools to help financial advisorsprofessionals identify investment opportunities for their clients. In addition, Avantax Wealth Management supports its advisorsfinancial professionals through its proprietary Tax-Smart Investing platform, which issoftware tools that are designed to help advisorsfinancial professionals systematically capture tax-alpha (i.e., the incremental performance an investor can achieve, relative to market returns, by taking advantage of available tax-saving strategies) for clients by identifying tax savings opportunities in an advisor’sa financial professional’s client base and automating the capture of that opportunity. Our ongoing investments in technology and data analytics are designed to drive enhanced experiences for financial professionals and their end clients, and in turn, grow client assets over time.
Avantax Wealth Management also has a highly experienced home office team that is focused on developing and delivering solutions tailored to each advisor’sfinancial professional’s practice. The home office team provides marketing, practice management, product support, wealth management, retirement services, compliance, business consulting, succession planning, and other support to our advisors.financial professionals.
Avantax Planning Partners. As a tax-focused captive RIA, Avantax Planning Partners’ financial professionals are employees of Avantax Planning Partners who partner with CPA firms across the country to provide tax-advantaged planning and financial solutions for their clients. Avantax Planning Partners recruits and builds relationships with CPA firms who desire to provide their clients with tax-advantaged wealth management solutions and financial plans, but prefer to outsource that service to a trusted expert.
By the nature of the business, CPAs develop deep, long-lasting relationships with their clients and have insight into their tax and wealth management needs. The trust built in these long-standing relationships provides a solid foundation to recommend a client to a trusted Avantax Planning Partners in-house financial professional.
Holistic financial planning is the core offering of Avantax Planning Partners. In-house financial professionals provide guidance in asset management, retirement planning, advanced planning (including, among other things, business succession planning and estate planning), strategic tax and income planning, and insurance.

To assist affiliate CPA firms with integrating wealth management services into their practice, Avantax Planning Partners offers specialized training and support that introduces CPAs to the investment business and identifies the CPA firms’ top potential clients. CPAs then work directly with in-house financial professionals to refer clients and provide wealth management solutions.
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Avantax Wealth Management and Avantax Planning Partners primarily generatesgenerate revenue through securities and insurance commissions, quarterly investment advisory fees based on advisory assets, product marketing service agreements, retirement plan servicing fees, and other agreements and fees. We regularly review the commissions and fees we chargecharged for these products and services based on the evolving regulatory and competitive environment in which we operate and as a result of changes in client preferences and needs. For additional information on the Wealth Management segment’s revenues, see “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 2.”
Tax Preparation Business
TaxAct, a leading provider of digital tax preparation solutions, has leveraged its strong brand, comprehensive suite of tax preparation solutions, and proven digital lead generation capabilities to enable the filing of more than 6880 million federal consumer tax returns since 2000. TaxAct operates as thea value player in its market, with a mission to empower people to navigate the complexities of tax preparation with ease and accuracy at a fair price.
In addition to TaxAct’s core offerings, TaxAct offers ancillary services such as refund payment transfer, audit defense, and stored value cards, gift cards and retirement investment accounts through Avantax, as well as presenting customers the option to review and take advantage of personalized tax and potential financial savings opportunities offered through third party product providers. We believe that TaxAct’s ease of use, affordable pricing, and established brand and reputation isare attractive to customers.
TaxAct had fivefour primary offerings for consumers for tax year 2018, which is the basis for its 2019 operating results:in 2020:
A “free” federal and state edition that handled simple returns;
A “basic” offering that offered features for filers with dependents or college expenses;
A “deluxe” paid offering that contained all of the basicfree offering features in addition to tools to maximize credits and deductions, as well as tools for homeowners;
A “premier” paid offering that contained all of the deluxe offering features in addition to tools for investments, rental property, and prioritized support; and
A “self-employed” paid offering for independent contractors and self-employed filers.
For TaxAct’s offerings, free state returns may be filed for free federal filers or through the separately sold state edition. TaxAct also had offerings for small business owners and includedconsisting of separate offerings for sole proprietors, partnerships, C corporations, and S corporations.
TaxAct’s professional tax preparer software allowsfocuses on the unique needs of small tax offices and solo tax preparers and provides the tools for these professional tax preparers to prepare and file individual and business returns for their clients. TaxAct offers flexible pricing and packaging options that help tax professionals save money by paying only for the specific services that they need. In addition, the professional tax preparer software includes valuable features that tax professionals count on to maximize their efficiency and productivity, including the option of entering data directly into tax forms, utilizing a question-and-answer interview method to enter data, or easily toggling between the two data entry methods.


Financial Highlights
We have demonstrated growth in several key metrics that we use to measure our financial performance. In 2019, we:
Increased total TaxAct generates revenue by 28% compared to 2018;
Completed the acquisition of 1st Global, adding significant scaleprimarily through its digital service offerings at www.TaxAct.com and complementary capabilities to our Wealth Management business;
Achieved record advisory net flows of $1.0 billion in our Wealth Management business;
Recorded 22nd consecutive year of revenue growth in our Tax Preparation business, growing 12% compared to 2018; and
Completed $28.3 million of a $100.0 million share repurchase program, supported by strong cash flow generation.
revenuecharta03.jpgnetincomecharta03.jpg
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____________________________
(1)On May 6, 2019, we acquired 1st Global, a tax-focused wealth management company. The operations of 1st Global are included in our operating results as part of the Wealth Management segment from the date of the 1st Global Acquisition.
(2)
Represents the compound annual growth rate (“CAGR”) for each financial metric.
(3)
Represents a non-GAAP financial measure. For a description of each non-GAAP financial measure and a reconciliation of each measure to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure (which is Net Income Attributable to Blucora, Inc.), see the “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section of “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”


For additional information on our financial performance, see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”its mobile applications.
Our History
Blucora wasWe were formed in 1996 as a Delaware corporation under the name InfoSpace, Inc. (“InfoSpace”).corporation. Significant recent events in Blucora’sour history include:
In 2008, InfoSpace began principally focusing on internet search services and content (our “Search and Content” business).
In January 2012, InfoSpacewe acquired TaxAct.TaxAct, a provider of digital tax preparation solutions.
In December 2015, we acquired HDV Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries (“HD Vest”), a provider of wealth management and advisory solutions specifically for tax professionals, and announced our plans to focus on the technology-enabled financial solutions market.
On May 6, 2019, we closed the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding common stock of 1st Global, Inc. and 1st Global Insurance Services, Inc. (together, “1st Global”), a tax-focused wealth management company (the “1st Global Acquisition”). The 1st Global Acquisition was strategically important as it expanded our presence as the leading tax-focused independent broker-dealer while also providing the scale to compete more broadly in the wealth management market.
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On September 9, 2019, we announced a rebranding of our Wealth Management business to Avantax Wealth Management (the “2019 Rebranding”). In connection with this acquisition, InfoSpace changed its name to Blucora, Inc. in June 2012.
In August 2013, Blucora acquired Monoprice, Inc. (“Monoprice”), an e-commerce company that sold self-branded electronics and accessories to both consumers and businesses (our “E-Commerce” business).
In July 2015, Blucora acquired SimpleTax Software Inc. (“SimpleTax”), a provider of digital tax preparation services for individuals in Canada.
In December 2015, Blucora acquired HD Vest, a provider of wealth management and advisory solutions specifically for tax professionals, and announced its plans to focus on the technology-enabled financial solutions market (the “Strategic Transformation”). The Strategic Transformation refers to our transformation into a technology-enabled financial solutions company comprised of TaxAct and HD Vest.
As partthe 2019 Rebranding, HD Vest (which comprised all of the Strategic Transformation, we divested our SearchWealth Management business prior to the 1st Global Acquisition) was renamed Avantax Wealth Management in mid-September 2019, and Content business1st Global converted in August 2016 and our E-Commerce business in November 2016. We subsequently relocated our corporate headquarters from Bellevue, Washington to Irving, Texas in 2017.
On May 6, 2019, we closed the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding common stock of 1st Global, Inc. and 1st Global Insurance Services, Inc. (together, late October 2019.“1st Global”), a tax-focused wealth management company, for a cash purchase price of $180.0 million (the “1st Global Acquisition”). The 1st Global Acquisition was strategically important as it expands our presence as the leading tax-focused independent broker-dealer while also providing the scale to compete more broadly in the wealth management market. The operations of 1st Global are included in our operating results as part of the Wealth Management segment from the date of the 1st Global Acquisition.
Following an evaluation of the Tax Preparation business’s strategic initiatives, including which aspects of the Tax Preparation business were considered non-core strategies, on September 4, 2019, we completed the disposition of all of the issued and outstanding stock of SimpleTax for proceeds of $9.6 million. This amount was received in the third quarter of 2019, resulting in a $3.3 million gain on sale for the year ended December 31, 2019. Prior to its sale, SimpleTax was a component of our Tax Preparation business.
On September 9, 2019, we announced a rebranding of our Wealth Management business to Avantax Wealth Management (the “Rebranding”). In connection with the Rebranding, HD Vest (which comprised all of the Wealth Management business prior to the 1st Global Acquisition) was renamed Avantax Wealth Management in mid-September 2019, and 1st Global converted in late October 2019. The Rebranding is designed to bring broader awareness to our Tax-Smart wealth management approach, providing tax-focused wealth management advice with technology-advantaged tools, allowing our financial advisors to easily provide Tax-Smart wealth solutions to their clients.
Recent Developments
HKFS Acquisition
On January 6,July 1, 2020, we entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Honkamp Krueger Financial Services, Inc. (“HKFS”), the selling stockholders named therein (the “Sellers”), and


JRD Seller Representative, LLC, pursuant to which we agreed to acquireacquired all of the issued and outstanding common stock of HKFS for a cash purchase price of $160 million (the(the “HKFS Acquisition”). HKFS isoperates as a registered investment advisorcaptive, or employee-based, RIA and wealth management business that partners with CPA firms in order to provide their consumer and small business clients with holistic financial planning and financial advisory services. The purchase price is expected to be paid with an incremental loan under the Senior Secured Credit Facility (as defined herein), which is anticipated to be entered into on or about the time of the closing of the HKFS Acquisition. The HKFS Acquisition is expectedenabled us to close aroundexpand the end of the first quarter, subjectways we can work with CPA firms and tax professionals to customary closing conditions. The HKFS Acquisition was not reflected indeliver wealth management services to clients, increase our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019. For additional information, see “Item 8. Financial Statementsaddressable market, and Supplementary Data—Note 18.”enhance our growth opportunities.
Leadership Changes
On January 6, 2020, Davinder Athwal resigned from his roles as Chief Financial Officer4, 2021, we announced the rebranding of HKFS to Avantax Planning Partners (the “2021 Rebranding”). The 2021 Rebranding was designed to create tighter brand alignment, bringing our Wealth Management business under one common and Principal Financial Officer of the Company, while agreeing to stay on with the Company until January 31, 2020. In connection with Mr. Athwal’s resignation, Stacy Murray, who serves as the Company’s Principal Accounting Officer through her position as Chief Accounting Officer, assumed the duties of serving as the Company’s Principal Financial Officer in an interim capacity.
On January 10, 2020, John Clendening, who served as our President and Chief Executive Officer, and also as a member of the Board, departed from his roles as an officer, employee, and director of the Company.
On January 30, 2020, the Company announced that the Board appointed Christopher W. Walters to serve as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 30, 2020, with Mr. Walters continuing to serve as a member of the Board following his appointment as President and Chief Executive Officer. recognizable brand.
Industry Trends
In the wealth management industry, we believe that Avantax iswe are benefiting and will be the beneficiary ofcontinue to benefit from several expected positive industry trends, including growth of investable assets, driven by baby boomers’ retirement accounts, a continued migration to independent advisorfinancial professional channels, liquidity events, and a continued shift toward household use of fee-based financial advisors.professionals. In addition, the captive or employee-based RIA market segment, in which Avantax Planning Partners belongs, is the fastest-growing market segment within the wealth management industry.
In the tax preparation industry, TaxAct participates in the consumer DDIYdigital do-it-yourself (“DDIY”) tax preparation solutions market, which is the fastest growing market segment in the tax preparation industry and is bolstered by a growing millennial population that continues to adopt technology-enabled financial solutions that drive value and ease in their everyday lives, and we believe that tax simplification will drive digital consumer growth.lives.
Growth Strategy
Our growth strategy begins with our mission to empower people to improve their financial wellness with data and technology-driven, tax-focused financial solutions. Taxes are one of life’s largest expenses, yet the tax preparation industry primarily focuses consumers on maximizing a once-a-year refund. Historically, the wealth management industry has largely ignored the impacts of taxes or only executed tax-advantaged strategies for the wealthiest segment of wealth management clients. Through our Wealth Management and Tax Preparation businesses, are grounded in the belief that the best waywe seek to sustainably growexecute holistic, long-term tax minimization strategies for our clients and customers while expanding access to those strategies to a business is to earn loyalty based on continuously delivering ever-greater value to our customers and clients.broader group of taxpayers. We believe this approach will drive better outcomes for our clients leading to higher customer acquisition, greater lifetime values, and overall better retention. Our growth strategies for Avantax and TaxAct will result in customer, client, and advisor retention and growth beyond that of the broader markets in which we operate. These strategies include:
In the Wealth Management business, we will accelerateaccelerating organic growth as the largest tax-focused broker-dealer by:
Recruiting high potential tax firms as financial advisors and investing in the tax-focused wealth management space by:
enhancing our financial professional experience with continued investment in service quality and team training to deliver a superior capability;
completing remaining elements of integration from acquisitions to drive efficiencies across the business;
when in the client’s best interest, improving client asset retention and monetization through the continued shift of client assets into advisory accounts through appropriate coaching, tools, training, and supportprograms;
continuing to make them successful, includinginvest in our technology and product offerings to create positive experiences for our financial professionals and their clients;
leveraging the rolloutsoftware development capabilities of regional support teamsTaxAct to improve the service and the introductionperformance of a comprehensive training and support program for new advisors, Avantax University.
Providing practice management and coachingproducts offered to our advisors to grow their businessesfinancial professionals; and client base.
Continually evaluating and expanding our product suite to provide the best wealth management solutionsand service offerings for our advisors and their clients.financial professionals utilizing best practices. This includes expanding our turn-key retirement planning solutions business to a nationwide footprint through Avantax Planning Partners.
Delivering advisory products and services to increase client assets held on our platform.
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Driving integrations by aligning systems, processes and technologies, while applying product, technology, and data analytics to identify and capture asset growth opportunities.
Continuing to enhance and optimize service and support for advisors.
In the Tax Preparation business, we will createcreating continued growth and momentum by:
Continuingimplementing new marketing programs to drive customer acquisition;
expanding our tax preparation offerings with hybrid or “live-assisted” capabilities to provide more options for customers in how to complete their returns;
refining pricing strategy to enable us to win in the market and drive robust growth;
expanding our value-generating partner ecosystem to increase our distribution capabilities and provide compelling offers for more potential customers;
continuing to invest in our core product experience based on direct customer feedback and research to create delightfulbest-in-class user experiences for our customers.existing customers and target markets;
Differentiatingdifferentiating the TaxAct experience withfrom experiences on other platforms by offering unique product capabilities and features that reinforce our brand’s deep expertise in tax.tax for both consumers and tax professionals;
Developing newdriving heightened awareness of our TaxAct professional software to meet the needs of solo practitioners and cost-effective marketing strategies to drive acquisition of new customers.small tax offices;
Appealing to a large, attitudinal segment that is looking for a forward-leaning approach to improve their financial position.
Innovatinginnovating and testing new solutions and models that expand the DDIY category.category; and
Providingproviding ancillary services and partnerships to our customers that enhance our value and brand promise.
Creating year-long engagement with customersAcross Blucora, driving incremental growth and realizing the value of our holistic strategy by realizing synergies between Tax Preparation and Wealth Management, initially including:
converting TaxAct Professionals into Avantax Wealth Management financial professionals or affiliate partners;
leveraging sophisticated online marketing capabilities from the Tax Preparation segment to improve retention.offer to financial professionals in the Wealth Management segment; and
Build Tax-Smart Leadership. A key element of our business model is to leverage tax information, which we believe enables clients and advisors to better achieve their financial goals and uncover potential opportunities for clients by delivering technology-enabled tax-smart solutions and financial insights.
improving the tools needed to make our financial professionals more productive by leveraging the product and technology leadership from TaxAct.
A key element of our growth strategy is to create a culture of learning and innovation to test specific opportunities across our business and scale those opportunities that show value. For example, inwe have more than 23,000 tax professionals using our TaxAct Professional software. This base of professionals represents a significant population of potential future financial professionals or referral sources for our Wealth Management business,business. Additionally, TaxAct possesses significant lead generation and marketing capabilities that we believe our proprietary Tax-Smart Investing platform will provide our advisorsseek to leverage in order to better support wealth management financial professionals with their marketing needs. We intend to conduct focused testing on these concepts to evaluate their value potential and intend to scale the ability to consistently tax-optimize investor portfolios.concepts that show the highest promise.
Investors unnecessarily forgo significant performance each year by not employing tax-alpha strategies, such as tax-loss harvesting, optimizing asset location,Underlying this learning and intelligent asset drawdown. Our Tax-Smart Investing platform is designed to help advisors systematically capture tax-alpha for clients across multiple accounts. This uniqueinnovation approach is designeda consolidated information technology and data architecture, coupled with a focused effort on the human capital necessary to identify the top opportunitiessupport our business. As part of this overall strategy, we are investing in an advisor’s client base every dayour infrastructure to drive higher efficiencies, speed execution, and help automate the capture ofunlock new opportunities.
We believe that opportunity in a fraction of the time.
In June 2019, we launched the first tool on our Tax-Smart Investing platform, the patent pending Tax-Loss Harvester. Designed to work in the background of a financial professional’s practice, Tax-Loss Harvester can quickly identify clients’ securities with unrealized losses for potential harvesting opportunities. This powerful tax-smart strategy is now scalable across multiple clients in a fraction of the time and can potentially help turn losses into a client’s tax advantage. In the fourth quarter of 2019,if we successfully launchedexecute on the second toolabove growth strategies, we will improve performance and deliver on the key financial metrics that drive our Tax-Smart Investing platform,organization. These key metrics currently include revenue growth, net income growth, adjusted EBITDA growth, and non-GAAP net income growth. Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net income are non-GAAP financial measures. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, including definitions of such measures, see the patent pending Capital Gains Analyzer. Strategically developed with a focus on year-end planning opportunities, the Capital Gains Analyzer quickly collects, organizes,Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section contained in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and calculates available mutual fund capital gain distribution estimates, as well as their potential tax impact, before year end. This efficiency further enables financial professionals to focus on planningAnalysis of Financial Condition and tax-optimized decisions as opposed to data gathering. In addition, our first planned technology launch for 2020, which has already begun beta testing, is our patent pending Social Security Planner. While Social Security is typically a fundamental componentResults of a client’s retirement plan, the strategy options available can often be quite complex and confusing to the average retiree. The Social Security Planner will be able to show clients a comprehensive analysis of their Social Security benefit claiming options, thus enabling them to make informed decisions that support their retirement goals.
One Blucora.A key objective of our strategy is to continue to enable efficiencies and cross-business synergies through shared services and expertise across our Wealth Management and Tax Preparation businesses. We believe that building a high-performing organization that attracts, retains, develops, and engages the strongest talent will drive a shared purpose and common culture.


Deliver Results.Our goal is to drive continuous improvement by focusing on specific financial metrics that drive the organization and allow us to meet our stated goals and targets. These key metrics currently include revenue growth, net income growth, adjusted EBITDA growth, and non-GAAP net income growth. Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net income are non-GAAP financial measures. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, including definitions, see the “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section contained in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”
Seasonality
TheOur Tax Preparation segment is highly seasonal, with a significant portion of its annual revenue typically earned in the first four months of theour fiscal year. During the third and fourth quarters, the Tax Preparation segment typically reports losses because revenue from the segment during this period is minimal while core operating

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expenses continue. In March 2020 and as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) extended the filing and payment deadline for federal tax returns from April 15, 2020 to July 15, 2020. This extension resulted in the shifting of a significant portion of Tax Preparation segment revenue that would typically be expected to be earned in the first and second quarters of 2020 to the third quarter of 2020. In addition, sales and marketing expenses were elevated in 2020 due to incremental investment in March 2020 to address weak performance through the first two months of the tax season, as well as increased marketing required due to the extended tax season. The IRS delayed the start of the 2021 tax season and did not begin accepting and processing 2020 tax year returns until February 12, 2021. It is currently unknown if the IRS will need to extend the tax filing deadline in 2021; however, the IRS has revoked its earlier commitments to end the 2021 tax season on time. An extension of the tax filing deadline in 2021 could result in customer and revenue disruptions and increased expenses in 2021.
Competition
The markets in which our businesses operate continue to evolve and are highly competitive. For our businesses to be successful, we must effectively compete in the wealth management and tax preparation markets, as described in more detail below.
Wealth Management Competition
The wealth management industry is a highly competitive and fragmented global industry. We and ourthe financial advisorsprofessionals with whom we partner compete directly with a variety of financial institutions, including traditional wirehouses, independent broker-dealers, registered investment advisorsadvisers (including CPA firms that have their own in-house registered investment advisor), asset managers, banks and insurance companies, direct distributors, and larger broker-dealers. These competitors may have greater financial, technological, and marketing resources, broader infrastructure and distribution networks, greater brand recognition, and broader product and service offerings.offerings than us. We and our financial advisors compete directly with these financial institutions for the provision of products and services to clients, as well as for recruitment and retention of financial advisors.professionals.
We believe that our competitive position in the wealth management industry is a function of providing effective, differentiated service and tools to tax professionals, while understanding the needs of these tax professionals with respect to wealth management, in order to maximize the opportunity to createprovide tax-advantaged financial planning and advice. More specifically, we endeavor to:advice to end clients. We believe that our competitive advantage is centered on the following differentiators:
We seek to marry tax planning and preparation with financial planning and advisory service for all taxpayers, not just the ultra-high net worth.
We have the largest network of tax-focused financial professionals who partner with us through multiple affiliation models, which include:
an independent broker-dealer for tax and wealth management professionals for whom independence is paramount;
multiple referral models for tax professionals who prefer a partnership or affiliation model through which their clients’ financial planning needs are met; and
an employee-based model serving CPAs and tax professionals who desire to provide tax-advantaged financial solutions for their clients through our in-house RIA;
We offer broadtools, training, and comprehensive wealth solutions that address a client’s accumulation, income, and protection needs across their entire lives;
offer a differentiated value proposition (in terms of brand recognition, reputation, and financial advisor payouts) in order to recruit and retain financial advisors;
offer products and technology solutionssupport that are attractiveuniquely tailored to the needs of tax-focused financial advisorsprofessionals.
Our understanding of the wealth management and their clients;
negotiate competitive compensation arrangementstax businesses enables us to deliver optimal service with third parties, including vendors, suppliers, and product sponsors;
ensure the privacy and security of personal client information submitted to our financial advisors;
develop and react to new technology, services, and regulationboth businesses in the financial services industry; and
establish an efficient support and service network for our financial advisors and clients.mind.
Tax Preparation Competition
The market for tax preparation products and services continues to evolve and is highly competitive. We experience significant competition and expect this competitive environment to continue. We encounter direct competition from numerous other tax preparation software products and digital services. These competitors include Intuit’s TurboTax and H&R Block’s DDIY consumer products and services, which currently haveserve a significant


percentage of the software and digital service market. These competitors may have greater financial, technological, and marketing resources, broader infrastructure and distribution networks, greater brand recognition, and broader
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product and service offerings than us. We also encounter competition from alternate methods of tax preparation such as storefront tax preparation services, which includes both local tax preparers and large chains such as H&R Block, Liberty Tax, and Jackson Hewitt, and itHewitt. We may also be subject tocompete against new market entrants who maycould take somea portion of our market share. Finally, our TaxAct business faces the risk that state or federal taxing agencies will offer software or systems to provide direct access for individual filers that will reduce the need for TaxAct’s software and services.
We believe that our competitive position in the market for tax preparation software and services is a function of our ability to differentiate our brand versus those of our competitors by the following:by:
optimizing or minimizing the taxes paid by each of our customers;
offering competitive pricing;
continuing to offer reliable, easy-to-use, and accessible software and services that are compelling to consumers;
providing unique features not offered by the competition, including:
ProTips — Contextually relevant insights on often overlooked or unknown tax guidelines that enable customers to save money on their taxes;
Deduction Maximizer — A tool that checks each customer’s return for certain potentially overlooked tax savings or credits, in addition to data issues or potentially missing data;
My TaxPlan — A personalized action plan for each TaxAct customer that provides several concrete things they can do in the coming year to improve their tax outcome for the following year;
Efile Concierge — A unique add-on offering that proactively notifies customers with a phone call when their e-filed return has been accepted by the IRS. In the case of a rejection by the IRS, the customer receives a phone call guiding them through the process of updating and resubmitting the return;
$100k Accuracy Guarantee — The only provider willing to not only guarantee the customer’s return is 100% accurate, but also back that promise up to pay for any errors up to $100k;
offering competitive pricing;
offering software that is backed by financial and tax-expertise;
ensuring the privacy and security of user data submitted through our products;
marketing our software and services in a cost-effective way; and
offering ancillary services that are attractive to users.users;
appealing to our customers as a “challenger” brand; and
continually innovating new tax preparation services that meet the needs of our customers.
Governmental Regulation
Blucora is a publicly traded company that is subject to SEC and NASDAQ Global Select Market rules and regulations regarding public disclosure, financial reporting, internal controls, and corporate governance. Our Wealth Management and Tax Preparation segments are subject to federal and state government requirements, including regulations related to consumer protection, user privacy, security, pricing, taxation, intellectual property, labor, advertising, broker-dealers, securities, investment advisors,advisers, asset management, insurance, listing standards, and product and services quality.
Our Wealth Management segment is subject to additional financial industry regulationsenhanced regulatory scrutiny and supervision,is heavily regulated by multiple agencies, including by the SEC, FINRA, the Department of Labor (“DOL”), state securities and insurance regulators, and other regulatory authorities. Our Wealth Management subsidiary, Avantax Investment Services, Inc., is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC, a member of FINRA, and a member of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation and the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation. Broker-dealers and their representatives are subject to laws, rules and
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regulations covering all aspects of the securities business, including sales and trading practices, use and safekeeping of clients’ funds and securities, capital adequacy, recordkeeping and reporting, the conduct of directors, officers, and employees, and general anti-fraud provisions. Broker-dealers and their representatives are also regulated by state securities administrators in those jurisdictions where they do business. Compliance with many of the laws, rules and regulations applicable to us involves a number of risks, because laws, rules and regulations frequently change and are subject to varying interpretations, among other reasons. Regulators make periodic examinations of our broker-dealer operations and review annual, monthly, and other reports on our operations and financial condition. Violations of laws, rules and regulations governing a broker-dealer’s actions could result in censure, penalties and fines, the issuance of cease-and-desist orders, the restriction, suspension, or expulsion from the securities industry of such broker-dealer, its representatives or its officers or employees, or other similar adverse consequences.
Our Wealth Management subsidiary,subsidiaries, Avantax Advisory Services Inc., isand Avantax Planning Partners, are registered with the SEC as a registered investment advisorRIAs and isare subject to the requirements of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), and the regulations promulgated thereunder. Such requirements relate to, among other things, fiduciary duties to clients, advisory fees, maintaining an effective compliance program, solicitation arrangements, conflicts of interest, advertising, limitations on agency cross and principal transactions between the advisor and advisory clients, recordkeeping and reporting requirements, disclosure requirements, and general anti-fraud provisions. The SEC periodically examines our investment advisor operations and reviews annual, monthly, and other reports on our operations and financial condition. The SEC is authorized to institute proceedings and impose sanctions for violations of the Advisers Act and other federal securities laws, ranging from fines and censure to termination of an investment advisor’s registration. Investment advisor representatives also are subject to certain state securities laws and regulations. Failure to comply with the Advisers Act or other federal and state securities


laws and regulations could result in investigations, sanctions, profit disgorgement, fines, or other similar adverse consequences.
Our Wealth Management subsidiaries, Avantax Insurance Agency LLC, Avantax Insurance Services, Inc., and Avantax Planning Partners, Inc., are insurance agencies licensed with the state licensing authority in the jurisdictions where they do business. Insurance agencies and their agents are subject to laws, rules and regulations covering all aspects of the insurance business, including sales practices, use and safekeeping of clients’ funds, recordkeeping and reporting, the conduct of directors, officers, and employees, and general anti-fraud provisions. Insurance agencies and their agents are regulated by state insurance administrators in those jurisdictions where they do business. Compliance with many of the laws, rules, and regulations applicable to us involves a number of risks, because laws, rules, and regulations frequently change and are subject to varying interpretations, among other reasons. Violations of laws, rules, and regulations governing an insurance agency’s actions could result in censure, penalties, and fines, the issuance of cease-and-desist orders, the restriction, suspension, or expulsion of the agency or its agent or its officers or employees, from the insurance industry of a jurisdiction where they do business, or other similar adverse consequences.
Our Wealth Management subsidiaries offer certain products and services subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”) and Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and to regulations promulgated under ERISA or the Code, insofar as they provide services with respect to plan clients, or otherwise deal with plan clients that are subject to ERISA or the Code. ERISA imposes certain duties on persons who are “fiduciaries” (as defined in Section 3(21) of ERISA) and prohibits certain transactions involving plans subject to ERISA and fiduciaries or other service providers to such plans. Non-compliance with these provisions may expose an ERISA fiduciary or other service provider to liability under ERISA, which may include monetary penalties as well as equitable remedies for the affected plan. Section 4975 of the Code prohibits certain transactions involving plans (as defined in Section 4975(e)(1) of the Code, which includes individual retirement accounts and Keogh plans) and service providers, including fiduciaries, to such plans. Section 4975 of the Code imposes excise taxes for violations of these prohibitions.
On June 5, 2019, the SEC adopted Regulation Best Interest (“Reg. BI”), elevating the standard of care for broker-dealers from the current “suitability” requirement to a “best interest” standard when making a recommendation of any securities transaction to a retail customer. The “best interest” standard requires a broker-dealer to make recommendations without putting its financial interests ahead of the interests of a retail customer. The SEC also adopted Form CRS Relationship Summary (“Form CRS”), which requires registered investment advisorsadvisers (“RIAs”) and broker-dealers to deliver to retail investors a succinct, plain English summary about the relationship and services provided by the firm and the required standard of conduct associated with the relationship and services. In connection with adopting Reg. BI, the SEC added new record-making and recordkeeping rules. The
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compliance date for Reg. BI and theits related rules iswas June 30, 2020. Reg. BI heightens the standard of care for broker-dealers when making investment recommendations and would imposeimposes disclosure and policy and procedural obligations that could impact the compensation our Wealth Management business and its representatives receive for selling certain types of products, particularly those that offer different compensation across different share classes (such as mutual funds and variable annuities). In addition, Reg. BI prohibits a broker-dealer and its associated persons from using the term “adviser” or “advisor” if the broker-dealer is not an RIA or the associated person is not a supervised person of an RIA. This prohibition requiresrequired us to change the titles of certain of our advisors. The implementation of the regulations will requirerequired us to create, review, and modify certain policies and procedures and review and change the products that we offer, and also will resultresulted in associated increases in training and supervisory and compliance controls, all of which may lead to additional costs and may lead to decreased revenue. In addition to the SEC, various statesstate securities and insurance regulators have proposed or are considering adopting laws and regulations seeking to impose new standards of conduct on broker-dealers and insurance agencies that, as written, differ from the SEC’s new regulations and may lead to additional implementation costs if adopted. For further discussion of the risks to our business related to Reg. BI, see the paragraph in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” under the heading Our“Our Wealth Management business is subject to extensive regulation, and failure to comply with these regulations or interpretations thereof could have a Material Adverse Effect.”
Our Tax Preparation segment is subject to federal and state government requirements, including regulations related to the electronic filing of tax returns, the provision of tax preparer assistance, and the use and disclosure of customer information. We are also required to comply with Federal Trade Commission requirements and a variety of state revenue agency standards. In addition, we offer certain other products and services to small businesses and consumers, which are also subject to regulatory requirements. As we expand our products and services, we may become subject to additional government regulation. Further, regulators may adopt new laws or regulations, or their interpretation of existing laws or regulations may differ from ours or expand to cover additional products and services. These increased regulatory requirements could impose higher regulatory compliance costs, limitations on our ability to provide some services in some states or countries, and liabilities that might be incurred through lawsuits or regulatory penalties.
We are subject to federal and state laws and government regulations concerning employee safety and health and environmental matters. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other federal and state agencies have the authority to promulgate regulations that may have an impact on our operations.
See the section entitled “Risks Associated With Our Businesses” in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K for additional information regarding governmental regulation of our business and risks related to such regulation.


Privacy and Security of Customer Information and Transactions
Regulatory activity in the areas of privacy and data protection continues to grow worldwide, driven in part by the growth of technology and related concerns about the rapid and widespread dissemination and use of information. To the extent they are applicable to us, we must comply with various federal, state, and international laws and regulations and to financial institution and healthcare provider regulatory requirements relating to the privacy and security of the personal information of our customers and employees. In the United States, these include rules and regulations promulgated under the authority of the Federal Trade Commission, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, federal and state labor and employment laws, state data breach notification laws, and state privacy laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020, the New York Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security (SHIELD) Act, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999, SEC Regulation S-P, the Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, and Regulation S-ID, and further potential federal and state requirements.
Many of these laws and regulations provide consumers and employees with a private right of action if a covered company suffers a data breach related to a failure to implement reasonable data security measures. In addition, we are subject to other privacy laws and regulations that apply to internet advertising, online behavioral tracking, mobile applications, messaging, telemarketing, email communication, data hosting, data retention, financial and health information, and credit reporting. The legal framework around privacy issues is rapidly evolving, as various federal and state government bodies are considering adopting new privacy laws and regulations, which could result in significant limitations on or changes to the ways in which we can collect, use, host, store, or transmit the personal information and other data of our customers or employees. These laws could also affect the ways we communicate with our customers, deliver products and services, and could significantly increase our compliance
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costs. As our business expands to new industry segments or otherwise becomes subject to rules and regulations of jurisdictions outside the United States with stricter data protection regimes, such as the E.U. General Data Protection Regulation, our compliance requirements and costs will increase.
Through a privacy policy framework designed to be consistent with the principles of individual consent, data subject access, and privacy-by-design, we strive to help ensure that customers and employees are aware of, and can control, how we use personal information about them. The TaxAct.com website and its digital products have been certified by TRUSTe, an independent organization that offers certification to organizations that have demonstrated responsible data collection and processing practices consistent with regulatory expectations and external standards for privacy accountability. We also use privacy statements to provide notice to customers of our privacy practices, as well as provide them the opportunity to furnish instructions with respect to use of their personal information. We participate in industry groups whose purpose is to develop or shape industry best practices, and to influence public policy, for privacy and security.
To address data security concerns, we use standard data security safeguards to help protect our computer systems and the information customers give to us from loss, misuse, and unauthorized alteration. Whenever customers transmit credit card information or tax return data to us through one of our websites or products, we use industry-standard encryption as the data is transmitted to us. We work to protect our computer systems from unauthorized internal or external access using commercially-available computer security products as well as internally-developed security procedures and practices.
See the section entitled “Risks Associated With Our Businesses” in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K for additional information regarding risks related to privacy and security of customer information and transactions.
Intellectual Property
Our success depends uponis bolstered by our technology and intellectual property rights. We seek to protect such rights and the value of our corporate brands and reputation through a variety of measures, including: domain name registrations, confidentiality and intellectual property assignment agreements with employees and third parties, protective contractual provisions, and laws regarding copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. We hold multiple registered trademarks in the United States and in various foreign countries, and we may apply for additional trademarks as business needs require. See the section entitled “Risks Associated With Our Businesses” in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K for additional information regarding protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights and defending third-party infringement claims.
Human Capital
We strive to attract, develop, and retain the most talented employees by usoffering competitive compensation and third parties against us.


Employees
As of December 31, 2019, we had 690 full-time employees. There is significant competition for qualified personnel in the industries in which we operate, particularly for software developmentbenefits that support their health, financial, and other technical staff.emotional well-being. We believe that our future success will depend in part on our continued ability to hireattract and retain qualified personnel. As of December 31, 2020, we had 846 full-time employees.
Employee and Board Diversity. Diversity serves as an integral component of our human capital objectives, and we seek to promote an inclusive work environment that represents a broad spectrum of backgrounds and cultures. As of December 31, 2020, 42% of our employee base, including 34% of our senior leadership team, was female, and 34% of our employee base was comprised of individuals with ethnically or racially diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, as of December 31, 2020, 63% of the independent members of our Board of Directors were either female, or racially or ethnically diverse, and 63% of our executive leadership reporting to our chief executive officer were either female or ethnically and racially diverse. During 2020, we established a diversity and inclusion advisory council made up of a diverse group of employees and led by diverse executive sponsors. Our diversity and inclusion initiatives have already led to the roll out of diversity and inclusion focused engagements and increased focus on diversity and inclusion as part of our hiring and promotions process.
Utilization of Independent Contractors and Referring Representatives.Our Wealth Management business distributes its products and services and generates a substantial portion of its revenues through a nationwide network of 3,770 financial professionals as of December 31, 2020. Of these 3,770 financial professionals, 3,748 financial professionals either: (1) partner with Avantax Wealth Management and operate as independent contractors, or (2) partner with Avantax Planning Partners and operate as licensed referring representatives. We believe that our ability to attract, retain, support, and compensate these independent financial professionals and licensed referring representatives will continue to contribute to the growth and success of our Wealth Management business.
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Human Capital Optimization During the COVID-19 Pandemic.While the COVID-19 pandemic did impact our human capital management practices in 2020, we believe we are able to effectively conduct our business while operating in a largely work-from-home environment. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we instituted safety protocols and procedures for our essential employees who continued to work onsite. We also greatly enhanced our communication programs to create open communication at all levels of our business, which enabled our employees to achieve their professional objectives while also maintaining a healthy work-from-home lifestyle. In addition, there were no employee layoffs in calendar year 2020 that were directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe that retaining our strong employee team and the continued transformation of our culture will accelerate our business transformation.
Company Internet Site and Availability of SEC Filings
Our corporate website is located at www.blucora.com. We make available on that site,our website, as soon as reasonably practicable, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, proxy statements, Current Reports on Form 8-K, other reports filed with or furnished to the SEC, as well as any amendments to those filings. Our SEC filings, as well as our Code of Ethics and Conduct and other corporate governance documents, can be found in the Investor Relations“Investors” section of our sitewebsite and are available free of charge. Amendments to our Code of Ethics and Conduct and any grant of a waiver from a provision of the Code of Ethics and Conduct requiring disclosure under applicable Securities and Exchange CommissionSEC rules will be disclosed on our website. Information on our website is not part of this Form 10-K. In addition, the SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding us and other issuers that file electronically with the SEC. Furthermore, on our site, we post important information, including press releases, investor presentations, and notices of upcoming events and utilize our site as a channel of distribution to reach public investors and as a means of disclosing material non-public information for complying with disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Investors may be notified of posting to the website by signing up for email alerts on the “Investors” page of our site.
ITEM 1A. Risk Factors
Our business and future results may be affected by a number of risks and uncertainties that should be considered carefully. In addition, this Form 10-K also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including the risks described below. The occurrence of one or more of the events listed below could also have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, prospects, results of operations, reputation, financial condition, cash flows or ability to continue current operations without any direct or indirect impairment or disruption, which is referred to throughout these Risk Factors as a “Material Adverse Effect.”
RISKS RELATED TO OUR PENDING TRANSACTION WITH HKFSRISK FACTOR SUMMARY

We may not complete the pending HKFS Acquisition within the time frame expected or at all, or execute the financing as anticipated, which    Below is a summary of our risk factors with a more detailed discussion following.
Risks Related to Our Businesses
The current COVID-19 pandemic could have a negative effectMaterial Adverse Effect.
The wealth management and tax preparation markets are very competitive, and failure to effectively compete could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
Deficiencies in service or performance of the financial or software products we offer, competitive pressures on pricing of such services or products, or other market declines may cause our Wealth Management and Tax Preparation businesses to decline.
Our business depends on fees generated from the distribution of financial products and fees earned from management of advisory accounts, and changes in market values or in the fee structure of such products or accounts could adversely affect our revenues, business, and financial condition.
If we are unable to attract and retain productive financial professionals, including our in-house financial professionals and our independent contractor financial professionals, our financial results will be negatively impacted.
Changes in economic, political and other factors could have a Material Adverse Effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.business.
On January 6, 2020, we announced that we had entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with HKFS (theBlucora, Inc. “HKFS Acquisition”), the Sellers and JRD Seller Representative, LLC, as the Sellers’ representative, pursuant to which, at the closing, we will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common stock of HKFS for a cash purchase price of $160 million, which is subject to certain adjustments. The consummation of the HKFS Acquisition is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain closing conditions, as set forth in the Purchase Agreement and summarized in our January 7,| 2020 Form 8-K filed with the Securities10-K 15

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If we are unable to develop, manage, and Exchange Commission (maintain critical third-party business relationships for our Tax Preparation and Wealth Management businesses, it could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
“SEC”). A number of these conditions are outside of our control,The products and the satisfaction of these conditions may take longer than expected, may require us or HKFS to incur significant costs or take other steps that could negatively impact our or HKFS’s business, or may not occur at all. The failure to consummate the HKFS Acquisition, or any material delay in closing, could significantly impact the growth and strategic initiatives expected to be realizedservices offered by our Wealth Management business and Tax Preparation businesses are reliant on third-party products, tools, platforms, systems and services provided by key vendors and partners, which, if they do not operate as anticipated, could damageresult in a Material Adverse Effect.
If our reputation. Ifgoodwill or other intangible assets become impaired, we fail to satisfy certain covenants related to financing arrangements forhave been, and in the HKFS Acquisition, we wouldfuture may be, required to pay HKFSrecord a cash breakup fee of $800,000. Additionally,significant impairment charge, which could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
We have had recent senior leadership transitions, and if we are not effective in managing those transitions, our business could be adversely impacted and we could experience a Material Adverse Effect.
If we are unable to hire, retain, and motivate highly qualified employees, including our key employees, we may not be able to successfully manage our businesses.
Future growth of our business and revenue growth depends upon our ability to adapt to technological change and successfully introduce new and enhanced products and services.
Our operating systems and network infrastructure, could fail, become unavailable or otherwise be inadequate, are subject to significant and constantly evolving cybersecurity and other technological risks, and the security measures that we have implemented to secure obtain financingconfidential and personal information may be breached.
If our Tax Preparation business fails to process transactions effectively or fails to adequately protect against disputed or potential fraudulent activities, it could have a Material Adverse Effect, and stolen identity refund fraud could result in negative publicity and/or impede our Tax Preparation customers’ ability to timely and successfully file their tax returns and receive their tax refunds.
The specialized and highly seasonal nature of our Tax Preparation business presents financial risks and operational challenges, which, if not satisfactorily addressed, could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
The United States government’s inability to agree on a federal budget and/or its decision to issue additional Economic Impact Payments may adversely impact our operations and financial results.
If our enterprise risk management and compliance frameworks, including our policies and procedures, are not effective at acceptable terms in ordermitigating risk and loss to fundus, we could be exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risks, suffer unexpected claims or losses, experience reputational harm, and/or cause a Material Adverse Effect.
Legal and Regulatory Risks
Our Wealth Management business is subject to extensive regulation, and failure to comply with these regulations or interpretations thereof could have a Material Adverse Effect.
Government regulation of our business, including increased regulation or the purchase priceinterpretation of existing laws, rules or regulations, could have a Material Adverse Effect.
Current and future litigation, regulatory proceedings or adverse court interpretations of the HKFS Acquisition, itlaws and regulations under which the Company operates could materially adversely affecthave a Material Adverse Effect.
Complex and evolving U.S. and international laws and regulation regarding privacy and data protection and concerns about the current privacy and cybersecurity environment could have a Material Adverse Effect.
We may be negatively impacted by any future changes in tax laws.
If third parties claim that our liquidity and capital resources. Any of these factors could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations and cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
In addition, whether or not we complete the HKFS Acquisition, we have incurred, and will continue to incur, significant transaction costs in connection with the HKFS Acquisition, including payment of certain fees and expenses incurred in connection with the HKFS Acquisition. We also have incurred fees and expenses with respect to the financing of the HKFS Acquisition. Additional unanticipated costs may arise in the future. These could


materially adversely affect our results of operations in the period in which such expenses are recorded or our cash flow in the period in which any related costs are actually paid.
If we consummate the HKFS Acquisition,services infringe upon their intellectual property rights, we may face significant disruptionsbe forced to seek expensive licenses, reengineer our services, engage in expensive and other risks.time-consuming litigation, or stop marketing and licensing our services.
If it is completed, the HKFS Acquisition will involve numerous risks, including the following:Risks Related to Acquisitions
during the period until and after we consummate the HKFS Acquisition, uncertainty and disruptions may negatively impact HKFS’s relationships with its employees, its CPA partner firms and representatives, or those advisors’ and representatives’ relationships with their clients, which could harm HKFS’s financial condition and results of operations;
weWe may fail to realize all of the anticipated benefits of the HKFS Acquisition includingor those benefits may take longer to realize than expected.
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We may fail to realize all of the expected operational, revenue, and cost synergies withanticipated benefits of the 1st Global Acquisition or those benefits may take longer to realize than expected. We may also encounter significant difficulties in integrating the operations of 1st Global.
We may seek to acquire companies or assets that complement our Wealth Management and Tax Preparation businesses, and we may be unsuccessful in completing any such acquisitions on favorable terms or integrating any company acquired.
Risks Related to Our Financing Arrangements
We have incurred a significant amount of indebtedness, which may materially and adversely impact our financial condition and future financial results.
Existing cash and cash equivalents and cash generated from operations may not be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for servicing debt, working capital, and capital expenditures.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
Our stock price has been highly volatile and such volatility may continue.
Our financial results may fluctuate, which could cause our stock price to be volatile or decline.
We cannot assure you we will continue to repurchase shares of our common stock pursuant to our stock repurchase plan.
Our utilization of our federal net operating losses (“NOLs”) may be severely limited or potentially eliminated.
Delaware law and our organizational documents may impede or discourage a takeover that would be beneficial to our stockholders.
RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESSES
The current COVID-19 pandemic could have a Material Adverse Effect.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused economic instability and uncertainty in the U.S. and globally. The various precautionary measures and accommodations taken by many governmental authorities in the U.S. and around the world in order to limit the spread of COVID-19, as well as the societal response, have had, and could continue to have, an adverse effect on the U.S. and global markets and economy, including on the availability of and costs associated with employees, resources, and other aspects of the global economy. The availability of key employees may be limited because of illness, death, quarantine, or caring for family members due to COVID-19 disruptions or illness. These factors have caused, and could continue to cause, significant disruptions to our business and the level of revenueoperations and profitability growth that we are expecting;
we may face difficulties in attracting and retaining key management and employees, or we may need to attract and retain additional management resources, which could negatively impact the operations of HKFS, disrupt our ongoingfinancial professionals and increased costs and burdens associated with staffing and conducting our operations and divert ourscould also increase our risk of being subject to contract performance claims or increase the risk that our counterparties fail to perform under their respective contracts or commitments, if we or they are unable to deliver according to the terms of such contracts or commitments and HKFS’s management’s attention from ongoing operations and opportunities;
after we acquire HKFS, our management’s attention may be diverted from the daily operations of our existing businesses;
our financial results may be negatively impacted by cash expenses and non-cash charges incurred in connection with the HKFS Acquisition or in the future if goodwill or other intangible assets we acquire in the HKFS Acquisition become impaired;
notwithstanding the due diligence we performed in connection with the HKFS Acquisition, HKFS may have liabilities, losses, or other exposures (including regulatory risks) for which we do not have adequatethe ability to claim force majeure.
Our Wealth Management segment, which provides tax-focused wealth management solutions for financial professionals, tax professionals, certified public accounting firms, and their clients, primarily generates revenue through securities and insurance coverage, indemnification, orcommissions, quarterly investment advisory fees based on advisory assets, product marketing service agreements, and other protection;agreements and
we expect to incur fees. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a material negative impact on the U.S. and global economy as a whole and has caused substantial additional indebtedness to financedisruption in the HKFS Acquisition, enhancing our vulnerability to increasedU.S. and global securities and debt service requirements shouldmarkets. This economic and market disruption negatively impacted interest rates rise, reducingas well as the value of some of our clients’ assets during the first quarter of 2020, which caused a corresponding decline in the amount of expectedrevenue that we derived from these client assets. While positive financial market movement in the second, third and fourth quarters of 2020 increased advisory and brokerage asset balances, there can be no guarantee that there will not be additional economic and market disruption as a result of COVID-19 pandemic that could lead to additional decline in client assets. In addition, our client assets could also materially decline as a result of clients being forced to rely on their investments due to the macroeconomic effect of COVID-19. A decline in client assets would lead to a corresponding decline in revenue from client assets. Further,
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as a result of this economic and market disruption, we have experienced and expect that we may continue to experience a decline in commission revenue from lower trading volumes, a reduction in advisory revenue, significantly reduced cash flow available for other purposes, including capital expenditures and acquisitions, and limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reactingsweep revenue due to changes in prevailing interest rates, losses sustained from our businessescustomers’ and industries.market participants’ failure to fulfill their settlement obligations, reduced net interest earnings, and other losses. The COVID-19 pandemic has also affected the business of our financial professionals in many ways. For example, our financial professionals have not been able to meet with clients face-to-face during the pandemic, and they also had to assist clients through an extended tax season (and may have to do so again if the tax filing deadline in 2021 is extended) and in applying for loans under the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program. In addition, they have been unable to attend conferences and share ideas with other financial professionals. This sustained change in business or the loss of financial professionals who are not able to continue their business during this difficult time could lead to lower revenue and could have a Material Adverse Effect.
RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH OUR BUSINESSESOur Tax Preparation segment, which provides digital do-it-yourself tax preparation solutions for consumers, small business owners, and tax professionals, primarily generates revenue through digital tax preparation services. In March 2020, the IRS extended the deadline for specified U.S. federal income tax payments and federal income tax returns due April 15, 2020 to July 15, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This filing extension resulted in the shifting of a significant portion of Tax Preparation segment revenue that would typically have been expected to be earned in the first and second quarters of 2020 to the third quarter of 2020, as well as increased expenses. Additionally, the IRS was selected by the U.S. Congress as the vehicle for distribution of the first round of Economic Impact Payments (“EIP1”), which caused significant disruption to the 2020 tax season. As a result of the extension of the tax season and the EIP1 disruption, our results of operations for our Tax Preparation segment were negatively impacted in 2020 compared to the corresponding periods in prior years. Additionally, in December 2020, the U.S. Congress authorized a second round of Economic Impact Payments (“EIP2”). As acknowledged by the IRS, in January 2021, the IRS directed millions of EIP2 payments, including EIP2 payments payable to our customers, to incorrect bank accounts. In order to allow time to correct this error, the IRS has delayed the start of the 2021 tax season. The U.S. Congress is currently considering a third round of Economic Impact Payments (“EIP3”). Should the U.S. Congress authorize EIP3 during the 2021 tax season and should the IRS again be selected as the vehicle for distribution of EIP3, it could disrupt and/or delay the tax filing deadline for the 2021 tax season and could cause customer confusion and/or diversion. It is currently unknown if the IRS will need to extend the tax filing deadline in 2021, however the IRS has revoked its earlier commitment to end the 2021 tax season on time. This limits our ability to effectuate our plan for the 2021 tax season and plan for the next tax season, and it could also cause confusion amongst tax filers, which could result in less tax filers who use our product.

In addition, we have historically financed our operations primarily from cash provided by operating activities and access to credit markets. To the extent that COVID-19 pandemic causes a substantial reduction or change in timing of our cash provided by operating activities, we may be required to seek additional capital through issuances of debt or equity securities. We may be unable to complete any such transactions on favorable terms to us, or at all. The instruments governing our existing indebtedness require us to comply with certain restrictive covenants, and any substantial and sustained downturn in our operations due to COVID-19 or other factors may cause us to be in breach of our debt covenants or limit our ability to make interest payments on our indebtedness, which could constitute an event of default and cause our outstanding indebtedness to be declared immediately due and payable. If applicable, such acceleration of our outstanding indebtedness could cause our secured lenders to foreclose against the assets securing their borrowings, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation. Any inability to obtain additional liquidity as and when needed, or to maintain compliance with the instruments governing our indebtedness, would have a Material Adverse Effect.
Any of the foregoing factors could result in a Material Adverse Effect on our revenues, results of operations and financial condition. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new developments that may emerge concerning the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others.
The Tax Preparationwealth management and Wealth Managementtax preparation markets are very competitive, and failure to effectively compete could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
The wealth management industry in which our Wealth Management business operates is highly competitive, and we may not be able to maintain our customers, financial professionals, employees (including our in-house financial professionals), distribution network, or the terms on which we provide our products and services. Our Wealth Management business competes based on a number of factors, including name recognition, service, the quality of investment advice, performance, technology, product offerings and features, price, and perceived financial strength. We and the financial professionals with whom we work compete directly with a variety of financial
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institutions, including traditional wirehouses, independent broker-dealers, registered investment advisers (including CPA firms that have their own in-house registered investment advisor), asset managers, banks and insurance companies, direct distributors, and larger broker-dealers. Many of these competitors have greater market share, offer a broader range of products, and have greater financial resources. We have faced significant competition in recent years from lower fees, which could have a material impact on our business. There has also been a trend toward online internet wealth management services and wealth management services that are based on mobile applications or automated processes as clients increasingly seek to manage their investment portfolios digitally. This is leading to increased utilization of “robo” advisor platforms. In addition, over time, certain sectors of the wealth management industry have become considerably more concentrated, as financial institutions involved in a broad range of financial services have been acquired by or merged into other firms. This consolidation could result in our competitors gaining greater resources, and we may experience pressures on our pricing and market share as a result of these factors and as some of our competitors seek to increase market share by reducing prices. In addition, our Wealth Management business seeks to differentiate itself on the basis of offering tax-focused investing advice and solutions. There is no guarantee that this differentiation will be meaningful to our clients and potential clients, or that another competitor will not adopt a similar strategy more effectively. In either case, our ability to compete effectively in the wealth management industry could be damaged.
Our Tax Preparation business also operates in a very competitive marketplace. There are many competing software products and digital services. Intuit’s TurboTax and H&R Block’s DDIY products and services haveserve a significant percentage of the software and digital service market. These competitors may have greater financial, technological, and marketing resources, broader infrastructure and distribution networks, greater brand recognition, and broader product and service offerings than us. Our Tax Preparation business must also compete with alternate methods of tax preparation, such as storefront tax preparation services, which include both local tax preparers and large chains such as H&R Block, Liberty Tax and Jackson Hewitt, and itHewitt. We may also be subject tocompete against new market entrants who maycould take somea portion of our market share. As digital-do-it-yourselfDDIY tax preparation continues to be characterized by intense competition, including heavy marketing expenditures, price-based competition, and new entrants, maintaining and growing market share becomes more challenging unless brand relevance, customer experience, and feature/functionality provide meaningful incremental value. If we cannot continue to offer software and services that have quality and ease-of-use that are compelling to consumers, market the software and services in a cost-effective manner, offer ancillary services that are attractive to users, and develop the software and services at a low enough cost to be able to offer them at a competitive price point, it could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
The IRS’s errors in disbursing the EIP2 payments and its subsequent disparate treatment of our Tax Preparation business in connection with the EIP2 payments as compared to certain competitors may also negatively impact our relationships with our customers or our reputation, which may adversely impact our ability to attract or retain Tax Preparation customers. As acknowledged by the IRS, in January 2021, the IRS directed millions of EIP2 payments, including EIP2 payments payable to our customers, to incorrect bank accounts associated with tax preparation software providers. As instructed by the IRS, our bank partner returned the funds to the IRS immediately. Days after the return of funds by many financial institutions, the IRS permitted the financial institutions that had not yet returned the money to the IRS to re-distribute the funds to taxpayers if they were in possession of the accurate banking information. Because their financial partners had not complied with the IRS direction to return funds, certain TaxAct competitors were able to begin distributing stimulus payments to their customers. The negative consumer sentiment arising from the above-described IRS actions may lead some TaxAct customers to move to other tax software providers, and we are unable to estimate the potential impact on our business at this time. Should similar IRS errors and/or similar disparate treatment occur in connection with EIP3 payments, it could have an adverse impact on our Tax Preparation business.
Our Tax Preparation business also faces potential competition from the public sector, where we face the risk of federal and state taxing authorities developing software or other systems to facilitate tax return preparation and electronic filing at no charge to taxpayers, which could reduce the need for TaxAct’s software and services. These or similar programs may be introduced or expanded in the future, which may cause us to lose customers and revenue. The Free File Program is currently the sole means by which the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”)IRS offers tax software to taxpayers. The Free File Program is a partnership between the IRS and the Free File Alliance, a group of private sector tax preparation companies of which we are a member that has agreed to offer free electronic tax filing services to taxpayers meeting certain income-based guidelines. The Free File Program’s continuation depends on a number of factors, including increasing public awareness of and access to the free program, as well as continued government support. The IRS’s current agreement with the Free File Alliance is


scheduled to expire in October 2021, although it could be amended or terminated before that date. Recently, we and certain of our competitors have become the subject of legal proceedings and/or regulatory inquiries relating to the provision and marketing of the products that they offer
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under the Free File Program. These proceedings and/or the negative publicity associated with these proceedings may decrease the government’s or industry membermembers’ support of the Free File Program, and increase the likelihood that such program is terminated. If the IRS enters the software development and return preparation space, whether as a result of the Free File Program not being renewed upon expiration of the agreement, the Free File Program being amended or terminated, or for another reason, then the federal government would be a publicly funded direct competitor of us and the U.S. tax services industry as a whole.
In addition, from time to time, U.S. federal and state governments have considered various proposals, including mandating that we and our competitors refer qualifying customers to the Free File Program and governmental taxing authorities utilizing taxpayer information provided by employers, financial institutions, and other payers to “pre-populate,” prepare and calculate tax returns and distribute them to taxpayers. Under this “pre-populate” approach, the taxpayer could then review and contest the return or sign and return it, reducing the need for third-party tax return preparation services and the demand for our services and products, which could result in a Material Adverse Effect. We believe that governmental encroachment at both the U.S. federal and state levels in which we operate could present a continued competitive threat to our Tax Preparation business for the foreseeable future.
The wealth management industry in which our Wealth Management business operates is also highly competitive, and we may not be able to maintain our customers, financial advisors, distribution network, or the terms on which we provide our products and services. Our Wealth Management business competes based on a number of factors, including name recognition, service, the quality of investment advice, performance, technology, product offerings and features, price, and perceived financial strength. Competitors in the wealth management industry include broker-dealers, banks, asset managers, insurers, and other financial institutions. Many of these competitors have greater market share, offer a broader range of products, and have greater financial resources. We have faced significant competition in recent years from lower fees, which could have a material impact on our business. There has also been a trend toward online internet wealth management services and wealth management services that are based on mobile applications or automated processes as clients increasingly seek to manage their investment portfolios digitally. This is leading to increased utilization of “robo” advisor platforms. In addition, over time, certain sectors of the wealth management industry have become considerably more concentrated, as financial institutions involved in a broad range of financial services have been acquired by or merged into other firms. This consolidation could result in our competitors gaining greater resources, and we may experience pressures on our pricing and market share as a result of these factors and as some of our competitors seek to increase market share by reducing prices. In addition, our Wealth Management business seeks to differentiate itself on the basis of offering tax-smart investing advice and solutions. There is no guarantee that this differentiation will be meaningful to our clients and potential clients, or that another competitor will not adopt a similar strategy more effectively. In either case, our ability to compete effectively in the wealth management industry could be damaged.

Deficiencies in service or performance of the financial or software products we offer, competitive pressures on pricing of such services or products, or other market declines may cause our Wealth Management and Tax Preparation businesses to decline.
Customer service and performance are important factors in the success of our Wealth Management business, while customer service, ease-of-use, and product performance and accuracy are important factors in the success of our Tax Preparation business. Strong customer service and product performance help increase customer retention and generate sales of products and services. In contrast, poor service or poor performance of our financial or software products could impair our revenues and earnings, as well as our prospects for growth. In our Wealth Management business, clients can terminate their relationships with us or our financial advisorsprofessionals at will, and in our Tax Preparation business, deficiencies in our service or product performance could lead customers to choose a competitor’s product or services. There can be no assurance as to how future performance of financial or software products will compare to that of our competitors, and, in the context of financial investment products, historical performance is not indicative of future returns. Particularly, for the Wealth Management business, a decline or perceived decline in performance, on an absolute or relative basis, could cause a decline in sales of mutual funds and other investment products, an increase in redemptions and the termination of asset management relationships. Such actions may reduce our aggregate amount of advisory assets and reduce management fees. Poor performance could also adversely affect our ability to expand the distribution of our products through independent financial advisors.


professionals.
In addition, the emergence of new financial or software products or services from others, or competitive pressures on pricing of such services or products, may result in the (i) loss of clients or accounts in our Wealth Management business and (ii) loss of customers in our Tax Preparation business. We must also monitor the pricing of our services and financial and software products in relation to competitors and periodically may need to adjust costs and fee structures to remain competitive.
For the Wealth Management business, competition from other financial services firms, such as reduced commissions to attract clients or trading volume, direct-to-investor online financial services, or higher deposit interest rates to attract customer cash balances, or increased recruiting bonuses to attract financial professionals, could adversely impact our business. Clients of our Wealth Management business could also reduce the aggregate amount of their assets managed by us or shift their funds to other types of accounts with different rate structures for any number of reasons, including performance, changes in prevailing interest rates, changes in investment preferences, changes in our (or our financial advisors’professionals’) reputation in the marketplace, changes in customer management or ownership, loss of key investment management personnel and financial market performance. Our clients (or clients of our advisors)financial professionals) can withdraw the assets we manage on short notice, making our future customer and revenue base unpredictable. A reduction in advisory assets and the resulting decrease in revenues and earnings could have a Material Adverse Effect. Moreover, investors in the mutual funds and some other pooled investment vehicles that we advise may redeem their investments in those funds at any time without prior notice, and investors in other types of pooled vehicles we advise may typically redeem their investments with fairly limited or no prior notice, thereby reducing our advisory assets. These investors may redeem their investments for any number of reasons, including general financial market conditions, the absolute or relative performance we have achieved, or their own financial condition and requirements. In a declining stock market, the pace of redemptions could accelerate. Poor performance relative to other funds tends to result in decreased purchases and increased
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redemptions of fund shares. In a declining stock market, the pace of redemptions could accelerate, resulting in a decline in our advisory assets, which could negatively impact our fee revenues and result in a Material Adverse Effect.
For the Tax Preparation business, competition from other tax preparation service providers, such a free or reduced fee products to attract customers, could adversely affect our business. Customers of our Tax Preparation business could also select another tax preparation service or software for any number of reasons, including other competitors offering additional rewards and/or bundled or unbundled products and services that we do not currently offer, providing services or software that may provide higher levels of interaction or service, be easier to use, faster, or lower cost. A reduction in the number of customers and the resulting decrease in revenues and earnings could have a Material Adverse Effect.

Our business depends on fees generated from the distribution of financial products and fees earned from management of advisory accounts.accounts, and changes in market values or in the fee structure of such products or accounts could adversely affect our revenues, business, and financial condition.
A large portion of our revenues are derived from fees generated from the distribution of financial products, such as mutual funds and variable annuities. Changes in the structure or amount of the fees paid by the sponsors of these products could directly affect our revenues, business, and financial condition. In addition, if these products experience losses or increased investor redemptions, we may receive lower fee revenue from the investment management and distribution services we provide on behalf of the mutual funds and annuities. Should issuers of these products leave the market or discontinue offering or paying trail compensation on some or all of their products, our revenues could be negatively impacted. The investment management fees we are paid may also decline over time due to factors such as increased competition, renegotiation of contracts and the introduction of new, lower-priced investment products and services. Changes in market values or in the fee structure of asset management accounts wouldcould adversely affect our revenues, business, and financial condition.
Asset management fees often are primarily comprised of base management and incentive fees, and investment advisorsadvisers generally are experiencing advisory fee compression due to intense competition. Management fees are primarily based on advisory assets, which are impacted by net inflow/outflow of customer assets and market values. Below-market performance by our funds and portfolio managers could result in a loss of managed accounts and could result in reputational damage that might make it more difficult to attract new customers and thus further impact our business and financial condition. If we were to experience the loss of managed accounts, our fee revenue would decline. In addition, as the total amount of our advisory assets increases as a percentage of our total client assets, our results of operations may become substantially more dependent on revenue generated from management fees. In periods of declining market values, our advisory assets may also decline, which would negatively impact our fee revenues. In addition, this risk would become further exacerbated the more dependent our business becomes on revenues from management fees, and our ability to effectively offset declining


management fee revenue through commission-based revenues may be limited. Any of the foregoing could result in a Material Adverse Effect.

If we are unable to attract and retain productive financial professionals, including our in-house financial professionals and our independent contractor financial professionals, our financial results will be negatively impacted.
Our Wealth Management business derives a large portion of its revenues from commissions and fees generated by its financial professionals, including our in-house financial professionals. Our ability to attract and retain productive independent contractor and in-house financial professionals has contributed significantly to our growth and success. If we fail to attract new financial professionals or to retain and motivate our financial professionals, our business may suffer.
The market for productive financial professionals is highly competitive, and we devote significant resources to attracting and retaining the most qualified financial professionals. In attracting and retaining financial professionals, we compete directly with a variety of financial institutions such as wirehouses, regional broker-dealers, banks, insurance companies, and other independent broker-dealers. Financial industry competitors are increasingly offering guaranteed contracts, upfront payments, and greater compensation to attract successful financial professionals. These can be important factors in a current financial professional’s decision to leave us as well as in a prospective financial professional’s decision to join us, and we may not be able to offer competing packages to successfully recruit financial professionals. We also have experienced and may continue to experience difficulty retaining financial professionals following a material acquisition or as a result of pricing or product changes. We also
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have entered, and may in the future enter, into agreements with Avantax Wealth Management financial professionals whereby we acquire their financial services business and, following the consummation of the transaction, we serve their clients through our in-house financial professionals. We might not be successful in consummating these transactions; we may not realize the anticipated benefits from the transactions that we do consummate; and we could lose clients who may be unhappy with these acquisitions following their completion. If any of our in-house financial professionals leave us, clients that worked with such in-house financial professionals may be unhappy and terminate their relationships with us. In addition, our Wealth Management business has recently gone through a series of rebranding initiatives. Our financial professionals may be unhappy with the new branding or with various aspects of the rebranding process and may decide to leave us. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in our efforts to attract and retain the financial professionals needed to achieve our growth objectives.
Moreover, the costs associated with successfully attracting and retaining financial professionals could be significant, and there is no assurance that we will generate sufficient revenues from those financial professionals’ business to offset such costs. Designing and implementing new or modified compensation arrangements and equity structures to successfully attract and retain financial professionals is complicated. Changes to these arrangements could themselves cause instability within our existing investment teams and negatively impact our financial results and ability to grow. In addition, our compensation arrangements with our financial professionals are primarily based on client transaction and/or client asset levels, which we believe incentivizes appropriate financial professional performance and assists in attracting and retaining successful financial professionals. Our cost of revenue (which includes commissions and advisory fees paid to financial professionals) may fluctuate from quarter-to-quarter depending on the amount of commissions we are required to pay to our financial professionals, and if the amounts we are required to pay are different than our expectations, our operating results may be adversely impacted.
We have in the past issued and may in the future issue shares of common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of common stock to our financial professionals in order to attract and retain such individuals. In connection with the 1st Global Acquisition, we issued a substantial number of equity awards to our financial professionals and may do so for any future acquisitions. The issuance of additional shares of our common stock upon vesting or conversion of these awards may substantially dilute the ownership interests of our existing stockholders and reduce the number of shares of common stock available for issuance under our equity incentive plans.
In addition, the wealth management industry in general is experiencing a decline in the number of younger financial professionals entering the industry. We are not immune to that industry trend. If we are unable to replace financial professionals as they retire, or to assist retiring financial professionals with transitioning their practices to existing financial professionals, we could experience a decline in revenue and earnings.
In addition, as some of our financial professionals grow their advisory assets, they may decide to disassociate from us to establish their own RIAs and take customers and associated assets into those businesses. We seek to deter financial professionals from taking this route by continuously evaluating our technology, product offerings, and service, as well as our financial professional compensation, fees, and pay-out policies, to ensure that we are competitive in the market and attractive to successful financial professionals. We may not be successful in dissuading such financial professionals from forming their own RIAs, which could cause a material volume of customer assets to leave our platform, which would reduce our revenues and could cause a Material Adverse Effect. We also have entered, and may in the future enter, into agreements with Avantax Wealth Management financial professionals to induce them to join our Avantax Planning Partners’ in-house team of financial professionals. We might not be successful in consummating these transactions, and we may not realize the anticipated benefits from the transactions that we do consummate.
Changes in economic, political and other factors could have a Material Adverse Effect on our business.
Our Wealth Management business operates in the United States with broad exposure to the global financial markets, and our Tax Preparation business offers tax filing services in the federal jurisdiction of the United States and various state jurisdictions. Accordingly, we are affected by United States and global economic and political conditions that directly and indirectly impact a number of factors in the domestic and global financial markets and economies, which may be detrimental to our operating results. In addition, as a result of the SimpleTax sale in September 2019, all of our revenue is now earned within the United States, and therefore, economic conditions in the United States have an even greater impact on us than companies with an international presence.
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Domestic and international factors that could affect our business include, but are not limited to, trading levels, investing, origination activity in the securities markets, security and underlying asset valuations, the absolute and relative level and volatility of interest and currency rates, real estate values, the actual and perceived quality of issuers and borrowers, the supply of and demand for loans and deposits, United States and foreign government fiscal and tax policies, United States and foreign government ability, real or perceived, to avoid defaulting on government securities, inflation, decline and stress or recession in the United States and global economies generally, terrorism and armed conflicts, the impact of the United Kingdom’s pending exit from the European Union, and natural disasters such as weather catastrophes and widespread health emergencies.emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, changes in consumer economic variables, such as the number and size of personal bankruptcy filings, the rate of unemployment, decreases in property values, certain life events, and the level of consumer confidence and consumer debt, may substantially affect consumer loan levels and credit quality.
In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a material negative impact on the U.S. and global economy as a whole, especially during the first quarter of 2020, and has caused substantial disruption in the U.S. and global securities and debt markets. While the United States and global financial markets have, at a macro level, recently experienced growth,increased stability in the second, third and fourth quarters of 2020, uncertainty and potential volatility remain. For instance, during August 2019, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged nearly 800 points during a single day before recovering over the following weeks. A period of sustained downturns and/or volatility in the securities markets, changes in interest rates by the Federal Reserve, a return to increased credit market dislocations, reductions in the value of real estate, and other negative market factors could have a Material Adverse Effect on our business. We could experience a decline in commission revenue from lower trading volumes, a decline in fees from reduced portfolio values of securities managed on behalf of our customers, a reduction in revenue from capital markets and advisory transactions due to reduced activity, increased credit provisions and charge-offs, losses sustained from our customers’ and market participants’ failure to fulfill their settlement obligations, reduced net interest earnings, and other losses. Periods of reduced revenue and other losses could be accompanied by periods of reduced profitability because certain of our expenses, including, but not limited to, our interest expense on debt, rent, facilities and salary expenses are fixed and, our ability to reduce them over short time periods is limited.
Other more specific trends may also affect our financial condition and results of operations, including, for example, changes in the mix of products preferred by investors that may cause increases or decreases in our fee revenues associated with such products, depending on whether investors gravitate towards or away from such products. The timing of such trends, if any, and their potential impact on our financial condition and results of operations are beyond our control.
Challenging economic times and changes to the Federal or various states’ tax code (personal and/or corporate) could cause potential new customers not to purchase or to delay purchasing of our products and services, and could cause our existing customers to discontinue purchasing or delay upgrades of our existing products and services, thereby negatively impacting our revenues and future financial results. Poor economic conditions and high unemployment have caused, and could in the future cause, a significant decrease in the number of tax returns filed, which may have a significant effect on the number of tax returns we prepare and file. In addition, weakness in the end-user consumer and small business markets could negatively affect the cash flow of our distributors and resellers who could, in turn, delay paying their obligations to us, which could increase our credit risk exposure and cause delays in our recognition of revenue or future sales to these customers. The issuance of additional Economic Impact Payments via the IRS could disrupt the tax season and cause customer confusion, which could have an impact on our financial results. Any of these events could have a Material Adverse Effect. See “We may be negatively impacted by any future changes in tax laws” for a discussion of additional risks related to changes in the tax code.


Each of these factors could impact customer activity in all of our businesses and have a Material Adverse Effect. In addition, these factors may have an impact on our ability to achieve our strategic objectives and to grow our business.

If we are unable to develop, manage, and maintain critical third-party business relationships for our Tax Preparation and Wealth Management businesses, it could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
Our Tax Preparation and Wealth Management businesses are dependent on the strength of our business relationships and our ability to continue to develop, maintain, and leverage new and existing relationships. We rely on various third-party partners, including software and service providers, suppliers, vendors, distributors, contractors, financial institutions, and licensing partners, among others, in many areas of these businesses to deliver our services and products. In certain instances, the products or services provided through these third-party relationships may be difficult to replace or substitute, depending on the level of integration of the third party’s
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products or services into, or with, our offerings and/or the general availability of such third party’s products and services. In addition, there may be few or no alternative third-party providers or vendors in the market. The failure of third parties to provide acceptable and high-quality products, services, and technologies or to update their products, services, and technologies may result in a disruption to our business operations, which may materially reduce our revenues and profits, cause us to lose customers, and damage our reputation. Alternative arrangements and services may not be available to us on commercially reasonable terms or we may experience business interruptions upon a transition to an alternative partner.
Our Wealth Management business does not offer any proprietary financial products. Instead, it provides wealth, investment and insurance products through distribution agreements with third-party financial institutions, including banks, mutual funds, and insurance companies. These products are sold by our advisors, whofinancial professionals, most of which are independent contractors. Maintaining and deepening relationships with these unaffiliated distributors and advisorsfinancial professionals is an important part of our growth strategy because strong third-party distribution arrangements enhance our ability to market our products and increase our advisory assets, revenues, and profitability. There can be no assurance that the distribution and advisorfinancial professional relationships we have established will continue, or that they will continue under existing or favorable terms. Our distribution partners and advisorsfinancial professionals may cease to operate, consolidate, institute cost-cutting efforts, discontinue product sales or compensation streams, or otherwise terminate their relationship with us. Any such reduction in access to third-party distributors and advisorsfinancial professionals may have a material adverse effectMaterial Adverse Effect on our ability to market our products and to generate revenue in our Wealth Management segment. In addition, there are risks associated with our third-party clearing and custody firm that we rely on to provide clearing and custody services for our Wealth Management business.
Access to investment and insurance product distribution channels is subject to intense competition due to the large number of competitors and products in the broker-dealer, investment advisory and insurance industries. Relationships with distributors are subject to periodic negotiation that may result in increased distribution costs and/or reductions in the amount of revenue we realize based on sales of particular products or customer assets. In addition, regulatory changes may negatively impact our revenues and profits related to particular products or services. Any increase in the costs to distribute our products or reduction in the type or amount of products made available for sale, or revenue associated with those products, could have a Material Adverse Effect.

The products and services offered by our Wealth Management and Tax Preparation businesses are reliant on products, tools, platforms, systems and services provided by key vendors and partners, including in the case of our Wealth Management business, third-party CPA firms and financial advisors.professionals. If these third-party products, tools, platforms, systems and services do not operate as anticipated, our ability to conduct and grow our operations and execute our business strategy could be materially harmed and we could incur harm to our business and reputation, as well as potentially significant costs to improve or replace such products and services.
Our business is reliant upon various providers of financial, accounting, technology, marketing, and business products, tools, platforms, systems and services that we use to conduct operations relating to our Wealth Management and Tax Preparation businesses. In our Wealth Management business, these key relationships include, among others, our network of financial advisorsprofessionals and CPA partner firms, the provider of our clearing platform, and the provider our investment advisory platform, each of which we rely on to conduct many business activities and transactions with clients, advisors,financial professionals, vendors and other third parties.


The products, tools, platforms, systems and services provided by key vendors and partners have required, and may continue to require, significant operational, technological, and logistical efforts from our advisors,financial professionals, employees and contractors in order to effectively implement and integrate into our operations. We expect to continue to acclimate our current and future employees, advisorsfinancial professionals and clients to these third party’s technology, product offerings, processes, procedures, workflows and capabilities from time to time. The technology, service and product offerings of other key vendors and partners may not be accepted by key stakeholders, customers or clients at the levels we anticipate, and may not provide the level of benefits that we expect even if accepted.
If a significant number of our key stakeholders, including advisors,financial professionals, customers, or clients, are or become dissatisfied by the different products, tools, platforms, systems and services, including related technology, processes, policies and products, that our key vendors and partners offer and they leave, use a competitor’s product or services, or seek contractual terms with us that are less favorable to our business, it could have a Material Adverse Effect.

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If we are unable to attract and retain productive advisors, our financial results will be negatively impacted.
Our Wealth Management business derives a large portionTable of its revenues from commissions and fees generated by its advisors. Our ability to attract and retain productive advisors has contributed significantly to our growth and success. If we fail to attract new advisors or to retain and motivate our advisors, our business may suffer.
The market for productive advisors is highly competitive, and we devote significant resources to attracting and retaining the most qualified advisors. In attracting and retaining advisors, we compete directly with a variety of financial institutions such as wirehouses, regional broker-dealers, banks, insurance companies, and other independent broker-dealers. Financial industry competitors are increasingly offering guaranteed contracts, upfront payments, and greater compensation to attract successful financial advisors. These can be important factors in a current advisor’s decision to leave us as well as in a prospective advisor’s decision to join us. We may also experience difficulty retaining advisors following a material acquisition as our advisors may not like the products or services we offer as a combined company, may not like our compensation structure, or may not like the combined business. In addition, we recently rebranded our Wealth Management business to Avantax Wealth Management. Our advisors may be unhappy with the new branding or with various aspects of the rebranding process and may decide to leave us. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in our efforts to attract and retain the advisors needed to achieve our growth objectives.
Moreover, the costs associated with successfully attracting and retaining advisors could be significant, and there is no assurance that we will generate sufficient revenues from those advisors’ business to offset such costs. Designing and implementing new or modified compensation arrangements and equity structures to successfully attract and retain advisors is complicated. Changes to these arrangements could themselves cause instability within our existing investment teams and negatively impact our financial results and ability to grow. In addition, our compensation arrangements with our financial advisors are primarily commission-based, which we believe incentivizes appropriate advisor performance and assists in attracting and retaining successful advisors. Our cost of revenue (which includes commissions paid to advisors) may fluctuate from quarter-to-quarter depending on the amount of commissions we are required to pay to our financial advisors, and if the amounts we are required to pay are different than our expectations, our operating results may be adversely impacted.
We have in the past issued and may in the future issue shares of common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of common stock to our advisors in order to attract and retain such individuals. In connection with the 1st Global Acquisition, we issued a substantial number of equity awards to our advisors and may do so for any future acquisitions, including in connection with the HKFS Acquisition after closing. The issuance of additional shares of our common stock upon vesting or conversion of these awards may substantially dilute the ownership interests of our existing stockholders and reduce the number of shares of common stock available for issuance under our equity incentive plans.
In addition, the wealth management industry in general is experiencing a decline in the number of younger financial advisors entering the industry. We are not immune to that industry trend. If we are unable to replace advisors as they retire, or to assist retiring advisors with transitioning their practices to existing advisors, we could experience a decline in revenue and earnings.


In addition, as some of our advisors grow their advisory assets, they may decide to disassociate from us to establish their own registered investment advisors (“RIAs”) and take customers and associated assets into those businesses. We seek to deter advisors from taking this route by continuously evaluating our technology, product offerings, and service, as well as our advisor compensation, fees, and pay-out policies, to ensure that we are competitive in the market and attractive to successful advisors. We may not be successful in dissuading such advisors from forming their own RIAs, which could cause a material volume of customer assets to leave our platform, which would reduce our revenues and could cause a Material Adverse EffectContents
We may fail to realize all of the anticipated benefits of the 1st Global Acquisition or those benefits may take longer to realize than expected. We may also encounter significant difficulties in integrating the operations of 1st Global.
Our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the 1st Global Acquisition will depend, to a large extent, on our ability to integrate 1st Global’s business with ours, which, has been, and will continue to be, a complex, costly and time-consuming process. As a result, we have been devoting and will continue to devote significant management attention and resources to integrate our business practices and operations with those of 1st Global. The integration process may disrupt our business and, if implemented ineffectively, could restrict the realization of the full expected benefits of the 1st Global Acquisition. The failure to meet the challenges involved in the integration process and to realize the anticipated benefits of the 1st Global Acquisition could cause an interruption of, or a loss of momentum in, our operations and could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
In addition, the integration of 1st Global’s business may result in material unanticipated problems, expenses, liabilities, competitive responses, and loss of advisors, customers, and other business relationships, which could be material. Additional integration challenges could include:
diversion of management’s and our employees’ attention to integration matters;
higher than anticipated integration costs and difficulties in achieving anticipated cost savings, synergies, business opportunities, and growth prospects from the 1st Global Acquisition;
difficulties in the integration of operations and systems, including the use of our clearing platform;
difficulties in conforming standards, controls, procedures and accounting and other policies, business cultures and compensation structures;
difficulties in keeping advisors and clients;
difficulties in managing the expanded operations of a significantly larger and more complex company; and
the impact of potential liabilities inherited from 1st Global, including potential liability related to a regulatory inquiry. See “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 3” for additional information.
Furthermore, as a result of the integration of 1st Global, we may also receive greater regulatory scrutiny and could incur additional supervisory, training and compliance costs. Many of these factors will be outside of our control and any one of them could result in increased costs, decreases in the amount of expected revenues and diversion of management’s time and energy, which could result in a Material Adverse Effect and result in us becoming subject to additional legal proceedings.
Even if 1st Global’s business is integrated successfully, the full anticipated benefits of the 1st Global Acquisition may not be realized, including the synergies, cost savings or sales or growth opportunities that are anticipated. These benefits may not be achieved within the anticipated time frame. Further, additional unanticipated costs may be incurred in the integration process. All of these factors could cause reductions in our earnings per share, decrease or delay the expected accretive effect of the 1st Global Acquisition and negatively impact the price of shares of our common stock. As a result, it cannot be assured that the 1st Global Acquisition will result in the realization of the full anticipated benefits and potential synergies.

If our goodwill or other intangible assets become impaired, we have been, and in the future may be, required to record a significant impairment charge, which could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
We are required to test goodwill and other intangible assets for impairment at least annually or more frequently if there are indicators that the carrying amount of our goodwill and other intangible assets, which consist primarily of our advisor,financial professional, customer, and sponsor relationships, our technology and our trade names, exceed their carriedfair value. For these impairment tests, we use various valuation methods to estimate the fair value of our goodwill and intangible assets. If the fair value of an asset is less than its carrying value, we would recognize an impairment charge for the difference. As of December 31, 2019,2020, we had recorded a total of $662.4$454.8 million of goodwill and $290.2$322.2 million of other intangible


assets. assets on our consolidated balance sheet. For the year ended December 31, 2019,2020, in connection with the Rebranding,Wealth Management reporting unit, we recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $50.9$270.6 million, as discussed further in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 6.5.
It is possible that we could have additional impairment charges for goodwill or other intangible assets in future periods if, among other things, (i) overall economic conditions in current or future years decline, (ii) business conditions or our strategies for a specific business unit or our trade names change from our current strategies or assumptions, or (iii) we suffer from an event that impacts our reputation or brand.brand, or (iv) we experience significant unfavorable changes in our forecasted revenue, expenses, cash flows, weighted average cost of capital, and/or market valuation multiples. If we divest or discontinue businesses or products that we previously acquired or if the value of those parts of our business become impaired, we also may need to evaluate the carrying value of our goodwill. Any such charges could negatively impact our operating results and could cause a Material Adverse Effect.

Our deferred tax assets may not be realized.
 We regularly review our deferred tax asset for recoverability and establish a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that some portion or all of a deferred tax asset will not be realized.  Our projections of future taxable income required to fully realize the recorded amount of the gross deferred tax asset reflect numerous assumptions about our operating businesses and investments and are subject to change as conditions change specific to our business units, investments or general economic conditions. Changes that are adverse to us could result in the need to increase the deferred tax asset valuation allowance resulting in a charge to results of operations and a decrease to stockholders’ equity.
 At December 31, 2019, we evaluated the need for a valuation allowance for certain deferred tax assets based upon our assessment of whether it is more likely than not that we will generate sufficient future taxable income necessary to realize the deferred tax benefits. We maintain a valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets that are capital in nature to the extent that it is more likely than not that the related deferred tax benefit will not be realized. We also have a deferred tax asset related to the net operating losses (“NOLs”) that we believe is more likely than not to expire before utilization. In 2019, we released $56.9 million of the valuation allowance because we believe this portion of NOLs is more likely than not to be realized. If we determine that is more likely than not than any some or all of our loss carryforwards will not be realized, or if we experience a reduction to our future earnings, which will lower taxable income, we may be required to record a charge against earnings in the form of a valuation allowance. For additional discussion on deferred tax assets, see “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 16” and “Our utilization of our federal NOLs may be severely limited or potentially eliminated.”

Our business depends on our strong reputation and the value of our brands, which could be negatively impacted by poor performance, and any new brands or rebranding of existing brands require substantial time and expense to establish awareness and acceptance.
Developing and maintaining awareness of our brands is critical to achieving widespread acceptance of our existing and future products and services and is an important element in attracting new customers. Adverse publicity (whether or not justified) relating to regulatory proceedings or other events or activities attributed to our businesses, our employees, our vendors, or our partners may tarnish our reputation and reduce the value of our brands. Damage to our reputation and loss of brand equity may reduce demand or awareness for our products and services and have a material adverse effect on our future financial results. These damages or reductions in value also would require additional resources to rebuild our reputation and restore the value of the brands.
Additionally, the development of new brands, or rebranding of existing brands (including the Rebranding), require substantial time, management and employee focus, and expenses relating to strategic development, marketing and technology in order to develop awareness and acceptance, which may not result in the realization of the anticipated benefits.
Rapid growth may place significant demands on our resources.
We have experienced rapid growth since the completion of our Strategic Transformation, including as a result of the 1st Global Acquisition. Our historical growth has, and our anticipated future growth will, place a substantial demand on our managerial, operational, and financial resources due to:
the need to manage relationships with various strategic partners and other third parties;
the need to maintain levels of service expected by clients and customers;


the creation, implementation, consolidation, or conversion of technological infrastructure, platforms, products and service offerings;
the pressure to deliver our products and services on a timely basis;
difficulties in hiring and retaining skilled personnel necessary to support our business;
increased costs and capacity constraints in connection with providing office space for our employee population;
the integration of acquired businesses and organic business, customer and revenue growth strategies and initiatives;
pressures for the continued development of our products and financial and information management systems; and
the possible need to create lines of businesses or departments that do not now exist, and to hire, train, motivate, and manage a growing number of staff.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to effectively achieve or manage any future growth. If we have not made adequate allowances for the costs and risks associated with this expansion or if our systems, procedures, or controls are not adequate to support our operations, our business could be harmed and we could experience a Material Adverse Effect.

Government regulation of our business, including increased regulation or the interpretation of existing laws, rules or regulations, could have a Material Adverse Effect.
We are subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations that affect our business, such as financial services, data privacy, and security requirements, tax, digital content, employment, consumer protection, and fraud protection, among others. In addition, there have been significant new regulations and heightened focus by the government on many of the laws and regulations that affect both our Wealth Management and our Tax Preparation businesses. As we expand our products and services and revise our business models, we may become subject to additional government regulation or increased regulatory scrutiny. Regulators may adopt new laws or regulations, or their interpretation of existing laws or regulations may differ from our interpretation or the laws of other jurisdictions in which we operate. If we are found to not be in compliance with certain laws, rules or regulations, it could have a Material Adverse Effect. Increased or new regulatory requirements or changes in the interpretation of existing laws, rules or regulations could, among other things, result in penalties, fines and disgorgement, impose significant limitations on the way we conduct our business, require changes to our business, require certain notifications to customers or employees, restrict our use of personal information, cause our customers to cease utilizing our products or services, make our business more costly, less efficient, or impossible to conduct, require us to modify our current or future products or services in a manner that is detrimental to our business and result in additional compliance costs, which could have a Material Adverse Effect.
The tax preparation industry continues to receive heightened attention from federal and state governments. New legislation, regulation, public policy considerations, changes in the cybersecurity environment, litigation by the government or private entities, or new interpretations of existing laws may result in greater oversight of the tax preparation industry, restrict the types of products and services that we can offer or the prices we can charge, or otherwise cause us to change the way we operate our Tax Preparation business or offer our tax preparation products and services. We may not be able to respond quickly to such regulatory, legislative, and other developments, and these changes may in turn increase our cost of doing business and limit our revenue opportunities. In addition, if our practices are not consistent with new interpretations of existing laws, rules, or regulations, we may become subject to lawsuits, penalties, fines, and other liabilities that did not previously apply. We are also required to comply with Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) requirements and a variety of state revenue agency standards. Requirements imposed by the FTC or state agencies, including new requirements or their interpretation of existing laws, rules, or regulations, could be burdensome on our business, cause us to lose market share due to product changes we are required to implement, or may significantly increase the costs of providing those services to our customers and may prevent us from delivering a quality product to our customers in a timely manner and at an acceptable price, all of which could have a Material Adverse Effect. In addition, in our Tax Preparation business, we generate revenue from certain financial products related to our tax preparation software and services. These products include prepaid debit cards on which a tax filer may receive his or her tax refund and the ability of certain of our users to have the fees for our services deducted from their tax refund. Any regulation of these products by state or federal governments, or any competing products offered by state and federal tax collection agencies, could materially and adversely impact our revenue from these financial products.


In addition, we are subject to laws, regulations, and industry rules relating to the collection, use, and security of user data. We expect regulation in this area to increase, and our current data protection policies and practices may not be sufficient and thus may require modification. Numerous jurisdictions have passed, and may in the future pass, new laws related to the use and retention of consumer information, and this area continues to be an area of interest for U.S. federal, state, and foreign governmental authorities. These laws may be interpreted and applied inconsistently from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and our current data protection policies and practices may not be consistent with all of those interpretations and applications. We have incurred, and may continue to incur, significant expenses to comply with privacy and security standards and protocols imposed by law, regulation, industry standards, and contractual obligations. Failure to comply with laws and regulations that protect user data could harm our reputation and could result in a Material Adverse Effect. See “Complex and evolving U.S. and international laws and regulation regarding privacy and data protection could result in claims, changes to our business practices, penalties, increased cost of operations or otherwise harm our business, and concerns about the current privacy and cybersecurity environment, generally, could deter current and potential customers from adopting our products and services and damage our reputation” for additional information regarding data privacy regulations.
Our ability to comply with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations and interpretations of such laws, rules, and regulations is largely dependent on our establishment and maintenance of compliance, audit, and reporting systems and procedures, as well as our ability to attract and retain qualified compliance, audit, and risk management personnel. While we have adopted systems, policies, and procedures reasonably designed to comply or facilitate compliance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations and interpretations of such laws, rules, and regulations, these systems, policies, and procedures may not be fully effective. There can be no assurance that we will not be subject to investigations, claims, or other actions or proceedings by regulators or third parties with respect to our past or future compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations, the outcome of which may have a Material Adverse Effect.
If we fail to comply with applicable laws, rules, regulations and guidance, such failure could have a Material Adverse Effect. See “Our Wealth Management business is subject to extensive regulation, and failure to comply with these regulations or interpretations thereof could have a Material Adverse Effect” for additional information regarding the regulation of our business.

Our Wealth Management business is subject to extensive regulation, and failure to comply with these regulations or interpretations thereof could have a Material Adverse Effect.
Our Wealth Management business is subject to enhanced regulatory scrutiny and is heavily regulated by multiple agencies, including the SEC, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), state securities and insurance regulators, and other regulatory authorities. Failure to comply with these regulators’ laws, rules, and regulations could result in the restriction of the ongoing conduct or growth, or even liquidation of, parts of our business and otherwise cause a Material Adverse Effect. In addition, regulators may adopt new laws or regulations, or their interpretation of existing laws or regulations may differ from our interpretation of the laws or regulations that are applicable to our business. Regulators may also take enforcement actions based on their interpretation of the law that could require or prompt us to change our business practices, increase our costs, including resulting in fines, penalties and disgorgement, or reduce our revenue, any of which could cause a Material Adverse Effect.
The regulatory environment in which our Wealth Management business operates is continually evolving, and the level of financial regulation to which we are subject has generally increased in recent years. Among the most significant regulatory changes affecting our Wealth Management business is the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), which mandates broad changes in the supervision and regulations of the wealth management industry. Regulators implementing the Dodd-Frank Act have adopted, proposed to adopt, and may in the future adopt regulations that could impact the manner in which we will market products and services in our Wealth Management business, manage our Wealth Management business operations, and interact with regulators. In addition, the Trump Administration has initiated and in some cases completed a broad review of U.S. fiscal laws and regulations. If significant changes are enacted as a result of this review, they could negatively impact our Wealth Management business and cause a Material Adverse Effect.
On June 5, 2019, the SEC adopted Regulation Best Interest (“Reg. BI”), elevating the standard of care for broker-dealers from the current “suitability” requirement to a “best interest” standard when making a recommendation of any securities transaction to a retail customer. The “best interest” standard requires a broker-dealer to make recommendations without putting its financial interests ahead of the interests of a retail customer and imposes certain disclosure and policy and procedural obligations. The SEC also adopted Form CRS


Relationship Summary (“Form CRS”), which requires RIAs and broker-dealers to deliver to retail investors a succinct, plain English summary about the relationship and services provided by the firm and the required standard of conduct associated with the relationship and services. In connection with adopting Reg. BI, the SEC added new record-making and record-keeping rules. The compliance date for Reg. BI and the related rules is June 30, 2020.
In addition, Reg. BI prohibits a broker-dealer and its associated persons from using the term “adviser” or “advisor” if the broker-dealer is not an RIA or the associated person is not a supervised person of an RIA. This prohibition requires us to change the titles of certain of our advisors, which could lead to confusion or distraction of both management and/or advisor time and attention.
Reg. BI’s new standards of conduct and other requirements that heighten the duties of broker-dealers and investment advisors could result in additional supervisory, compliance and training costs and burdens, lesser compensation, and management distraction, and the required disclosure and policy and procedural obligations could impact the compensation our Wealth Management business and its representatives receive for selling certain types of products, particularly those that offer different compensation across different share classes (such as mutual funds and variable annuities), all of which could have a Material Adverse Effect on our business. Because our brokerage business comprises a significant portion of our business, our failure to successfully conform to these standards could negatively impact our results.
Legislatures and securities regulators in certain states in which we do business have enacted (or have considered enacting) their own standard of conduct rules for broker-dealers, insurance agents, and investment advisors. The requirements and scope of these state rules are not uniform. Accordingly, we may have to adopt different policies and procedures in different states, which could create added compliance, supervision, training and sales costs for our Wealth Management business. Should more states enact similar legislation or regulation, it could result in material additional compliance costs and could have a Material Adverse Effect.
Our Wealth Management business distributes its products and services through financial advisors who affiliate with us as independent contractors. 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, or at least challenge, the classification of our financial advisors as independent contractors. Although we believe we have properly classified our advisors as independent contractors, the IRS or other U.S. federal or state authorities or similar authorities may determine that we have misclassified our advisors as independent contractors for employment tax or other purposes and, as a result, seek additional taxes from us or attempt to impose fines and penalties, which could have a Material Adverse Effect on our business model, financial condition, and results of operations.
In addition, the SEC and FINRA have extensive rules and regulations with respect to capital requirements. As a registered broker-dealer, our Wealth Management business is subject to Rule 15c3-1 (the “Net Capital Rule”) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and related requirements of self-regulatory organizations, which specify minimum capital requirements that are intended to ensure the general soundness and liquidity of broker-dealers. As a result of the Net Capital Rule, our ability to withdraw capital from our subsidiaries that comprise our Wealth Management business could be restricted, which in turn could limit our ability to repay debt, redeem or purchase shares of our outstanding stock, or pay dividends, which could have a Material Adverse Effect. A large operating loss or charge against net capital could adversely affect our ability to expand or even maintain our present levels of business.
Our Wealth Management business offers products sponsored by third parties, including, but not limited to, mutual funds, insurance, annuities, and alternative investments. These products are subject to complex regulations that change frequently. Although we have controls in place to facilitate compliance with such regulations, there can be no assurance that our interpretation of the regulations will be consistent with various regulators’ interpretations, that our procedures will be viewed as adequate by regulatory examiners, or that the operating subsidiaries will be deemed to be in compliance with regulatory requirements in all material respects. If products sold by our Wealth Management business do not perform as anticipated due to market factors or otherwise, or if product sponsors become insolvent or are otherwise unable to meet their obligations, this could result in material litigation and regulatory action against us. In addition, we could face liabilities for actual or alleged breaches of legal duties to customers with respect to the suitability of the financial products we make available in our open architecture product platform or the investment advice of our financial advisors.


See “Government regulation of our business, including increased regulation or the interpretation of existing laws, rules or regulations, could have a Material Adverse Effect” for additional information regarding the regulation of our business.
Current and future litigation, regulatory proceedings or adverse court interpretations of the laws and regulations under which the Company operates could have a Material Adverse Effect.
Many aspects of our business involve substantial risks of liability and regulatory oversight. We are currently subject to certain legal and regulatory proceedings and are likely to be subject to such proceedings in the future. In highly volatile markets, the volume of claims and amount of damages sought in litigation and regulatory proceedings against financial institutions have historically increased. Any proceedings to which we are subject, such as regulatory proceedings (including investigations or inquiries), purported class actions, shareholder derivative lawsuits, or claims by wealth management clients, could result in substantial expenditures, generate adverse publicity and could significantly impair our business, or force us to change our business practices. Involvement in any regulatory proceeding or the defense of any lawsuit, even if successful, could require substantial time and attention of our management and could require the expenditure of significant amounts for legal fees and other related costs. In addition, litigation or regulatory proceedings (including those brought by state or federal agencies) relating to our business practices may result in additional costs, such as fines, penalties and disgorgement, or otherwise restrict or limit our business practices, including the offering of certain of our products or services. To the extent that any such additional costs are incurred, or restrictions implemented that limit or restrict certain business practices, it could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
Further, as required by GAAP, we estimate loss contingencies and establish reserves based on our assessment of contingencies where liability is deemed probable and reasonably estimable in light of the facts and circumstances known to us at a particular point in time. Subsequent developments in legal or regulatory proceedings may affect our assessment and estimates of the loss contingency recorded as a liability or as a reserve against assets in our financial statements. See “Item 3. Legal Proceedings” along with “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 11.” Because litigation, regulatory proceedings, and other disputes are inherently unpredictable, the results of any of these matters may have a Material Adverse Effect.
We have had recent senior leadership transitions, and if we are not effective in managing those transitions, our business could be adversely impacted and we could experience a Material Adverse Effect.
We have had recent senior leadership transitions and have replaced some of our executive officers and senior leadership team. While many of our executive officers have relevant industry experience, theymany are new to our Company. Changes in senior management are inherently disruptive and can be difficult to manage, and efforts to implement any new strategic or operating goals may not succeed in the absence of a long-term management team. Periods of transition in senior management are often difficult due to cultural differences that may result from changes in strategy and style and the time required for new executives to gain detailed operational knowledge. These changes could also cause concerns to regulatory bodies, ratings agencies and third parties with whom we do business, and may increase the likelihood of turnover of our employees and, in the case of our Wealth Management business, turnover of advisors.financial professionals. Additionally, senior leadership transitions have resulted, and in the future may result, in significant transition costs. If we are not effective in managing these leadership and employee transitions, our business could be adversely impacted, and we could experience a Material Adverse Effect.

If we are unable to hire, retain, and motivate highly qualified employees, including our key employees, we may not be able to successfully manage our businesses.
Our business and operations are substantially dependent on the performance of our key employees and our future success depends on our ability to identify, attract, hire, retain, and motivate highly skilled management, technical, sales and marketing, and corporate development personnel, including personnel with experience and expertise in the wealth management, tax preparation, and technology industries to support our new strategic focus.industries. Qualified personnel with experience relevant to our businesses are scarce, and competition to recruit them is intense. Changes of management or key employees may disrupt operations, and if we lose the services of one or more key employees, including potential losses of key employees due to COVID-19 disruptions, illness, or death and are unable to recruit and retain a suitable successor with relevant experience or if we fail to successfully hire, retain and manage a sufficient number of highly qualified employees, we may have difficulties in timely managing, supporting or expanding our businesses which may materially and adversely affect our business and financial results or delay achievement of our business objectives.could cause a Material Adverse Effect. Realignments of resources, reductions in workforce, or other operational decisions have created and could continue to create an unstable work


environment and may have a negative effect on our ability to hire, retain, and motivate employees. There can be no assurance that any retention program we initiate will be successful at retaining employees, including key employees.
We use stock options, restricted stock units, and other equity-based awards, along with cash-based bonus programs, to recruit and retain senior-level employees and advisors.financial professionals. With respect to those employees or advisorsfinancial professionals to whom we issue such equity-based awards, we face a significant challenge in retaining them if the value of equity-based awards in the aggregate or individually is either not deemed by the employee or advisorfinancial professional to be substantial enough or deemed so substantial that the employee or advisor financial professional
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leaves after their equity-based awards vest. If the value of equity-based awards granted to our stock price does not increase significantly above the exercise prices of our options,key employees declines, we may need to revisit our compensation programbe unsuccessful in order to motivate and retainretaining our key employees and advisors.financial professionals. We may undertake or seek stockholder approval to undertake other equity-based programs to retain key personnel, which may be viewed as dilutive to our existing stockholders or may increase our compensation costs. There can be no assurance that any such programs, if approved by our stockholders, or any other incentive programs, would be successful in motivating and retaining our employees.

Future growth of our business and revenue growth depends upon our ability to adapt to technological change and successfully introduce new and enhanced products and services.
The tax preparation and wealth management industries are characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry and security standards, and frequent new product introductions. Our competitors in these industries offer new and enhanced products and services every year. Consequently, customer expectations are constantly changing. We must successfully innovate and develop or offer new products and features to meet evolving customer needs and demands, while continually updating our technology infrastructure. We must devote significant resources to developing our skills, tools, and capabilities in order to capitalize on existing and emerging technologies. Our inability to quickly and effectively innovate our products, services, and infrastructure could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
We offer our digital tax preparation products and services through our website and through our mobile application.applications. If our customers do not deem our website or our mobile applicationapplications user friendly or if they deem our competitors’ websites or mobile applications more user friendly or better than ours, our market share could decline, which could have a Material Adverse Effect. In addition, we regularly make upgrades to the technology we use for our tax preparation products, and these upgrades are expected to provide a better user experience and help us to keep existing customers or attract new customers. If our mobile applicationapplications or the other upgrades we make to the technology we use in our Tax Preparation business are not successful, it could result in wasted development costs or damage to our brands and market share, any of which could have a Material Adverse Effect. We may also encounter problems in connection with our mobile application, and we may need to devote significant resources to the creation, support, and maintenance of new user experiences.

Our operating systems and network infrastructure, including our website, transaction management software, data center systems, or the systems of third-party co-location facilities and cloud service providers, could fail, become unavailable or otherwise be inadequate, are subject to significant and constantly evolving cybersecurity and other technological risks, and the security measures that we have implemented to secure confidential and personal information may be breached. A potential breach or any unavailability, inadequacy or failure of our operating systems and network infrastructure may pose risks to the uninterrupted operation of our systems, expose us to mitigation costs, litigation, investigation, fines and penalties by authorities, claims by third parties (including persons whose information was disclosed), damage to our reputation, and/or result in a material loss of revenues and current or potential customers and have a Material Adverse Effect.
Our Tax Preparation and Wealth Management businesses collect, use, and retain large amounts of confidential personal and financial information from their customers. Maintaining the integrity of our systems and networks is critical to the success of our business operations, including the retention of our customers and advisors,financial professionals, and to the protection of our proprietary information and our customers’ personal information. A major breach or failure of our systems or those of our third-party service providers or partners may have materially negative consequences for our businesses, including possible fines, penalties and damages, reduced demand for our services, harm to our reputation and brands, further regulation and oversight by federal or state agencies, and loss of our ability to provide financial transaction services or accept and process customer credit card orders or tax returns.


We may detect, or we may receive notices from customers, service providers or public or private agencies that they have detected, vulnerabilities or current or potential failures in our operating systems, network infrastructure, or our software. The existence of vulnerabilities, even if they do not result in a security breach or system failure, may harm customer confidence and require substantial resources to address, and we may not be able to discover or remediate such vulnerabilities, breaches, or failures. Additionally, any system interruptions that result in the unavailability or unreliability of our websites, transaction processing systems, or network infrastructure could materially reduce our revenue and impair our ability to properly process transactions. Any system unavailability or unreliability may cause unanticipated system disruptions, slower response times, degradation in customer satisfaction, additional expense, or delays in reporting accurate financial information.
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In addition, hackers may develop and deploy viruses, worms, and other malicious software programs that can be used to attack our or our third-party service providers’ operating systems and network infrastructure. Although we utilize network and application security measures, internal controls, and physical security procedures to safeguard suchour systems, there can be no assurance that a security breach, intrusion, or loss or theft of personal information will not occur. Any such incident could cause a Material Adverse Effect and require us to expend significant resources to address these problems, including notification under data privacy regulations. In addition, our employees (including temporary and seasonal employees) and contractors may have access to sensitive and personal information of our customers and employees. While we conduct background checks on our employees and contractors and limit access to systems and data, it is possible that one or more of these individuals may circumvent these controls, resulting in a security breach. It is also possible that unauthorized access to or disclosure of customer data may occur due to inadequate use of security controls by our customers. Unauthorized persons could gain access to customer accounts if customers do not maintain effective access controls of their systems and software.
While we maintain cyber liability insurance that provides both third-party liability and first-party liability coverages, this insurance is subject to exclusions and may not be sufficient to protect us against all losses. In addition, the trend toward broad consumer and general public notification of such incidents could exacerbate the harm to our business, financial condition, or results of operations. Even if we successfully protect our technology infrastructure and the confidentiality of sensitive data, we may incur significant expenses in connection with our responses to any such attacks as well as the adoption, implementation, and maintenance of appropriate security measures. We could also suffer harm to our business and reputation if attempted security breaches are publicized. We cannot be certain that advances in criminal capabilities, discovery of new vulnerabilities, attempts to exploit vulnerabilities in our systems, data thefts, physical system or network break-ins, inappropriate access, or other developments will not compromise or breach the technology or other security measures protecting the networks and systems used in connection with our businesses.
We rely on third-party vendors to host and store certain of our sensitive and personal information and data through co-location facilities and cloud services. We may not have the ability to effectively monitor or oversee the implementation of the security and control measures utilized by our third-party partners, and, in any event, individuals or third parties may be able to circumvent and/or exploit vulnerabilities that may exist in these security and business controls, resulting in a loss of sensitive and personal customer or employee information and data. Additionally, our systems, operations, data centers and cloud services, and those of our third-party service providers and partners, could be susceptible to damage or disruption, including in cases of fire, flood, earthquakes, other natural disasters, power loss, telecommunications failure, internet breakdown, break-in, human error, software bugs, hardware failures, malicious attacks, computer viruses, computer denial of service attacks, terrorist attacks, or other events beyond our control. Such damage or disruption may affect internal and external systems that we rely upon to provide our services, take and fulfill customer orders, handle customer service requests, and host other products and services.
During the period in which any of our services or products are unavailable, we could be unable or severely limited in our ability to generate revenues, and we may also be exposed to liability from those third parties to whom we provide such services or products. We could face significant losses as a result of these events, and our business interruption insurance may not be adequate to compensate us for all potential losses, which could result in a Material Adverse Effect. Our Tax Preparation and Wealth Management businesses have business continuity plans that include secondary disaster recovery centers, but if their primary data centers fail and those disaster recovery centers do not fully restore the failed environments, our business could suffer. In particular, if such interruption occurs during the tax season, it could have a Material Adverse Effect on our Tax Preparation business.

If our Tax Preparation business fails to process transactions effectively or fails to adequately protect against disputed or potential fraudulent activities, it could have a Material Adverse Effect, and stolen identity refund fraud could result in negative publicity and/or impede our Tax Preparation customers’ ability to timely and successfully file their tax returns and receive their tax refunds.

Our Tax Preparation business processes a significant volume and dollar value of transactions on a daily basis, particularly during tax season. Due to the size and volume of transactions that we handle, effective processing systems and controls are essential to ensure that transactions are handled appropriately. Despite our efforts, it is possible that we may make errors or that fraudulent activity may affect our services. In addition to any direct damages and fines that may result from any such problems, which may be substantial, a loss of confidence in our controls may materially harm our business and damage our brand. The systems supporting our Tax Preparation business are comprised of multiple technology platforms, some of which are difficult to scale. If we are unable to

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effectively manage our systems and processes, we may be unable to process customer data in an accurate, reliable, and timely manner, which could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
Additionally, criminals may utilize stolen information obtained through hacking, phishing, and other means of identity theft in order to electronically file fraudulent federal and state tax returns. As a result, impacted taxpayers must complete additional forms and go through additional steps in order to report to appropriate authorities that their identities have been stolen and their tax returns were filed fraudulently. Though we offer assistance in the refund recovery process, any stolen identity refund fraud could impede our Tax Preparation customers’ ability to timely and successfully file their tax returns and receive their tax refunds, and could diminish customers’ perceptions of the security and reliability of our tax preparation products and services, resulting in negative publicity, despite there having been no breach in the security of our systems. Moreover, if stolen identity refund fraud is perpetrated at a material level through our tax preparation products or services, state, federal, or foreign tax authorities may refuse to allow us to continue to process our customers’ tax returns electronically. Notably, federal, state, and foreign governmental authorities in jurisdictions in which we operate have taken action, and may take action in the future, in an attempt to combat stolen identity refund fraud, which may require changes to our systems and business practices in ways we cannot anticipate. As a result, stolen identity fraud, or any increased governmental regulation relating to our systems and business practices to attempt to combat that fraud, could result in a Material Adverse Effect on our Tax Preparation business.
The specialized and highly seasonal nature of our Tax Preparation business presents financial risks and operational challenges, which, if not satisfactorily addressed, could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
Our Tax Preparation business is highly seasonal, with a significant portion of our annual revenue for such services typically earned in the first four months of our fiscal year. The concentration of our revenue-generating activity during this relatively short period presents a number of challenges for us, including cash and resource management during the last eight months of our fiscal year, when our Tax Preparation business generally operates at a loss and incurs fixed costs of preparing for the upcoming tax season, responding to changes in competitive conditions, including marketing, pricing, and new product offerings, which could affect our position during the tax season, and ensuring optimal uninterrupted operations and service delivery during the tax season. If we experience significant business disruptions during the tax season or if we are unable to satisfactorily address the challenges described above and related challenges associated with a seasonal business, it could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
Additionally, due to this seasonality of our Tax Preparation business, a precise development and release schedule is required, and our tax preparation software and online service must be ready to launch in final form near the beginning of each calendar year to take advantage of the full tax season. We must update the code for our software and service on schedule each year to account for annual changes in tax laws and regulations and ensure that the software and service are accurate. Delayed and unpredictable changes to federal and state tax laws and regulations can cause an already tight development cycle to become even more challenging. If we are unable to meet this precise schedule and we launch our software and service late, we risk losing customers to our competitors. If we cannot develop our software with a high degree of accuracy and quality, we risk errors in the tax returns that are generated. Any delays, issues with accuracy or quality, or other errors could result in loss of reputation, lower customer retention, or legal claims, fees, and payouts related to the warranty on our software and service, which could result in a Material Adverse Effect on our Tax Preparation business.
See “The current COVID-19 pandemic could have a Material Adverse Effect.” for additional information regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the seasonal nature of our Tax Preparation business.
The United States government’s inability to agree on a federal budget, and/or its decision to issue additional Economic Impact Payments, may adversely impact our operations and financial results.
In the past, the failure of the United States government to timely complete its budget process has resulted in shutdowns of the federal government. During these shutdowns, certain regulatory agencies, such as the IRS and the United States Department of the Treasury, have had to furlough critical employees and cease certain critical activities.
During a prolonged government shutdown, the ability of the IRS to timely review and process tax return filings may be significantly delayed, and representatives of the IRS may be unable to answer crucial taxpayer questions. Even after the shutdown has ended, the IRS may be significantly delayed in processing tax return filings as a result
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of accumulating a backlog of filings during the shutdown. These may be further exacerbated in years where there are significant changes to existing tax legislation.
The issuance of additional Economic Impact Payments via the IRS could disrupt the tax season and cause customer confusion or diversion.
Any uncertainty surrounding the ability of the IRS to process tax return filings and Economic Impact Payments and respond to taxpayer questions could cause our customers not to purchase or to delay purchasing our products and services, thereby negatively impacting our revenues and future financial results, which could result in a Material Adverse Effect on our Tax Preparation business.
If our enterprise risk management and compliance frameworks, including our policies and procedures, are not effective at mitigating risk and loss to us, we could be exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risks, suffer unexpected claims or losses, experience reputational harm, and/or cause a Material Adverse Effect.
Our enterprise risk management framework seeks to achieve an appropriate balance between risk and return, which is critical to optimizing stockholder value. We have established processes and procedures intended to identify, measure, monitor, report, analyze and control the types of risk to which we are subject. These risks include liquidity risk, credit risk, market risk, interest rate risk, operational risk, legal and compliance risk, and reputational risk, among others.
We also maintain a compliance program designed to identify, measure, assess, and report on adherence to applicable laws, policies and procedures to which we and our employees, contractors and financial professionals may be subject. While we seek to assess and improve our programs and policies on an ongoing basis, there can be no assurance that our risk management or compliance programs and policies, along with other related controls, will effectively limit claims or losses and mitigate all risk in our business. As with any risk management or compliance framework, there are inherent limitations to our risk management strategies and certain risks may exist, or develop in the future, that we have not appropriately anticipated or identified, particularly relating to conduct that is difficult to detect and deter. If these frameworks, including the internal controls and other risk-mitigating factors we employ, are not successful in identifying, monitoring and managing risks, we may be subject to the risks of errors and misconduct by our employees, contractors, financial professionals and other parties with whom we conduct business, such as fraud, non-compliance with policies, rules or regulations, recommending transactions that are not suitable, and improperly using or disclosing confidential information. We are further subject to the risk of nonperformance or inadequate performance of contractual obligations by third-party vendors of products and services that are used in our businesses. Management of operational, legal and regulatory risks requires, among other things, policies and procedures to record properly and verify a large number of transactions and events, and these policies and procedures may not be fully effective in mitigating our risk exposure in all market environments or against all types of risk. Insurance and other traditional risk-shifting tools may be held by or available to us in order to manage certain exposures, but they are subject to terms such as deductibles, coinsurance, limits and policy exclusions, as well as the risk of counterparty denial of coverage, default or insolvency. If our risk management and compliance framework prove ineffective, we could suffer unexpected claims or losses, experience reputational harm, and/or cause a Material Adverse Effect.
In our Wealth Management business, prevention and detection of wrongdoing or fraud by our financial professionals, many of which are not our employees and tend to be located remotely from our headquarters, present unique challenges. There cannot be any assurance that misconduct by our financial professionals will not lead to a Material Adverse Effect on our business. RIAs have fiduciary obligations that require us and our financial professionals to act in the best interests of our customers and to disclose any material conflicts of interest. Conflicts of interest are under growing scrutiny by U.S. federal and state regulators. Our risk management processes include addressing potential conflicts of interest that arise in our business. Management of potential conflicts of interest has become increasingly complex. A perceived or actual failure to address conflicts of interest adequately could affect our reputation, the willingness of customers to transact business with us or give rise to litigation or regulatory actions, any of which could have a Material Adverse Effect.




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LEGAL AND REGULATORY RISKS
Our Wealth Management business is subject to extensive regulation, and failure to comply with these regulations or interpretations thereof could have a Material Adverse Effect.
Our Wealth Management business is subject to enhanced regulatory scrutiny and is heavily regulated by multiple agencies, including the SEC, FINRA, state securities and insurance regulators, and other regulatory authorities. Failure to comply with these regulators’ laws, rules, and regulations could result in the restriction of the ongoing conduct or growth, or even liquidation of, parts of our business and otherwise cause a Material Adverse Effect. In addition, regulators may adopt new laws, rules or regulations, or their interpretation of existing laws, rules or regulations may differ from our interpretation of the laws, rules or regulations that are applicable to our business. Regulators may undertake certain initiatives or reviews of our business and may also pursue enforcement actions against us based on their initiatives or their interpretation of the laws, rules or regulations that could require or prompt us to change our business practices, increase our costs, including resulting in significant fines, penalties and disgorgement, reduce our revenue, or cause reputational harm, any of which could cause a Material Adverse Effect.
The regulatory environment in which our Wealth Management business operates is continually evolving, and the level of financial regulation to which we are subject has generally increased in recent years. Regulators have adopted, proposed to adopt, and may in the future adopt regulations that could impact the manner in which we will market products and services in our Wealth Management business, manage our Wealth Management business operations, and interact with regulators. The new Biden administration may undertake a broad review of U.S. fiscal laws and regulations. If significant changes are enacted as a result of this review, such changes could negatively impact our Wealth Management business and cause a Material Adverse Effect.
On June 5, 2019, the SEC adopted Reg. BI, elevating the standard or care for broker-dealers from the current “suitability” requirement to a “best interest” standard when making a recommendation of any securities transaction to a retail customer. The “best interest” standard requires a broker-dealer to make recommendations without putting its financial interests ahead of the interests of a retail customer and imposes certain disclosure and policy and procedural obligations. The SEC also adopted Form CRS, which requires RIAs and broker-dealers to deliver to retail investors a succinct, plain English summary about the relationship and services provided by the firm and the required standard of conduct associated with the relationship and services. In connection with adopting Reg. BI, the SEC added new record-making and record-keeping rules.
The compliance date for Reg. BI and its related rules was June 30, 2020. On April 7, 2020, the SEC stated that for initial examinations of Reg. BI and Form CRS, the SEC would focus on assessing whether broker-dealers have made a good faith effort to implement policies and procedures reasonably designed to comply with Reg. BI and Form CRS. Subsequently, on December 21, 2020, the SEC stated that in January 2021, it will be expanding the scope of Reg. BI and Form CRS examinations to focus on the specific requirements of Reg. BI, including those that go beyond suitability standards and require broker-dealers to have a reasonable basis to believe that recommendations are in retail customers’ best interests, as well as whether broker-dealers have effectively implemented written policies and procedures addressing Reg. BI and Form CRS. Although we believe we have taken steps to comply with Reg. BI and Form CRS, we are continuing to implement policies and procedures reasonably designed to comply with Reg. BI and Form CRS. If the SEC does not believe we have sufficiently complied or if we fail to continue to comply with the requirements of Reg. BI and Form CRS, we could be subject to fines or regulatory actions that result in a Material Adverse Effect on our business or financial condition. Because our brokerage business comprises a significant portion of our business, our failure to successfully conform to these standards could negatively impact our results.
Reg. BI’s new standards of conduct and other requirements that heighten the duties of broker-dealers and financial professionals have resulted in, and may continue to cause, additional supervisory, compliance, and training costs and burdens, as well as management and financial professional distraction. The additional obligations of the rule could also impact the compensation our Wealth Management business and our financial professionals receive for selling certain types of products, particularly those that offer different compensation across different share classes (such as mutual funds and variable annuities), all of which could have a Material Adverse Effect on our business. In addition, Reg. BI prohibits a broker-dealer and its associated persons from using the term “adviser” or “advisor” if the associated person is not an investment advisor representative of an RIA. This prohibition has required us to change the titles of certain of our advisors to “financial professionals,” which could lead to confusion regarding the appropriate use of the term.
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Legislatures and securities regulators in certain states in which we do business have enacted (or have considered enacting) their own standard of conduct rules for broker-dealers, insurance agents, and investment advisers. The requirements and scope of these state rules are not uniform. Accordingly, we may have to adopt different policies and procedures in different states, which could create added compliance, supervision, training and sales costs for our Wealth Management business. Should more states enact similar legislation or regulations, it could result in material additional compliance costs and could have a Material Adverse Effect.
Avantax Wealth Management distributes its products and services through financial professionals who affiliate with us as independent contractors. 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, or at least challenge, the classification of certain of our financial professionals as independent contractors. Although we believe we have properly classified certain of our financial professionals as independent contractors, the IRS or other U.S. federal or state authorities or similar authorities may determine that we have misclassified certain of our financial professionals as independent contractors for employment tax or other purposes and, as a result, seek additional taxes from us or attempt to impose fines and penalties, which could have a Material Adverse Effect on our business model, financial condition, and results of operations.
In addition, the SEC and FINRA have extensive rules and regulations with respect to capital requirements. As a registered broker-dealer, our Wealth Management business is subject to Rule 15c3-1 (the “Net Capital Rule”) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and related requirements of self-regulatory organizations, which specify minimum capital requirements that are intended to ensure the general soundness and liquidity of broker-dealers. As a result of the Net Capital Rule, our ability to withdraw capital from our subsidiaries that comprise our Wealth Management business could be restricted, which in turn could limit our ability to repay debt, redeem or purchase shares of our outstanding stock, or pay dividends, which could have a Material Adverse Effect. A large operating loss or charge against net capital could adversely affect our ability to expand or even maintain our present levels of business.
Our Wealth Management business offers products sponsored by third parties, including, but not limited to, mutual funds, insurance, annuities, and alternative investments. These products are subject to complex laws, rules and regulations that change frequently. Although we have controls in place to facilitate compliance with such laws, rules and regulations, there can be no assurance that our interpretation of the regulations will be consistent with various regulators’ interpretations, that our procedures will be viewed as adequate by regulatory examiners, or that the operating subsidiaries will be deemed to be in compliance with regulatory requirements in all material respects. If products sold by our Wealth Management business do not perform as anticipated due to market factors or otherwise, or if product sponsors become insolvent or are otherwise unable to meet their obligations, this could result in material litigation and regulatory action against us. In addition, we could face liabilities for actual or alleged breaches of legal duties to customers with respect to the suitability of the financial products we make available in our open architecture product platform or the investment advice of our financial professionals.
In addition, the risks we face with respect to complying with regulatory requirements for our Wealth Management business may be exacerbated by the effects of COVID-19, particularly with respect to risks associated with our ability to comply with new regulations. Given the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is difficult for us to predict how it will continue to impact our business and our ability to adopt new policies, procedures, and training programs and employ the personnel necessary to ensure compliance with new regulations.
Government regulation of our business, including increased regulation or the interpretation of existing laws, rules or regulations, could have a Material Adverse Effect.
We are subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations that affect our business, such as financial services, data privacy, and security requirements, tax, digital content, employment, consumer protection, and fraud protection, among others. In addition, there have been significant new regulations and heightened focus by the government on many of the laws and regulations that affect both our Wealth Management and our Tax Preparation businesses. As we expand our products and services and revise our business models, we may become subject to additional government regulation or increased regulatory scrutiny. Regulators may adopt new laws or regulations, or their interpretation of existing laws or regulations may differ from our interpretation or the laws of other jurisdictions in which we operate. If we are found to not be in compliance with certain laws, rules or regulations, it could have a Material Adverse Effect. Increased or new regulatory requirements or changes in the interpretation of existing laws, rules or regulations could, among other things, result in penalties, fines and disgorgement, impose significant limitations on the way we conduct our business, require changes to our business, require certain notifications to customers or employees, restrict our use of personal information, cause our customers to cease utilizing our
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products or services, make our business more costly, less efficient, or impossible to conduct, require us to modify our current or future products or services in a manner that is detrimental to our business and result in additional compliance costs, which could have a Material Adverse Effect.
The tax preparation industry continues to receive heightened attention from federal and state governments. New legislation, regulation, public policy considerations, changes in the cybersecurity environment, litigation by the government or private entities, or new interpretations of existing laws may result in greater oversight of the tax preparation industry, restrict the types of products and services that we can offer or the prices we can charge, or otherwise cause us to change the way we operate our Tax Preparation business or offer our tax preparation products and services. We may not be able to respond quickly to such regulatory, legislative, and other developments, and these changes may in turn increase our cost of doing business and limit our revenue opportunities. In addition, if our practices are not consistent with new interpretations of existing laws, rules, or regulations, we may become subject to lawsuits, penalties, fines, and other liabilities that did not previously apply. We are also required to comply with Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) requirements and a variety of state revenue agency standards. Requirements imposed by the FTC or state agencies, including new requirements or their interpretation of existing laws, rules, or regulations, could be burdensome on our business, cause us to lose market share due to product changes we are required to implement, or may significantly increase the costs of providing those services to our customers and may prevent us from delivering a quality product to our customers in a timely manner and at an acceptable price, all of which could have a Material Adverse Effect. In addition, in our Tax Preparation business, we generate revenue from certain financial products related to our tax preparation software and services. These products include prepaid debit cards on which a tax filer may receive his or her tax refund and the ability of certain of our users to have the fees for our services deducted from their tax refund. Any regulation of these products by state or federal governments, or any competing products offered by state and federal tax collection agencies, could materially and adversely impact our revenue from these financial products.
Our ability to comply with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations and interpretations of such laws, rules, and regulations is largely dependent on our establishment and maintenance of compliance, audit, and reporting systems and procedures, as well as our ability to attract and retain qualified compliance, audit, and risk management personnel. While we have adopted systems, policies, and procedures reasonably designed to comply or facilitate compliance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations and interpretations of such laws, rules, and regulations, these systems, policies, and procedures may not be fully effective. There can be no assurance that we will not be subject to investigations, claims, or other actions or proceedings by regulators or third parties with respect to our past or future compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations, the outcome of which may have a Material Adverse Effect.
If we fail to comply with applicable laws, rules, regulations and guidance, such failure could have a Material Adverse Effect.
Current and future litigation, regulatory proceedings or adverse court interpretations of the laws and regulations under which the Company operates could have a Material Adverse Effect.
Many aspects of our business involve substantial risks of liability and regulatory oversight. We are currently subject to certain legal and regulatory proceedings and are likely to be subject to such proceedings in the future. In highly volatile markets, the volume of claims and amount of damages sought in litigation and regulatory proceedings against financial institutions have historically increased. Any proceedings to which we are subject, such as regulatory proceedings (including investigations or inquiries), purported class actions, shareholder derivative lawsuits, or claims by wealth management clients, could result in substantial expenditures, generate adverse publicity and could significantly impair our business, or force us to change our business practices. Involvement in any regulatory proceeding or the defense of any lawsuit, even if successful, could require substantial time and attention of our management and could require the expenditure of significant amounts for legal fees, insurance costs, and other related costs. In addition, litigation or regulatory proceedings (including those brought by state or federal agencies) relating to our business practices may result in additional costs, such as fines, penalties and disgorgement, or otherwise restrict or limit our business practices, including the offering of certain of our products or services. To the extent that any such additional costs are incurred, or restrictions implemented that limit or restrict certain business practices, it could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
Further, as required by GAAP, we estimate loss contingencies and establish reserves based on our assessment of contingencies where liability is deemed probable and reasonably estimable in light of the facts and circumstances known to us at a particular point in time. Subsequent developments in legal or regulatory proceedings may affect our assessment and estimates of the loss contingency recorded as a liability or as a reserve
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against assets in our financial statements. See “Item 3. Legal Proceedings” along with “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 10.” Because litigation, regulatory proceedings, and other disputes are inherently unpredictable, the results of any of these matters may have a Material Adverse Effect.
Complex and evolving U.S. and international laws and regulation regarding privacy and data protection could result in claims, changes to our business practices, penalties, increased cost of operations or otherwise harm our business, and concerns about the current privacy and cybersecurity environment, generally, could deter current and potential customers from adopting our products and services and damage our reputation.
Regulation related to the provision of online services is evolving as federal, state, and foreign governments continue to adopt new, or modify existing, laws and regulations addressing data privacy and the collection, processing, storage, transfer, and use of data. This includes, for example, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, which became effective on May 25, 2018, and the California Consumer Protection Act of 2018, which became effective on January 1, 2020.2020, the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020, which expands upon the California Consumer Protection Act and was passed in November 2020, and the New York Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security (SHIELD) Act. If we are unable to engineer products that meet these evolving requirements or help our customers meet their obligations under these or other new data regulations, we might experience reduced demand for our offerings. Further, penalties for non-compliance with these laws may be significant.
Other governmental authorities throughout the U.S. and around the world are considering similar types of legislative and regulatory proposals concerning data protection. Each of these privacy, security, and data protection laws and regulations could impose significant limitations, require changes to our business, require notification to customers or workers of a security breach, restrict our use or storage of personal information, or cause changes in customer purchasing behavior, which may make our business more costly, less efficient or impossible to conduct, and may require us to modify our current or future products or services, which may make customers less likely to purchase our products and may harm our future financial results. Additionally, any actual or alleged noncompliance with these laws and regulations could result in negative publicity and subject us to investigations, claims, or other remedies, including demands that we modify or cease existing business practices, and expose us to significant fines, penalties, and other damages. We have incurred, and may continue to incur, significant expenses to comply with existing privacy and security standards and protocols imposed by law, regulation, industry standards, or contractual obligations.
Additionally, the continued occurrence of cyberattacks and data breaches on governments, businesses and consumers in general, indicates that we operate in an external environment where cyberattacks and data breaches are becoming increasingly common. If the global cybersecurity environment worsens, and there are increased instances of security breaches of third-party offerings where consumers’ data and sensitive information is compromised, consumers may be less willing to use online offerings, particularly offerings like ours in which customers often share sensitive financial data. In addition, the increased availability of data obtained as a result of breaches of third-party offerings could make our own products more vulnerable to fraudulent activity. Even if our products are not affected directly by such incidents, they could damage our reputation and deter current and potential customers from adopting our products and services or lead customers to cease using online and connected software products to transact financial business altogether.
We have begun, and currently plan to increasecontinue, increasing our capture and use of user data for marketing purposes. In connection with our use of user data for marketing efforts, concerns may be expressed about whether our products, services, or processes compromise the privacy of users, customers and others. Concerns about our practices with regard to the collection, use, disclosure or security of personal information or other privacy related matters, even if unfounded, could damage the reputation of our business and our brands and adversely affect our operating results.

If our Tax Preparation business fails to process transactions effectively or fails to adequately protect against disputed or potential fraudulent activities, it could have a Material Adverse Effect, and stolen identity refund fraud could result in negative publicity and/or impede our Tax Preparation customers’ ability to timely and successfully file their tax returns and receive their tax refunds.
Our Tax Preparation business processes a significant volume and dollar value of transactions on a daily basis, particularly during tax season. Due to the size and volume of transactions that we handle, effective processing systems and controls are essential to ensure that transactions are handled appropriately. Despite our efforts, it is possible that we may make errors or that fraudulent activity may affect our services. In addition to any direct damages and fines that may result from any such problems, which may be substantial, a loss of confidence in our controls may materially harm our business and damage our brand. The systems supporting our Tax Preparation business are comprised of multiple technology platforms, some of which are difficult to scale. If we are unable to effectively manage our systems and processes, we may be unable to process customer data in an accurate, reliable, and timely manner, which could result in a Material Adverse Effect.


Additionally, criminals may utilize stolen information obtained through hacking, phishing, and other means of identity theft in order to electronically file fraudulent federal and state tax returns. As a result, impacted taxpayers must complete additional forms and go through additional steps in order to report to appropriate authorities that their identities have been stolen and their tax returns were filed fraudulently. Though we offer assistance in the refund recovery process, any stolen identity refund fraud could impede our Tax Preparation customers’ ability to timely and successfully file their tax returns and receive their tax refunds, and could diminish customers’ perceptions of the security and reliability of our tax preparation products and services, resulting in negative publicity, despite there having been no breach in the security of our systems. Moreover, if stolen identity refund fraud is perpetrated at a material level through our tax preparation products or services, state, federal, or foreign tax authorities may refuse to allow us to continue to process our customers’ tax returns electronically. Notably, federal, state, and foreign governmental authorities in jurisdictions in which we operate have taken action, and may take action in the future, in an attempt to combat stolen identity refund fraud, which may require changes to our systems and business practices in ways we cannot anticipate. As a result, stolen identity fraud, or any increased governmental regulation relating to our systems and business practices to attempt to combat that fraud, could result in a Material Adverse Effect on our Tax Preparation business.

The specialized and highly seasonal nature of our Tax Preparation business presents financial risks and operational challenges, which, if not satisfactorily addressed, could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
Our Tax Preparation business is highly seasonal, with a significant portion of our annual revenue for such services earned in the first four months of our fiscal year. The concentration of our revenue-generating activity during this relatively short period presents a number of challenges for us, including cash and resource management during the last eight months of our fiscal year, when our Tax Preparation business generally operates at a loss and incurs fixed costs of preparing for the upcoming tax season, responding to changes in competitive conditions, including marketing, pricing, and new product offerings, which could affect our position during the tax season, and ensuring optimal uninterrupted operations and service delivery during the tax season. If we experience significant business disruptions during the tax season or if we are unable to satisfactorily address the challenges described above and related challenges associated with a seasonal business, it could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
Additionally, due to this seasonality of our Tax Preparation business, a precise development and release schedule is required, and our tax preparation software and online service must be ready to launch in final form near the beginning of each calendar year to take advantage of the full tax season. We must update the code for our software and service on schedule each year to account for annual changes in tax laws and regulations and ensure that the software and service are accurate. Delayed and unpredictable changes to federal and state tax laws and regulations can cause an already tight development cycle to become even more challenging. If we are unable to meet this precise schedule and we launch our software and service late, we risk losing customers to our competitors. If we cannot develop our software with a high degree of accuracy and quality, we risk errors in the tax returns that are generated. Any delays, issues with accuracy or quality, or other errors could result in loss of reputation, lower customer retention, or legal claims, fees, and payouts related to the warranty on our software and service, which could result in a Material Adverse Effect on our Tax Preparation business.
The United States government’s inability to agree on a federal budget may adversely impact our operations and financial results.
In the past, the failure of the United States government to timely complete its budget process has resulted in shutdowns of the federal government, including most recently a shutdown that began on December 22, 2018 and lasted until January 25, 2019. During these shutdowns, certain regulatory agencies, such as the Internal Revenue Service and the United States Department of the Treasury, have had to furlough critical employees and cease certain critical activities.
During a prolonged government shutdown, the ability of the Internal Revenue Service to timely review and process tax return filings may be significantly delayed, and representatives of the Internal Revenue Service may be unable to answer crucial taxpayer questions. Even after the shutdown has ended, the Internal Revenue Service may be significantly delayed in processing tax return filings as a result of accumulating a backlog of filings during the shutdown. These may be further exacerbated in years where there are significant changes to existing tax legislation. Any uncertainty surrounding the ability of the Internal Revenue Service to process tax return filings and respond to taxpayer questions could cause our customers not to purchase or to delay purchasing our products and services, thereby negatively impacting our revenues and future financial results, which could result in a Material Adverse Effect on our Tax Preparation business.


We may be negatively impacted by any future changes in tax laws.
Changes in state and federal tax laws and/or filing deadlines, including changes associated with the Economic Impact Payments, have required, and may in the future require updates to our tax preparation software used in our Tax Preparation business. Such updates are costly and may be time consuming to ensure that they accurately reflect the new laws that are adopted. In addition, further changes in the way that state and federal governments structure their taxation regimes could also cause a Material Adverse Effect on our Tax Preparation business. The introduction of a simplified or flattened federal or state taxation structure may make our services less necessary or attractive to individual filers, which could reduce revenue and the number of units sold. We also face risk from the
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possibility of increased complexity in taxation structures, which may encourage some of our customers to seek professional tax advice instead of using our software or services. In the event that such changes to tax structures cause us to lose market share or cause a decline in customers, it could cause a Material Adverse Effect.
If our enterprise risk management and compliance frameworks, including our policies and procedures, are not effective at mitigating risk and loss to us, we could be exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risks, suffer unexpected claims or losses, experience reputational harm, and our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Our enterprise risk management framework seeks to achieve an appropriate balance between risk and return, which is critical to optimizing stockholder value. We have established processes and procedures intended to identify, measure, monitor, report, analyze and control the types of risk to which we are subject. These risks include liquidity risk, credit risk, market risk, interest rate risk, operational risk, legal and compliance risk, and reputational risk, among others.
We also maintain a compliance program designed to identify, measure, assess, and report on adherence to applicable laws, policies and procedures to which the Company and its employees, contractors and financial advisors may be subject. While we seek to assess and improve our programs and policies on an ongoing basis, there can be no assurance that our risk management or compliance programs and policies, along with other related controls, will effectively limit claims or losses and mitigate all risk in our business. As with any risk management or compliance framework, there are inherent limitations to our risk management strategies and certain risks may exist, or develop in the future, that we have not appropriately anticipated or identified, particularly relating to conduct that is difficult to detect and deter. If these frameworks, including the internal controls and other risk-mitigating factors we employ, are not successful in identifying, monitoring and managing risks, we may be subject to the risks of errors and misconduct by our employees, contractors, financial advisors and other parties with whom we conduct business, such as fraud, non-compliance with policies, rules or regulation, recommending transactions that are not suitable, and improperly using or disclosing confidential information. We are further subject to the risk of nonperformance or inadequate performance of contractual obligations by third-party vendors of products and services that are used in our businesses. Management of operational, legal and regulatory risks requires, among other things, policies and procedures to record properly and verify a large number of transactions and events, and these policies and procedures may not be fully effective in mitigating our risk exposure in all market environments or against all types of risk. Insurance and other traditional risk-shifting tools may be held by or available to us in order to manage certain exposures, but they are subject to terms such as deductibles, coinsurance, limits and policy exclusions, as well as the risk of counterparty denial of coverage, default or insolvency. If our risk management and compliance framework prove ineffective, we could suffer unexpected claims or losses, experience reputational harm, and our business financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
In our Wealth Management business, prevention and detection of wrongdoing or fraud by our advisors, who are not our employees and tend to be located remotely from our headquarters, present unique challenges. There cannot be any assurance that misconduct by our advisors will not lead to a Material Adverse Effect on our business. RIAs have fiduciary obligations that require us and our advisors to act in the best interests of our customers and to disclose any material conflicts of interest. Conflicts of interest are under growing scrutiny by U.S. federal and state regulators. Our risk management processes include addressing potential conflicts of interest that arise in our business. Management of potential conflicts of interest has become increasingly complex. A perceived or actual failure to address conflicts of interest adequately could affect our reputation, the willingness of customers to transact business with us or give rise to litigation or regulatory actions, any of which could have a Material Adverse Effect.


If third parties claim that our services infringe upon their intellectual property rights, we may be forced to seek expensive licenses, reengineer our services, engage in expensive and time-consuming litigation, or stop marketing and licensing our services.
Companies and individuals with rights relating to the technology industry have frequently resorted to litigation regarding intellectual property rights. These parties have in the past made, and may in the future make, claims against us alleging infringement of patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, or other intellectual property or proprietary rights, or alleging unfair competition or violations of privacy or publicity rights. Responding to any such claims could be time-consuming, result in costly litigation, divert management’s attention, cause product or service release delays, or require removal or redesigning of our products or services, payment of damages for infringement, or entry into royalty or licensing agreements. Our technology, services, and products may not be able to withstand any third-party claims or rights against their use. In some cases, the ownership or scope of an entity’s or person’s rights is unclear. In addition, the ownership or scope of such rights may be altered by changes in the legal landscape, such as through developments in U.S. or international intellectual property laws or regulations or through court, agency, or regulatory board decisions. If a successful claim of infringement were made against us and we could not develop non-infringing technology or content or license the infringed or similar technology or content on a timely and cost-effective basis, our financial condition and results of operationswe could be materially and adversely affected.experience a Material Adverse Effect.
We rely heavily on our technology and intellectual property, but we may be unable to adequately or cost-effectively protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, thereby weakening our competitive position and negatively impacting our business and financial results. We may have to litigate to enforce our intellectual property rights, which can be time consuming, expensive, and difficult to predict.
To protect our rights related to our services and technology, we rely on a combination of copyright and trademark laws, trade secrets, confidentiality agreements with employees and third parties, and protective contractual provisions. We also rely on laws pertaining to trademarks and domain names to protect the value of our corporate brands and reputation. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may copy aspects of our services or technology, obtain and use information, marks, or technology that we regard as proprietary, or otherwise violate or infringe our intellectual property rights. In addition, it is possible that others could independently develop substantially equivalent intellectual property. Effectively policing the unauthorized use of our services and technology is time-consuming and costly, and the steps taken by us may not prevent misappropriation of our technology or other proprietary assets. If we do not effectively protect our intellectual property, or if others independently develop substantially equivalent intellectual property, our competitive position could be materially weakened.
RISKS RELATED TO ACQUISITIONS
We may fail to realize all of the anticipated benefits of the HKFS Acquisition or those benefits may take longer to realize than expected.
We may fail to realize all of the anticipated benefits of the HKFS Acquisition, including the expected operational, revenue, and cost synergies with our Wealth Management business and the level of revenue and profitability growth that we are expecting, or these benefits may not be achieved within the anticipated timeframe. In addition, we have faced, and may in the future face, difficulties in attracting and retaining key financial professional employees of Avantax Planning Partners. Departures of financial professionals have in the past resulted, and could in the future result, in lost relationships with CPA firms and clients, which has led, and could in the future lead, to a reduction in client asset levels and a corresponding reduction in advisory revenue, as well as the loss of referrals. We may also face certain integration challenges, which could divert management’s attention from ongoing operations and opportunities.
Furthermore, we have incurred significant transaction costs in connection with the HKFS Acquisition, including payment of certain fees and expenses incurred in connection with the HKFS Acquisition and the financing of the HKFS Acquisition, and our future financial results could be impacted if goodwill or other intangible assets we acquired in the HKFS Acquisition become impaired.
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In addition, we may also face difficulties in managing the expanded operations of a significantly larger and more complex company. The failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the HKFS Acquisition could cause an interruption of, or a loss of momentum in, our operations and could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
We may fail to realize all of the anticipated benefits of the 1st Global Acquisition or those benefits may take longer to realize than expected. We may also encounter significant difficulties in integrating the operations of 1st Global.
Our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the 1st Global Acquisition will depend, to a large extent, on our ability to integrate 1st Global’s business with ours, which, has been, and will continue to be, a complex, costly and time-consuming process. As a result, we have been devoting and will continue to devote significant management attention and resources to integrate our business practices and operations with those of 1st Global. The integration process may disrupt our business and, if implemented ineffectively, could restrict the realization of the full expected benefits of the 1st Global Acquisition. The failure to meet the challenges involved in the integration process and to realize the anticipated benefits of the 1st Global Acquisition could cause an interruption of, or a loss of momentum in, our operations and could result in a Material Adverse Effect.
In addition, the integration of 1st Global’s business may result in material unanticipated problems, expenses, liabilities, competitive responses, and loss of financial professionals, customers, and other business relationships, which could be material. Additional integration challenges could include:
diversion of management’s and our employees’ attention to integration matters;
higher than anticipated integration costs and difficulties in achieving anticipated cost savings, synergies, business opportunities, and growth prospects from the 1st Global Acquisition;
difficulties in the integration of operations and systems, including the use of our clearing platform;
difficulties in conforming standards, controls, procedures and accounting and other policies, business cultures and compensation structures;
difficulties in keeping financial professionals and clients;
difficulties in managing the expanded operations of a significantly larger and more complex company; and
the impact of potential liabilities inherited from 1st Global, including potential liability related to a regulatory inquiry. See “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 3” for additional information.
Furthermore, as a result of the integration of 1st Global, we may also receive greater regulatory scrutiny and could incur additional supervisory, training and compliance costs. Many of these factors will be outside of our control and any one of them could result in increased costs, decreases in the amount of expected revenues and diversion of management’s time and energy, which could result in a Material Adverse Effect and result in us becoming subject to additional legal proceedings.
Even if 1st Global’s business is integrated successfully, the full anticipated benefits of the 1st Global Acquisition may not be realized, including the synergies, cost savings or sales or growth opportunities that are anticipated. These benefits may not be achieved within the anticipated time frame. Further, additional unanticipated costs may be incurred in the integration process. All of these factors could cause reductions in our earnings per share, decrease or delay the expected accretive effect of the 1st Global Acquisition and negatively impact the price of shares of our common stock. As a result, it cannot be assured that the 1st Global Acquisition will result in the realization of the full anticipated benefits and potential synergies.
We may seek to acquire companies or assets that complement our Wealth Management and Tax Preparation businesses, and if we aremay be unsuccessful in completing any such acquisitions on favorable terms or integrating any company acquired it could result in a Material Adverse Effect.acquired.
We may seek to acquire companies or assets that complement our Wealth Management and Tax Preparation businesses. There can be no guarantee that any of the opportunities that we evaluate will result in the purchase by us of any business or asset being evaluated, or that if acquired, we will be able to successfully integrate such acquisition.businesses that we have acquired or may in the future acquire.
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If we are successful in our pursuit of any complementary acquisition opportunities, we intend to use available cash, debt and/or equity financing, and/or other capital or ownership structures designed to diversify our capital sources and attract a competitive cost of capital, all of which may change our leverage profile. There are a number of factors that impact our ability to succeed in acquiring the companies and assets we identify, including competition for these companies and assets, sometimes from larger or better-funded competitors. As a result, our success in completing acquisitions is not guaranteed. Our expectation is that, to the extent we are successful, any acquisitions will be additive to our businesses, taking into account potential benefits of operational synergies. However, these new business additions and acquisitions, if any, involve a number of risks and may not achieve our expectations, and, therefore, we could be materially and adversely affectedimpacted by any such new business additions or acquisitions. There can be no assurance that the short or long-term value of any business or technology that we develop or acquire will be equal to the value of the cash and other consideration that we pay or expenses we incur.


RISKS RELATED TO OUR FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS
We have incurred a significant amount of indebtedness, which may materially and adversely affectimpact our financial condition and future financial results.
We are party to a senior secured credit facility, which consists of a term loan (the “Term Loan”) and revolving line of credit (the “Revolver”) for future working capital, capital expenditures and general business purposes. As of December 31, 2019,2020, we had $389.7 million and $10.0$563.2 million in principal amount of outstanding indebtedness under the term loanTerm Loan and revolving credit facility, respectively.no amounts outstanding under the Revolver. The final maturity date of the term loanTerm Loan and Revolver is May 22, 2024.2024 and May 22, 2022, respectively. Under the terms of the revolving credit facility,Revolver, we may borrow up to $65.0 million.million, subject to customary terms and conditions.
Our level of indebtedness may materially and adversely affectimpact our financial condition and future financial results by, among other things:
increasing our vulnerability to downturns in our businesses, to competitive pressures, and to adverse economic and industry conditions;
requiring the dedication of a portion of our expected cash from operations to service the indebtedness, thereby reducing the amount of expected cash flow available for other purposes, including capital expenditures and complementary acquisitions;
increasing our interest payment obligations in the event that interest rates rise; and
limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our businesses and our industries.
Our senior secured credit facilities imposefacility imposes certain restrictions on us, including restrictions on our ability to create liens, incur indebtedness and make investments. In addition, our senior secured credit facilities includefacility includes certain financial covenants, the breach of which may cause the outstanding indebtedness to be declared immediately due and payable. This borrowing,If we fail to comply with our financial and other restrictive covenants contained in the agreements governing our indebtedness, we may be required to refinance all or part of our debt, sell important strategic assets at unfavorable prices or borrow more money. Our borrowings under the senior secured credit facility, and our ability to repay it,such borrowings, may also negatively impact our ability to obtain additional financing in the future and may affect the terms of any such financing.
In addition, we or our subsidiaries, may incur additional debt in the future. Any additional debt may result in risks similar to those discussed above or in other risks specific to the credit agreements entered into for those debts.
Our level
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We incurred approximately $125.0 million of additional indebtedness to fund a portion of the purchase price of the 1st Global Acquisition, and the amount of cash required to make principal and interest payments on our outstanding debt has increased by approximately $8.0 million on an annual basis as a result of the increase in our indebtedness. As a result, the demands on our cash resources are significantly greater than prior to the 1st Global Acquisition. In addition, the purchase price of the HKFS Acquisition is expected to be paid with an incremental loan under our existing credit facility that is anticipated to be entered into on or about the time of the closing of the HKFS Acquisition. The increase in our indebtedness may have the effect of, among other things, reducing our flexibility to respond to changing business and economic conditions, reducing funds available for capital expenditures, stock repurchases and other activities and creating competitive disadvantages for us relative to other companies with lower debt levels.
Ultimately, our ability to service our debt obligations will depend on our future performance, which will be affected by financial, business, economic and other factors, including our ability to achieve the expected benefits and cost savings from the 1st Global Acquisition and, if consummated, the HKFS Acquisition. There is no guarantee that we will be able to generate sufficient cash flow to pay our debt service obligations when due. If we are unable to meet our debt service obligations or we fail to comply with our financial and other restrictive covenants contained in the agreements governing our indebtedness, we may be required to refinance all or part of our debt, sell important strategic assets at unfavorable prices or borrow more money. We may not be able to, at any given time, refinance our debt, sell assets or borrow more money on terms acceptable to us or at all. Our inability to refinance our debt could result in a Material Adverse Effect.


Existing cash and cash equivalents and cash generated from operations may not be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for servicing debt, working capital, and capital expenditures.expenditures.
Although we believe that existing cash and cash equivalents and cash generated from operations will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for servicing debt, working capital, acquisition earn-out payments, and capital expenditures for at least the next 12 months, the underlying levels of revenues and expenses that we project may not prove to be accurate. As of December 31, 2019,2020, we had $389.7$563.2 million in principal amount of outstanding indebtedness under the Term Loan and $10.0 millionno amounts outstanding under our term loan and revolving credit facility, respectively.the Revolver. Servicing this debt will require the dedication of a portion of our expected cash flow from operations, thereby reducing the amount of our cash flow available for other purposes. In addition, our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on, or to refinance our indebtedness depends on our future performance, which is subject to the seasonality of our Tax Preparation segment, as well as other economic, financial, competitive, and other factors beyond our control. Our businesses may not continue to generate cash flow from operations sufficient to service our debt and make necessary capital expenditures. If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as selling assets, restructuring debt, or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. Changes in the debt and capital markets, including market disruptions, limited liquidity, an increase in interest rates, changes in our credit rating, and our financial condition and results at such time, among other potential factors, may limit our ability to obtain or increase the cost of financing, as well as the risks of refinancing maturing debt. This may affect our ability to raise needed financing and reduce the amount of cash available to fund our operations, acquisitions, or other growth initiatives. If the debt and capital markets were not available or were constrained, it is not certain if adequate financing options would be available to us on terms and conditions that we would find acceptable, or if we could engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could limit or delay our capital allocation plans or result in a default on our debt obligations.
In addition, we may evaluate complementary acquisitions of businesses, products, or technologies from time to time. Any such transactions, if completed, may use a significant portion of our cash and cash equivalents. If we are unable to liquidate our investments when we need liquidity for complementary acquisitions or for other business purposes, we may need to change or postpone such acquisitions or find alternative financing for them. We may seek additional funding through public or private financings, through sales of equity, or through other arrangements. Our ability to raise funds may be materially and adversely affectedimpacted by a number of factors, including factors beyond our control, such as economic conditions in the markets in which we operate and increased uncertainty in the financial, capital, and credit markets. Adequate funds may not be available when needed or may not be available on favorable terms. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, dilution to existing stockholders may result. Any sale of a substantial amount of our common stock in the public market, either in the initial issuance or in a subsequent resale, could have a material adverse effectMaterial Adverse Effect on the market price of our common stock. If funding is insufficient at any time in the future, we may be unable, or delayed in our ability, to develop or enhance our products or services, take advantage of business opportunities, or respond to competitive pressures, any of which could materially harm our business.
OTHER RISKS RELATED TO OUR COMMON STOCK
Our stock price has been highly volatile and such volatility may continue.
The trading price of our common stock has been highly volatile, and such volatility does not always correspond to fluctuations in the market. Between January 1, 20182019 and December 31, 2019,2020, our closing stock price ranged from $19.17$8.82 to $40.25.$36.32. On February 21, 2020,19, 2021, the closing price of our common stock was $21.97.$16.18. Our stock price could decline or fluctuate significantly in response to many factors, including the other risks discussed in this Form 10-K and the following:
actual or anticipated variations in quarterly and annual results of operations;
impairment charges, changes in or loss of material contracts and relationships, dispositions or announcements of complementary acquisitions, or other business developments by us, our partners, or our competitors;
changes in executive officers;
conditions or trends in the tax preparation or wealth management markets or changes in market share;
changes in general conditions in the United States and global economies or financial markets;
effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on economies, markets, the tax season, IRS operations, trends in wealth management, and changes to interest rates;
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announcements of technological innovations or new services by us or our competitors;
changes in financial estimates or recommendations by securities analysts;
disclosures of any accounting issues, such as restatements or material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting;


equity issuances resulting in the dilution of stockholders;
the adoption of new regulations or accounting standards;
adverse publicity (whether justified or not) with respect to our business; and
announcements or publicity relating to litigation or governmental enforcement actions.
In addition, the equities market has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations, and our stock has been particularly susceptible to such fluctuations. Often, class action litigation has been instituted against companies after periods of volatility in the price of such companies’ stock. We have been defendants in such class action litigation in prior periods and could be subject to future litigation, potentially resulting in substantial cost and diversion of management’s attention and resources.
Our financial results may fluctuate, which could cause our stock price to be volatile or decline.
Our financial results have varied on a quarterly basis and are likely to continue to fluctuate in the future. These fluctuations could cause our stock price to be volatile or decline. Many factors could cause our quarterly results to fluctuate materially, including but not limited to:
the inability of any of our businesses to implement business plans and to meet our expectations;
the seasonality of our Tax Preparation business and the resulting large quarterly fluctuations in our revenues;
variable demand for our services, rapidly evolving technologies and markets, and consumer preferences;
the level and mix of total client assets and advisory assets, which are subject to fluctuation based on market conditions and client activity;
the mix of revenues generated by existing businesses or other businesses that we develop or acquire;
changes in interest rates or reductions in our cash sweep revenue;
volatility in stock markets impacting the value of our advisory assets;
effects of the COVID-19 pandemic;
gains or losses driven by fair value accounting;
litigation expenses and settlement costs;
misconduct by employees, contractors and/or financial advisors,professionals, which is difficult to detect and deter;
expenses incurred in finding, evaluating, negotiating, consummating, and integrating acquisitions;
impairment or negative performance of the many different industries and counterparties we rely on and are exposed to;
any restructuring charges we may incur;
any economic downturn, which could result in lower acceptance rates on premium products and services offered by our Wealth Management business and impact the commissions and fee revenues of our financial advisory services;
new court rulings, or the adoption of new or interpretation of existing laws, rules, or regulations, that adversely affect our business or that otherwise increase our potential liability or compliance costs;
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impairment in the value of long-lived assets or the value of acquired assets, including goodwill, technology, and acquired contracts and relationships; and
the effect of changes in accounting principles or standards or in our accounting treatment of revenues or expenses.
For these reasons, among others, you should not rely on period-to-period comparisons of our financial results to forecast our future performance. Furthermore, our fluctuating operating results may fall below the expectations of securities analysts or investors and financial results volatility could make us less attractive to investors, either of which could cause the trading price of our stock to decline.


We cannot assure you we will continue to repurchase shares of our common stock pursuant to our stock repurchase plan.
On March 19, 2019, we announced that our board of directors (the “Board”) authorized a stock repurchase plan pursuant to which we may repurchase up to $100.0 million of our common stock. Pursuant to the plan, share repurchases may be made through a variety of methods, including open market or privately negotiated transactions. The timing and number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors, including price, general business and market conditions, our capital allocation policy, and alternative investment opportunities. Our repurchase program does not obligate us to repurchase any specific number of shares and may be suspended or discontinued at any time. For the year ended December 31, 2020, we did not repurchase any shares of our common stock under the stock repurchase plan, and as of December 31, 2020, there was approximately $71.7 million in remaining capacity under the stock repurchase plan. Any repurchases of our stock pursuant to the stock repurchase plan may materially reduce the amount of cash we have available and may not materially enhance the long-term value of our business or our stock. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we repurchased 1.3 million shares of our common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $28.4 million.
Our utilization of our federal NOLs may be severely limited or potentially eliminated.
As of December 31, 2019,2020, we had federal NOLs of $391.9$249.2 million that will expire primarily between 20202021 and 2037, with the majority of them expiring between 20202021 and 2024. We are currentlyIn recent years, we have been able to offset all of our federal cash tax liabilities with our federal NOLs, but we may not generate sufficient taxable income in future years to utilize all of our federal NOLs prior to their expiration. If our federal NOLs expire unused, their full benefit will not be realized. In addition, in years where our taxable income exceeds our federal NOLs, which we expect to begin occurring in 2022, we will be required to make additionalfederal cash income tax payments.
In addition, if we were to have a change of ownership within the meaning of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code (defined as a cumulative change of 50 percentage points or more in the ownership positions of certain stockholders owning five percent or more of a company’s common stock over a three-year rolling period), then under certain conditions, the amount of NOLs we could use in any one year could be limited. Our certificate of incorporation imposes certain limited transfer restrictions on our common stock that we expect willwould assist us in preventing a change of ownership and preserving our NOLs, but there can be no assurance that these restrictions will be sufficient. In addition, other restrictions on our ability to use the NOLs may be triggered by a merger or acquisition, depending on the structure of such a transaction. It is our intention to limit the potential impact of these restrictions, but there can be no guarantee that such efforts will be successful.
If we are unable to use our federal NOLs before they expire, or if the use of this tax benefit is severely limited or eliminated, there could be a material reduction in the amount of after-tax income and cash flow from operations, and it could have an effect on our ability to engage in certain transactions. For additional discussion regarding our deferred tax assets, see Our deferred tax assets may not be realized.”
Delaware law and our charterorganizational documents may impede or discourage a takeover which could cause the market price ofthat would be beneficial to our shares to decline.stockholders.
We are a Delaware corporation, and the anti-takeover provisions of Delaware law impose various impediments to the ability of a third party to acquire us, even if a change of control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. For example, Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law may discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control by prohibiting us from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years after the person becomes an interested stockholder. In addition, our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that may discourage, delay, or prevent a third party from acquiring us without the consent of our Board, even if doing so would be beneficial to our stockholders. Provisions of our charterorganizational documents that could have an anti-takeover effect or limit the activities of stockholders include:
the requirement for supermajority approval by stockholders for certain business combinations;
the ability of our Boardboard of directors to authorize the issuance of shares of undesignated preferred stock without a vote by stockholders;
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the ability of our Boardboard of directors to amend or repeal our bylaws;
limitations on the removal of directors;
limitations on stockholders’ ability to call special stockholder meetings; and
advance notice requirements for nominating candidates for election to our Boardboard of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at stockholder meetings; and
certain restrictions in our certificate of incorporation on transfers of our common stock designed to preserve our federal NOLs.


meetings.
Our certificate of incorporation also restricts any person or entity from attempting to transfer our stock, without prior permission from our Board,board of directors, to the extent that such transfer would (i) create or result in an individual or entity becoming a five-percent stockholder of our stock, or (ii) increase the stock ownership percentage of any existing five-percent stockholder. This amendment provides thatPursuant to our certificate of incorporation, any transfer that violates its provisionsthis provision shall be null and void and would require the purported transferee to, upon our demand, transfer the shares that exceed the five percent limit to an agent designated by us for the purpose of conducting a sale of such excess shares. This provision in our certificate of incorporation may make the acquisition ofacquiring Blucora more expensive to the acquirer and could significantly delay, discourage, or prevent third parties from acquiring Blucoraus without the approval of our Board.board of directors.
ITEM 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
ITEM 2. Properties 
Our principal corporate office is located in Irving,Dallas, Texas. Our Wealth Management segment primarily operates out of our IrvingDallas corporate office, and anwith additional office space located in Dallas, TexasDubuque, Iowa (obtained in connection with the 1st GlobalHKFS Acquisition). The Wealth Management segment also has smaller operational offices for its in-house financial professionals in various locations throughout the United States. The headquarters for our Tax Preparation segment is in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Iowa, with additional personnel who operate out of our Dallas corporate office. All of our facilities are leased. In 2019, we signed a new corporate headquarters office lease, which commenced in January 2020. The corporate headquarters building will be located in Coppell, Texas and will replace our Irving corporate office and our additional office located in Dallas. We plan to move into the new corporate headquarters in the second half of 2020.
ITEM 3. Legal Proceedings
See “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 11”10” for information regarding legal proceedings.
ITEM 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
None.

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PART II
ITEM 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market for Our Common Stock
Our common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “BCOR.” On February 21, 2020,19, 2021, the last reported sale price for our common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market was $21.97$16.18 per share.
Holders
As of February 21, 2020,19, 2021, there were 332325 holders of record of our common stock. A substantially greater number of holders are beneficial owners whose shares are held of record by banks, brokers, and other financial institutions.
Share Repurchases
On March 19, 2019, we announced that our Board authorized thea stock repurchase ofplan pursuant to which we may repurchase up to $100.0 million of our common stock. Pursuant to the plan, share repurchases may be made through a variety of methods, including open market or privately negotiated transactions. The authorizationtiming and number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors, including price, general business and market conditions, and alternative investment opportunities. Our repurchase program does not obligate us to repurchase any specific number of shares, may be suspended or discontinued at any time, and does not have a specified expiration date. Share
For the year ended December 31, 2020, we did not repurchase activity forany shares of our common stock under the fourth quarterstock repurchase plan. As of 2019 by monthDecember 31, 2020, there was as follows (in thousands, except perapproximately $71.7 million in remaining capacity under the stock repurchase plan. In assessing our capital allocation priorities, we do not expect to make additional share data):
Period Total Number of Shares Purchased Average Price Paid per Share Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs Maximum Approximate Dollar Value of Shares that May Yet be Purchased under the Plans or Programs
October 1-31, 2019 431
 $21.18
 431
 $78,203
November 1-30, 2019 313
 $20.87
 313
 $71,671
December 1-31, 2019 
 $
 
 $71,671
Total 744
 $21.05
 744
  
repurchases in the near term.
For additional information regarding our stock repurchase program, see “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 12.11.

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ITEM 6. Selected Financial Data
The following data is derived from our audited consolidated financial statements and should be read along with “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” our consolidated financial statements and notes in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” and the other financial information included elsewhere in this report.
 Years Ended December 31,Years Ended December 31,
 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 20202019201820172016
Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:(1) (2)(In thousands, except per share data)Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:(1) (2)(In thousands, except per share data)
Revenue:          Revenue:
Wealth management services revenue $507,979
 $373,174
 $348,620
 $316,546
 $
Wealth management services revenue$546,189 $507,979 $373,174 $348,620 $316,546 
Tax preparation services revenue 209,966
 187,282
 160,937
 139,365
 117,708
Tax preparation services revenue208,763 209,966 187,282 160,937 139,365 
Total revenue 717,945
 560,456
 509,557
 455,911
 117,708
Total revenue754,952 717,945 560,456 509,557 455,911 
Operating income (loss) 9
 67,677
 48,037
 37,117
 (4,807)Operating income (loss)(269,120)67,677 48,037 37,117 
Other loss, net (16,915) (15,797) (44,551) (39,781) (12,542)Other loss, net(31,304)(16,915)(15,797)(44,551)(39,781)
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes (16,906) 51,880
 3,486
 (2,664) (17,349)Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes(300,424)(16,906)51,880 3,486 (2,664)
Income tax benefit (expense)
65,054
 (311) 25,890
 1,285
 4,623
Income tax benefit (expense)

(42,331)65,054 (311)25,890 1,285 
Income (loss) from continuing operations 48,148
 51,569
 29,376
 (1,379) (12,726)Income (loss) from continuing operations(342,755)48,148 51,569 29,376 (1,379)
Discontinued operations, net of income taxes(3)
 
 
 (63,121) (27,348)Discontinued operations, net of income taxes(3)— — — — (63,121)
Net income (loss) 48,148
 51,569
 29,376
 (64,500) (40,074)Net income (loss)(342,755)48,148 51,569 29,376 (64,500)
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 
 (935) (2,337) (658) 
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests— — (935)(2,337)(658)
Net income attributable to Blucora, Inc. $48,148
 $50,634
 $27,039
 $(65,158) $(40,074)
Net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc.Net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc.$(342,755)$48,148 $50,634 $27,039 $(65,158)
Basic net income (loss) per share attributable to Blucora, Inc.:Basic net income (loss) per share attributable to Blucora, Inc.:        Basic net income (loss) per share attributable to Blucora, Inc.:
Continuing operations $1.00
 $0.94
 $0.61
 $(0.05) $(0.31)Continuing operations$(7.14)$1.00 $0.94 $0.61 $(0.05)
Discontinued operations(3)
 
 
 (1.52) (0.67)Discontinued operations(3)— — — — (1.52)
Basic net income (loss) per share $1.00
 $0.94
 $0.61
 $(1.57) $(0.98)Basic net income (loss) per share$(7.14)$1.00 $0.94 $0.61 $(1.57)
Basic weighted average shares outstanding 48,264
 47,394
 44,370
 41,494
 40,959
Basic weighted average shares outstanding47,978 48,264 47,394 44,370 41,494 
Diluted net income (loss) per share attributable to Blucora, Inc.:Diluted net income (loss) per share attributable to Blucora, Inc.:        Diluted net income (loss) per share attributable to Blucora, Inc.:
Continuing operations $0.98
 $0.90
 $0.57
 $(0.05) $(0.31)Continuing operations$(7.14)$0.98 $0.90 $0.57 $(0.05)
Discontinued operations(3)
 
 
 (1.52) (0.67)Discontinued operations(3)— — — — (1.52)
Diluted net income (loss) per share $0.98
 $0.90
 $0.57
 $(1.57) $(0.98)Diluted net income (loss) per share$(7.14)$0.98 $0.90 $0.57 $(1.57)
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 49,282
 49,381
 47,211
 41,494
 40,959
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding47,978 49,282 49,381 47,211 41,494 
          
Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:(1)         Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:(1) (2)
Cash, cash equivalents, and investments $80,820
 $84,524
 $59,965
 $58,814
 $66,774
Cash, cash equivalents, and investments$150,125 $80,820 $84,524 $59,965 $58,814 
Working capital(3) (4)45,611
 83,532
 47,641
 43,480
 174,571
Working capital99,552 45,611 83,532 47,641 43,480 
Total assets 1,137,572
 997,725
 1,001,671
 1,022,659
 1,299,548
Total assets1,064,192 1,137,572 997,725 1,001,671 1,022,659 
Total long-term liabilities(2) (3) (4)400,525
 316,905
 390,495
 535,577
 656,122
Total long-term liabilities(1) (2) (4)650,786 400,525 316,905 390,495 535,577 
Total stockholders’ equity 643,515
 607,595
 541,387
 417,019
 462,284
Total stockholders’ equity312,290 643,515 607,595 541,387 417,019 
____________________________
____________________________
(1)On December 31, 2015, we acquired HD Vest, a wealth management business that, in combination with 1st Global, was renamed Avantax Wealth Management as part of the Rebranding in 2019.
(2)On May 6, 2019, we acquired 1st Global, a tax-focused wealth management company. The purchase price was partially paid for using the proceeds from a $125.0 million increase in the term loan under our credit agreement. The operations of 1st Global are included in our operating results as part of the Wealth Management segment from the date of the 1st Global Acquisition.
(3)On October 14, 2015, we announced plans to divest the Search and Content and E-Commerce businesses. Accordingly, the operating results of these businesses have been presented as discontinued operations for all periods presented, and the related balance sheet data has been classified in its entirety within current assets and current liabilities as of December 31, 2015 but classified within current and long-term assets and liabilities, as appropriate, for prior periods. We sold the Search and Content business and the E-Commerce business on August 9, 2016 and November 17, 2016, respectively.
(4)As of December 31, 2016, our convertible senior notes were classified as a long-term liability with an outstanding balance, net of discount and issuance costs, of $164.2 million. We redeemed the convertible senior notes in June 2017.

(1)On May 6, 2019, we acquired 1st Global, a tax-focused wealth management company that, in combination with HD Vest, was renamed Avantax Wealth Management as part of the 2019 Rebranding. The purchase price was partially paid using the proceeds from a $125.0 million increase in the term loan under our credit agreement. The operations of 1st Global are included in our operating results as part of the Wealth Management segment from the date of the 1st Global Acquisition.

(2)On July 1, 2020, we acquired HKFS, a wealth management business that was renamed Avantax Planning Partners as part of the 2021 Rebranding. The upfront cash purchase price of $104.4 million was partially paid using the proceeds from a $175.0 million increase in the term loan under our credit agreement. The operations of HKFS are included in our operating results as part of the Wealth Management segment from the date of the HKFS Acquisition.
(3)On October 14, 2015, we announced plans to divest our Search and Content and E-Commerce businesses. Accordingly, the operating results of these businesses have been presented as discontinued operations for the year ended December 31, 2016. We sold the Search and Content business and the E-Commerce business on August 9, 2016 and November 17, 2016, respectively.
(4)As of December 31, 2016, our convertible senior notes were classified as a long-term liability with an outstanding balance, net of discount and issuance costs, of $164.2 million. We redeemed the convertible senior notes in June 2017.
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ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
You should read theThe following discussion and analysisshould be read in conjunction with the Selected Financial Data and our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included elsewhere in this Form 10-K. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. See Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks, and assumptions associated with those statements. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed in or implied by forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those discussed below and elsewhere in this Form 10-K, particularly in the section titled “Risk Factors.”
In addition, the following discussion and analysis compares our financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 20192020 to the year ended December 31, 2018.2019. For a discussion of the financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 20182019 compared to the year ended December 31, 2017,2018, see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 20182019 that was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 1, 2019.February 28, 2020.
Introduction and Company HistoryOverview
Blucora, Inc. (the Company,Blucora,“Blucora,” “we,” “our, or we,our,orusus”) operatesis a leading provider of integrated tax-focused wealth management services and software, assisting consumers, small business owners, tax professionals, financial professionals, and certified public accounting (“CPA”) firms in achieving better long-term outcomes via holistic, tax-advantaged solutions. Our mission is to empower people to improve their financial wellness through data and technology-driven solutions. We conduct our operations through two primary businesses: a(1) the Wealth Management business and a digital(2) the Tax Preparation business. Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “BCOR.”
Wealth Management
The Wealth Management business consists of the operations of Avantax Wealth Management (and Avantax Planning Partners (collectively, the Wealth Management business,business” or the Wealth Management segmentsegment”), which.
Avantax Wealth Management provides tax-focused wealth management solutions for financial advisors,professionals, tax preparers, certified public accountingprofessionals, CPA firms, and their clients. Avantax Wealth Management offers its services through its registered broker-dealer, registered investment advisor (“RIA”), and insurance agency subsidiaries and is the largest U.S. tax-focused independent broker-dealer. Avantax Wealth Management works with a nationwide network of financial professionals that operate as independent contractors. Avantax Wealth Management provides these financial professionals with an integrated platform of technical, marketing, practice, compliance, and product support tools to assist in making each financial professional a comprehensive financial service center for his or her clients. Our ongoing investments in technology and data analytics are designed to drive meaningful growth in assets over time. Avantax Wealth Management formerly operated under the HD Vest and 1st Global brands prior to the rebranding of these businesses to Avantax Wealth Management in 2019 (the “2019 Rebranding”).
On July 1, 2020, we acquired all of the issued and outstanding common stock of Honkamp Krueger Financial Services, Inc. (“HKFS,” and such acquisition, the “HKFS Acquisition”). HKFS operates as a captive, or employee-based, RIA and wealth management business that partners with CPA firms in order to provide their consumer and small business clients with holistic financial planning and advisory services, as well as retirement plan solutions. The operations of HKFS are included in our operating results as part of the Wealth Management segment from the date of the HKFS Acquisition. For additional information, see “Business Developments—HKFS Acquisition” below.
On January 4, 2021, we announced the rebranding of HKFS to Avantax Planning Partners (the “2021 Rebranding”). The 2021 Rebranding was designed to create tighter brand alignment, bringing the Wealth Management business under one common and recognizable brand.
As of December 31, 2020, the Wealth Management business worked with a nationwide network of 3,770 financial professionals and supported $83.0 billion of total client assets, including $35.6 billion of advisory assets.
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Tax Preparation
The Tax Preparation business consists of the operations of TaxAct, Inc. (TaxAct,”TaxAct,the Tax Preparation business, or the Tax Preparation segmentsegment”) and provides digital tax preparation solutions for consumers, small business owners, and tax professionals through its website www.TaxAct.com.www.TaxAct.com and its mobile applications.
Business Developments
COVID-19 Pandemic
Beginning in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant negative impact on the U.S. and global economy and caused substantial disruption in the U.S. and global securities markets, and as a result, negatively impacted both our Wealth Management and Tax Preparation businesses.
In our Wealth Management business, the economic and financial market disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the value of some of our clients’ assets during the first quarter of 2020, which caused a corresponding decline in the amount of revenue that we generated from these client assets. Further, we have experienced a decline in transaction-based commission revenue from lower trading volumes, as well as significantly reduced cash sweep revenue due to changes in prevailing interest rates. Positive financial market movement in the second, third, and fourth quarters of 2020 increased advisory and brokerage asset balances, with higher client asset balances benefiting advisory fees and trailing commissions. Overall, we expect that revenues in our Wealth Management business will remain susceptible to being adversely affected in future periods in which pandemic-influenced economic and market factors remain present.
In our Tax Preparation segment, our revenue and operating income generation is highly seasonal, with a significant portion of our annual revenue typically earned in the first four months of our fiscal year. During the third and fourth quarters, the Tax Preparation segment typically reports losses because revenue from the segment during this period is minimal while core operating expenses continue. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) extended the filing and payment deadline for tax year 2019 federal tax returns to July 15, 2020. This extension resulted in the shifting of a significant portion of Tax Preparation segment revenue that would typically have been expected to be earned in the first and second quarters of 2020 to the third quarter of 2020. In addition, sales and marketing expenses were elevated in 2020 due to incremental investment in March 2020 to address weak performance through the first two months of the tax season, as well as increased marketing required due to the extended tax season. Additionally, the IRS was selected by the U.S Congress as the vehicle for distribution of the EIP1 payments, which caused significant disruption to the 2020 tax season. As a result of the extension of the 2020 tax season and the EIP1 disruption, our results of operations for our Tax Preparation segment were negatively impacted in 2020 compared to prior years. In December 2020, the U.S. Congress authorized EIP2. As acknowledged by the IRS, in January 2021, the IRS directed millions of EIP2 payments, including EIP2 payments payable to our customers, to incorrect bank accounts. In order to allow time to correct this error, the IRS delayed the start of the 2021 tax season. The U.S. Congress is currently considering EIP3. Should the U.S. Congress authorize EIP3 during the 2021 tax season, and should the IRS again be selected as the vehicle for distribution of EIP3, it could disrupt and/or delay the tax filing deadline for the 2021 tax season and could cause customer confusion and/or diversion. It is currently unknown if the IRS will need to extend the tax filing deadline in 2021, however, the IRS has revoked its earlier commitment to end the 2021 tax season on time. An extension of the tax filing deadline in 2021 could result in customer and revenue disruptions and increased expenses in 2021.
For additional information on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our results of operations, see “Results of Operations” below. For more information on the risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic, see Part I, Item 1A under the subheading, “The current COVID-19 pandemic could have a Material Adverse Effect.”
HKFS Acquisition
On July 1, 2020, we closed the HKFS Acquisition for an upfront cash purchase price of $104.4 million, which was paid with a portion of the proceeds from the $175.0 million increase in the Term Loan (as defined and discussed in “Liquidity and Capital Resources—Indebtedness”). The purchase price is subject to customary adjustment and two potential post-closing earn-out payments (the “HKFS Contingent Consideration”) by us, as well as a customary indemnity escrow.
The amount of the HKFS Contingent Consideration is determined based on advisory asset levels and the achievement of certain performance goals (i) for the period beginning on July 1, 2020 and ending on July 1, 2021 and (ii) for the period beginning on July 1, 2021 and ending on July 1, 2022. Pursuant to the Stock Purchase
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Agreement, dated as of January 6, 2020, by and among the Company, HKFS, the selling stockholders named therein (the “Sellers”), and JRD Seller Representative, LLC, as the Sellers’ representative (as amended, the “Purchase Agreement”), the maximum aggregate amount that we would be required to pay for each earn-out period is $30.0 million, provided that any unearned amounts during the first earn-out period may also be earned during the second earn-out period. If the asset values on the applicable measurement date fall below certain specified thresholds, we would not be required to make any earn-out payment to the Sellers for such period.
We believe the complementary nature of the HKFS Acquisition has expanded our established leadership in tax-aware investing and enhanced our ability to better service clients and enable better outcomes for our Wealth Management business through the following primary drivers:
increasing our total addressable market by swiftly entering the large, adjacent captive RIA space;
expanding our product offerings, enabling us to serve an expanded set of CPA firms and tax professionals, as well as enabling us to offer end-to-end retirement plan services for small business clients; and
providing multiple avenues for enhancing future growth opportunities by improving asset retention, increasing prospect conversion, and offering turn-key retirement plan services to the full Avantax Wealth Management financial professional and client base, all on top of a highly scalable HKFS platform.
For additional information, see “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 3.”
1st Global Acquisition
On May 6, 2019, we closed the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding common stock of 1st Global, Inc. and 1st Global Insurance Services, Inc. (together, “1st Global”), a tax-focused wealth management company, for a cash purchase price of $180.0 million (the “1st Global Acquisition”). The 1st Global Acquisition was strategically important as it expandsexpanded our presence as the leading tax-focused independent broker-dealer while also providing the scale to compete more broadly in the wealth management market. The purchase price was paid with a combination of (i) cash on hand and (ii) the proceeds from a $125.0 million increase in the term loan under our credit agreement. The operations of 1st Global are included in our operating results as part of the Wealth Management segment from the date of the 1st Global Acquisition.
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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Summary
(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31,Change
 20202019$%
Revenue:
Wealth Management$546,189 $507,979 $38,210 %
Tax Preparation208,763 209,966 (1,203)(1)%
Total revenue$754,952 $717,945 $37,007 %
Operating income (loss):
Wealth Management$72,195 $68,292 $3,903 %
Tax Preparation49,621 96,249 (46,628)(48)%
Corporate-level activity(390,936)(164,532)(226,404)(138)%
Total operating income (loss)(269,120)(269,129)NM (1)
Other loss, net(31,304)(16,915)(14,389)(85)%
Loss before income taxes(300,424)(16,906)(283,518)(1,677)%
Income tax benefit (expense)(42,331)65,054 (107,385)(165)%
Net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc.$(342,755)$48,148 $(390,903)(812)%
____________________________
(1)Calculation is not meaningful.
For the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019, net income decreased $390.9 million primarily due to the following factors:
Wealth Management segment operating income increased $3.9 million primarily due to a $38.2 million increase in revenue, partially offset by a $34.3 million increase in operating expenses. Wealth Management operating results benefited from an increase in advisory revenue as a result of the 1st Global Acquisition and the HKFS Acquisition, partially offset by lower cash sweep revenue and lower commission revenue.
Following an evaluationTax Preparation segment operating income decreased $46.6 million primarily due to a $45.4 million increase in operating expenses. The increase in operating expenses was primarily due to increased marketing spend as a result of incremental investment required in March 2020 due to weak performance through the first two months of the Tax Preparation business’s strategic initiatives, including which aspectstax season, as well as increased marketing required due to the extended tax season.
Corporate-level expenses increased $226.4 million primarily due to goodwill impairment of the Tax Preparation business were considered non-core strategies, on September 4, 2019, we completed the disposition of all of the issued and outstanding stock of SimpleTax for proceeds of $9.6 million. This amount was received$270.6 million recognized in the thirdfirst quarter of 2019, resulting2020. The increase in corporate-level expenses was partially offset by a $3.3$50.9 million gain on saleintangible asset impairment recognized for the year ended December 31, 2019. Prior to its sale, SimpleTax was a component of our Tax Preparation business.
On September 9, 2019, we announced a rebranding of our Wealth Management businessOther loss, net, increased $14.4 million primarily due to Avantax Wealth Management (the “Rebranding”). In connection with the Rebranding, HD Vest (which comprised all of the Wealth Management business prior to the 1st Global Acquisition) was renamed Avantax Wealth Management in mid-September 2019,increased interest expense and 1st Global converted in late October 2019. The Rebranding is designed to bring broader awareness to our Tax-Smart wealth management approach, providing tax-focused wealth management advice with technology-advantaged tools, allowing our financial advisors to easily provide Tax-Smart wealth solutions to their clients.non-capitalized debt issuance expense.
For a further discussionThe Company recorded income tax expense of Blucora’s businesses and history, see “Business” in Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-K.
Recent Developments
HKFS Acquisition
On January 6, 2020, we entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Honkamp Krueger Financial Services, Inc. (“HKFS”), the selling stockholders named therein (the “Sellers”), and


JRD Seller Representative, LLC, pursuant to which we agreed to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common stock of HKFS for a cash purchase price of $160$42.3 million(the “HKFS Acquisition”). HKFS is a registered investment advisor and wealth management business that partners with CPA firms in order to provide their consumer and small business clients with holistic planning and financial advisory services. The purchase price is expected to be paid with an incremental loan under the Senior Secured Credit Facility (as defined herein), which is anticipated to be entered into on or about the time of the closing of the HKFS Acquisition. The HKFS Acquisition is expected to close around the end of the first quarter, subject to customary closing conditions. The HKFS Acquisition was not reflected in our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019. For additional information, see “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 18.”
Leadership Changes
On January 6, 2020, Davinder Athwal resigned from his roles as Chief Financial Officer and Principal Financial Officer of the Company, while agreeing to stay on with the Company until January 31, 2020. In connection with Mr. Athwal’s resignation, Stacy Murray, who serves as the Company’s Principal Accounting Officer through her position as Chief Accounting Officer, assumed the duties of serving as the Company’s Principal Financial Officer inwhich was driven by an interim capacity.
On January 10, 2020, John Clendening, who served as our President and Chief Executive Officer, and also as a member of the Board, departed from his roles as an officer, employee, and director of the Company.
On January 30, 2020, the Company announced that the Board appointed Christopher W. Walters to serve as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 30, 2020, with Mr. Walters continuing to serve as a member of the Board following his appointment as President and Chief Executive Officer.
Seasonality
Our Tax Preparation segment is highly seasonal, with a significant portion of its annual revenue earnedincrease in the first four monthsvaluation allowance on our deferred tax assets. This compared to an income tax benefit of our fiscal year. During the third and fourth quarters, the Tax Preparation segment typically reports losses because revenue from the segment is minimal while core operating expenses continue. We anticipate that the seasonal nature of that part of the business will continue in the foreseeable future.


RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Summary

(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31, Change
 2019 2018 $ %
Revenue:       
Wealth Management$507,979
 $373,174
 $134,805
 36 %
Tax Preparation209,966
 187,282
 22,684
 12 %
Total revenue717,945
 560,456
 157,489
 28 %
Operating income:       
Wealth Management68,292
 53,053
 15,239
 29 %
Tax Preparation96,249
 87,249
 9,000
 10 %
Corporate-level activity(164,532) (72,625) (91,907) 127 %
Total operating income$9
 $67,677
 $(67,668) (100)%
For$65.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, compared to the year ended December 31, 2018, operating income decreased $67.7 million, consisting of a $225.2 million increase in operating expenses, partially offsetwhich was driven by a $157.5 million increase in revenue.partial release of the valuation allowance on our deferred tax assets.
Revenue increased $157.5 million due to increases




Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 46

Table of $134.8 million and $22.7 million in revenue related to our Wealth Management and Tax Preparation businesses, respectively, as discussed in the following “Segment Revenue/Operating Income” section. The increase in Wealth Management revenue included approximately $114.8 million in revenue from 1st Global.Contents
Operating expenses increased $225.2 million primarily due to $110.7 million of incremental Wealth Management operating expenses contributed by 1st Global. Operating expenses also increased due to a $91.9 million increase in corporate-level expenses, which included a $50.9 million intangible asset impairment in connection with the Rebranding, as well as $25.8 million in acquisition and integration costs primarily due to the 1st Global Acquisition.
SEGMENT REVENUE/REVENUE & OPERATING INCOME
The revenue and operating income amounts in this section are presented on a basis consistent with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) and include certain reconciling items attributable to our segments. We have two reportable segments: (1) the Wealth Management segment and (2) the Tax Preparation segment. Segment information appearing in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 5” is presented on a basis consistent with our current internal management financial reporting. We do not allocate certain general and administrative costs (including personnel and overhead costs), stock-based compensation, acquisition-related costs, depreciation, amortization of acquired intangible assets, restructuring, other loss, net,acquisition and income taxesintegration costs, executive transition costs, headquarters relocation costs, or impairment of goodwill and an intangible asset to segment operating results. Rather, we analyze such general and administrative costsseparatelythe reportable segments. Such amounts are reflected under the heading “Corporate-level activity.” In addition, we do not allocate other loss, net, or income taxes to the reportable segments.


Wealth Management
(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31, Change(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31,Change
2019 2018 $ % 20202019$%
Revenue$507,979
 $373,174
 $134,805
 36%Revenue$546,189$507,979$38,210 %
Operating income$68,292
 $53,053
 $15,239
 29%Operating income$72,195$68,292$3,903 %
Segment margin13% 14% 
  Segment margin13 %13 %
For the year ended December 31, 20192020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018,2019, Wealth Management operating income increased $15.2$3.9 million due to a $134.8$38.2 million increase in revenue partially offset by a $119.6$34.3 million increase in operating expenses.
Wealth Management revenue increased $134.8$38.2 million primarily due to the addition of $114.8a $62.4 million increase in revenue from 1st Global, as well as $11.6 million and $7.2 million in increased advisory revenue and asset-baseda $6.2 million increase in client fees and financial professional fees as a result of the 1st Global Acquisition and the HKFS Acquisition. These increases were partially offset by a $20.8 million decrease in cash sweep revenue, respectively,a $5.8 million decrease in commission revenue, and a $4.2 million decrease in revenue generated from our legacy business.financial product manufacturer sponsorship programs.
Wealth Management operating expenses increased $119.6$34.3 million due to incremental expenses of $104.8 million from 1st Global. In addition, we experienced increased cost of revenue in our legacy business, primarily due to an increase in commissionscost of revenue, mainly as a result of the 1st Global Acquisition and advisory fees paid to our financial advisors.the HKFS Acquisition.
Sources of revenue
Wealth Management revenue is derived from multiple sources. We track sources of revenue, primary drivers of each revenue source, and recurring revenue. In addition, we focus on several business and key financial metrics in evaluating the success of our business relationships, our resulting financial position and operating performance. A summary of our sources of revenue and business and financial metrics is as follows:
(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31,Change
Sources of RevenuePrimary Drivers20202019$%
Financial professional-driven (1)Advisory- Advisory asset levels$314,751$252,367$62,384 25 %
Commission- Transactions
- Asset levels
- Product mix
185,201191,050(5,849)(3)%
Other revenueAsset-based- Cash balances
- Interest rates
- Number of accounts
- Client asset levels
23,68848,182(24,494)(51)%
Transaction and fee- Account activity
- Number of financial
professionals
- Number of clients
- Number of accounts
22,54916,3806,169 38 %
Total revenue$546,189$507,979$38,210 %
Total recurring revenue$464,944$422,128$42,816 10 %
Recurring revenue rate85.1 %83.1 %
____________________________
(1)Our “financial professionals” were formerly referred to as “advisors.”

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(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31, Change
 Sources of RevenuePrimary Drivers2019 2018 $ %
Advisor-drivenCommission
- Transactions
- Asset levels
- Product mix
$191,050
 $164,201
 $26,849
 16%
Advisory- Advisory asset levels252,367
 164,353
 88,014
 54%
Other revenueAsset-based
- Cash balances
- Interest rates
- Number of accounts
- Client asset levels
48,182
 31,456
 16,726
 53%
Transaction and fee- Account activity
- Number of clients
- Number of advisors
- Number of accounts
16,380
 13,164
 3,216
 24%
 Total revenue$507,979
 $373,174
 $134,805
 36%
 Total recurring revenue$422,128
 $303,117
 $119,011
 39%
 Recurring revenue rate83.1% 81.2%    
Recurring revenue consists of advisory fees, trailing commissions, advisory fees, fees from cash sweep programs, and certain transaction and fee revenue, all as described further under the headings Commission“Advisory revenue,,Advisory“Commission revenue,,Asset-based“Asset-based revenue,,” and Transaction“Transaction and fee revenue,,” respectively. Certain recurring revenues are associated with asset balances and fluctuate depending on market values and current interest rates. Accordingly, our recurring revenue can be negatively impacted by adverse external market conditions. However, we believe recurring revenue is meaningful despite these fluctuations because it is not dependent upon transaction volumes or other activity-based revenues, which are more difficult to predict, particularly in declining or volatile markets.


Business metrics
(In thousands, except percentages and as otherwise indicated)December 31,Change
20202019$%
Client assets balances:
Total client assets$82,961,244$70,644,385$12,316,859 17 %
Brokerage assets$47,357,687$43,015,221$4,342,466 10 %
Advisory assets$35,603,557$27,629,164$7,974,393 29 %
Advisory assets as a percentage of total client assets42.9 %39.1 %
Number of financial professionals (in ones) (1):
Independent financial professionals (2)3,7483,984(236)(6)%
In-house financial professionals (3)22— 22 N/A
Total number of financial professionals3,7703,984(214)(5)%
Advisory and commission revenue per financial professional (1) (4)132.6 111.3 21.319 %
(In thousands, except percentages and as otherwise indicated)Years Ended December 31, Change
 2019 2018 $ %
Total Client Assets$70,644,385
 $42,249,055
 $28,395,330
 67%
Brokerage Assets$43,015,221
 $29,693,650
 $13,321,571
 45%
Advisory Assets$27,629,164
 $12,555,405
 $15,073,759
 120%
Advisory assets as a percentage of total client assets39.1% 29.7%    
Number of advisors (in ones)3,984
 3,593
 391
 11%
Advisor-driven revenue per advisor111.3
 91.4
 19.9
 22%
____________________________
(1)Our “financial professionals” were formerly referred to as “advisors.”
(2)The number of independent financial professionals includes licensed financial professionals that work with Avantax Wealth Management and operate as independent contractors, as well as licensed referring representatives at CPA firms that partner with Avantax Planning Partners.
(3)The number of in-house financial professionals includes licensed financial planning consultants, all of which are employees of Avantax Planning Partners.
(4)Calculation based on advisory and commission revenue for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Client Assets. Total client assets (total client assets) includes assets that we hold directly or indirectly on behalf of clients under a safekeeping or custody arrangement or for which we provide administrative services for clients. To the extent that we provide more than one service for a client’s assets, the value of the asset is only counted once in the total amount of total client assets. Total client assets include advisory assets, non-advisory brokerage accounts, annuities, and mutual fund positions held directly with fund companies. These assets are not reported on the consolidated balance sheets.
Advisory assets (advisory assets) includes external client assets for which we provide investment advisory and management services, typically as a fiduciary under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Our compensation for providing such services is typically a fee based on the value of the advisory assets for each advisory client. These assets are not reported on the consolidated balance sheets.
Brokerage assets represents the difference betweenrepresent total clientclients assets andother than advisory assets.
AsTotal client assets increased $12.3 billion at December 31, 2020 compared to December 31, 2019 primarily due to $9.6 billion of favorable market change and client reinvestment levels and $4.5 billion in client assets acquired in the HKFS Acquisition. Partially offsetting this increase were net client outflows of $1.8 billion, which primarily occurred during the pandemic-influenced market disruption in the second quarter of 2020. In addition, net client outflows of $1.8 billion included $0.4 billion of outflows due to the departure of two in-house financial professionals.
At this time, we cannot predict with certainty the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and future financial market fluctuations on our client assets. However, the continued volatility in the U.S. and global economy and uncertainty in economic and financial markets due to the pandemic may cause declines in the amount of our
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total client assets. For more information on the risks associated with our Wealth Management business, see Part I, Item 1A under the subheading, “The current COVID-19 pandemic could have a Material Adverse Effect.”
Financial professionals. The Wealth Management business worked with a nationwide network of 3,770 financial professionals as of December 31, 2020. Avantax Wealth Management offers its tax-focused wealth management solutions through its network of financial professionals that operate as independent contractors. Avantax Planning Partners operates as a captive, or employee-based, RIA and wealth management business and utilizes a team of in-house financial professionals who partner with CPA firms in order to provide their consumer and small business clients with holistic planning and financial advisory services.
The number of our financial professionals decreased by 5% at December 31, 2020 compared to December 31, 2019, with the decrease primarily due to expected attrition following the integration of HD Vest and 1st Global, as well as the impact of financial professionals leaving the wealth management industry. The large majority of this attrition related to lower-producing financial professionals. The decrease in the number of financial professionals was partially offset by our recruitment of independent financial professionals, as well as the addition of financial professionals as a result of the HKFS Acquisition, which (as of the HKFS Acquisition date) included the addition of 19 in-house financial professionals and 131 licensed referring representatives at CPA firms that partner with Avantax Planning Partners.
Advisory revenue. Advisory revenue includes fees charged to clients in advisory accounts for which we are the RIA. These fees are based on the value of assets within these advisory accounts. For advisory revenues generated by Avantax Wealth Management, advisory fees are typically billed quarterly, in advance, and the related advisory revenues are deferred and recognized ratably over the period in which our performance obligations have been completed. For advisory revenues generated by Avantax Planning Partners, advisory fees are typically billed quarterly, in arrears, and the related advisory revenues are accrued and recognized ratably over the period in which our performance obligations were completed.
Advisory asset balances were as follows:
(In thousands)Years Ended December 31,Change
 20202019$%
Advisory assets—independent financial professionals (1)$30,804,532 $27,629,164 $3,175,368 11 %
Advisory assets—in-house financial professionals (2) (4)3,553,422 — 3,553,422 N/A
Retirement advisory assets—in-house financial professionals (3) (4)1,245,603 — 1,245,603 N/A
Total advisory assets$35,603,557 $27,629,164 $7,974,393 29 %
____________________________
(1)Represents individual client and retirement advisory assets for which Avantax Wealth Management serves as the RIA.
(2)Represents individual client advisory assets for which Avantax Planning Partners serves as the RIA.
(3)Represents advisory assets for which Avantax Planning Partners provides retirement plan services and serves as the RIA.
(4)The advisory assets associated with our in-house professionals were acquired in connection with the HKFS Acquisition.
The activity within our advisory assets was as follows:
(In thousands)Years Ended December 31,
 20202019
Balance, beginning of the period$27,629,164 $12,555,405 
Net increase in new advisory assets91,543 997,968 
Inflows from acquisitions (1)4,178,729 11,397,301 
Market impact and other3,704,121 2,678,490 
Balance, end of the period$35,603,557 $27,629,164 
Advisory revenue$314,751 $252,367 
Average advisory fee rate110 bps118 bps
____________________________
(1)Inflows from acquisitions for the year ended December 31, 2020 related to the HKFS Acquisition. Inflows from acquisitions for the year ended December 31, 2019 related to the 1st Global Acquisition.
For the year ended December 31, 2020, advisory assets increased $8.0 billion primarily due to $4.2 billion in advisory assets acquired in the HKFS Acquisition and $3.7 billion of favorable market change and client reinvestment levels. Advisory assets also benefited from a net increase in new advisory assets, although this increase was tempered by net outflows that occurred during the pandemic-influenced market disruption in the
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second quarter of 2020, as well as $0.4 billion of outflows that primarily occurred after the departure of two in-house financial professionals.
For the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019, advisory revenue increased by $62.4 million primarily due to advisory assets acquired in the 1st Global Acquisition and HKFS Acquisition. Partially offsetting this increase in May 2019, we obtained $20.0 billionadvisory revenue for the year ended December 31, 2020, advisory revenue was negatively affected by suppressed advisory asset levels in the first quarter of total client assets, $11.4 billion2020 that resulted from the financial market disruption and the COVID-19 pandemic. Advisory asset levels subsequently recovered but remain susceptible to future financial market disruptions. In addition, the average advisory fee rate decreased due to the lower advisory fee structures of advisory assets,1st Global and approximately 800 advisors from 1st Global.HKFS.
Commission revenue. The Wealth Management segment generates two types of commissions: (1) transaction-based commissions and (2) trailing commissions. Transaction-based commissions, which occur when clients trade securities or purchase investment products, represent gross commissions generated by our financial advisors.professionals. The level of transaction-based commissions can vary from period-to-period based on the overall economic environment, number of trading days in the reporting period, market volatility, interest rate fluctuations, and investment activity of our financial advisors’professionals’ clients. We earn trailing commissions (a commission or fee that is paid periodically over time) on certain mutual funds and variable annuities held by clients. Trailing commissions are recurring in nature and are based on the market value of investment holdings in trail-eligible assets.
Our commission revenue, by product category and by type of commission revenue, was as follows:
(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31, Change(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31,Change
2019 2018 $ % 20202019$%
By product category:       By product category:
Mutual funds$90,407
 $87,624
 $2,783
 3%Mutual funds$90,112 $90,407 $(295)— %
Variable annuities63,420
 51,199
 12,221
 24%Variable annuities63,014 63,420 (406)(1)%
Insurance19,282
 14,160
 5,122
 36%Insurance16,313 19,282 (2,969)(15)%
General securities17,941
 11,218
 6,723
 60%General securities15,762 17,941 (2,179)(12)%
Total commission revenue$191,050
 $164,201
 $26,849
 16%Total commission revenue$185,201 $191,050 $(5,849)(3)%
By type of commission:      
By type of commission:
Transaction-based$82,604
 $67,350
 $15,254
 23%Transaction-based$74,788 $82,604 $(7,816)(9)%
Trailing108,446
 96,851
 11,595
 12%Trailing110,413 108,446 1,967 %
Total commission revenue$191,050
 $164,201
 $26,849
 16%Total commission revenue$185,201 $191,050 $(5,849)(3)%
For the year ended December 31, 20192020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018:
Transaction-based2019, transaction-based commission revenue increased $15.3decreased $7.8 million primarily due to approximately $13.4 million of transaction-based commission revenuedecreased trade volumes and low alternative investment product sales, which resulted from 1st Global;the coronavirus pandemic and


Trailing related financial market disruption. Partially offsetting this decrease, trailing commission revenue increased $11.6$2.0 million primarily due to approximately $13.2 million ofincremental trailing commission revenue from 1st Global, partially offset by the conversion of certain client assetsGlobal. Trailing commissions revenue and transaction-based commission revenue remain susceptible to lower expense share classes.
Advisory revenue.Advisory revenue primarily includes fees charged to clientsbeing adversely affected in advisory accountsfuture periods in which Avantax is the Registered Investment Advisor (“RIA”)pandemic-influenced economic and is based on the value of advisory assets. Advisory fees are typically billed to clients quarterly, in advance, and are recognized as revenue ratably during the quarter. The value of the assets in an advisory account on the billing date determines the amount billed and, accordingly, the revenues earned in the following three-month period. The majority of our accounts are billed in advance using values as of the last business day of the prior calendar quarter.
Increases or decreases in advisory assets have a limited impact on advisory fee revenue in the period in which they occur. Rather, increases or decreases in advisory assets are a primary driver of future advisory fee revenue due to advisory fees being billed in advance. Advisory revenue for a particular quarter is predominately driven by the prior quarter-end advisory assets.
The activity within our advisory assets was as follows:
(In thousands)Years Ended December 31,
 2019 2018
Balance, beginning of the period$12,555,405
 $12,530,165
Net increase in new advisory assets997,968
 957,252
Inflows from the 1st Global Acquisition11,397,301
 
Market impact and other2,678,491
 (932,012)
Balance, end of the period$27,629,165
 $12,555,405
Advisory revenue$252,367
 $164,353
Average advisory fee rate118 bps
 127 bps
For the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018, advisory revenue increased by $88.0 million, including approximately $76.4 million resulting from the 1st Global Acquisition, as well as $11.6 million from our existing business. These revenue increases were primarily due to a $15.1 billion increase in advisory assets (including $11.4 billion in asset inflows from the 1st Global Acquisition), partially offset by a decrease in the average advisory fee rate, primarily due to the lower advisory fee structure of 1st Global, which was in effect for most of 2019.market factors remain present.
Asset-based revenue. Asset-based revenue primarily includes fees from financial product manufacturer sponsorship programs, cash sweep programs, asset-based retirement plan service fees, and other asset-based revenues.
For the year ended December 31, 20192020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018,2019, asset-based revenue increased $16.7decreased $24.5 million, (including approximately $9.6primarily due to a $20.8 million from 1st Global), primarily from higherdecrease in cash sweep revenues following changes inrevenue as a result of lower interest rates. In addition, revenue generated from financial product manufacturer sponsorship programs decreased by $4.2 million.
In March 2020, the Federal Reserve lowered its target range for the federal funds rate to 0.00-0.25%. As our cash sweep program, increasesrevenue is based on a rate derived from the federal funds rate, we expect continued lower cash sweep revenue in interest rates, and higher asset balances.future periods in which the federal funds rate is at reduced levels.
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Transaction and fee revenue. Transaction and fee revenue primarily includes support fees charged to advisors,financial professionals, fees charged for executing certain transactions in client accounts, and other fees related to services provided and other account charges as generally outlined in agreements with financial advisors,professionals, clients, financial institutions, and financial institutions.retirement plan sponsors.
For the year ended December 31, 20192020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018,2019, transaction and fee revenue increased $3.2$6.2 million (including approximately $2.3 million of revenues from 1st Global), primarily due to an increase in client fees chargedand financial professional fees as a result of the 1st Global Acquisition, in addition to advisors.


incremental transaction and fee revenue as a result of the HKFS Acquisition.
Tax Preparation
(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31, Change(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31,Change
2019 2018 $ % 20202019$%
Revenue$209,966
 $187,282
 $22,684
 12%Revenue$208,763$209,966$(1,203)(1)%
Operating income$96,249
 $87,249
 $9,000
 10%Operating income$49,621$96,249$(46,628)(48)%
Segment margin46% 47% 
  Segment margin24 %46 %
For the year ended December 31, 20192020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018,2019, Tax Preparation operating income increased $9.0decreased $46.6 million due to a $22.7$45.4 million increase in operating expenses, as well as a $1.2 million decrease in revenue.
Tax Preparation revenue decreased $1.2 million primarily due to a $2.8 million decrease in consumer revenue, partially offset by a $13.7$1.6 million increase in operating expenses.professional revenue.
Tax Preparation revenue increased $22.7 million, almost entirely due to an increase in consumer revenue as a result of price increases and a shift in product mix toward higher-priced products. While consumer e-files decreased 17%, this decrease was primarily due to a decrease in unpaid filers; and
Tax Preparation operating expenses increased $13.7$45.4 million primarily due to an increaseincreased marketing spend as a result of incremental investment in personnel costs supporting product development, an increase in software development expenses, and higher sales andMarch 2020 to address weak performance through the first two months of the tax season, as well as increased marketing consulting efforts, partially offset by reduced media spend.required due to the extended tax season.
Sources of revenue
Tax Preparation revenue is derived primarily from the sale of tax preparation digital services, ancillary services, packaged tax preparation software, and arrangements that may include a combination of these items. Ancillary services primarily include refund payment transfer and audit defense.
We classify Tax Preparation revenue into two different categories: consumer revenue and professional revenue. Consumer revenue represents Tax Preparation revenue derived from products sold to customers and businesses primarily for the preparation of individual or business tax returns. Professional revenue represents Tax Preparation revenue derived from products sold to tax return preparers who utilize our offerings to service end-user customers.
Revenue by category was as follows:
(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31,Change
 20202019$%
Consumer$192,226 $195,004 $(2,778)(1)%
Professional16,537 14,962 1,575 11 %
Total revenue$208,763 $209,966 $(1,203)(1)%
Business metrics
We measure the performance of our Tax Preparation business using three sets of non-financial metrics, which we consider to be important indicators of the performance of our Tax Preparation business and are especially relevant through the end of a completed tax season. These non-financial metrics include key performance indicators for our total Tax Preparation business, in addition to the consumer and professional tax preparation portions of the Tax Preparation business:
We measure our total tax preparation customers using the total number of accepted federal tax e-files completed by both our consumer tax preparation customers and our professional tax preparer customers.
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(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31, Change
 2019 2018 $ %
Consumer$195,004
 $172,207
 $22,797
 13 %
Professional14,962
 15,075
 (113) (1)%
Total revenue$209,966
 $187,282
 $22,684
 12 %
We measure our consumer tax preparation customers using the number of accepted federal tax e-files made through our software and digital services. We consider the volume of e-files to be an important non-financial metric in measuring the performance of the consumer side of the Tax Preparation business.
We measure our professional tax preparer customers using three metrics: (1) the number of accepted federal tax e-files made through our software, (2) the number of units sold, and (3) the number of e-files per unit sold. We consider growth in these areas to be important in measuring the performance of the professional tax preparer side of the Tax Preparation business.


ConsumerTotal, consumer, and professional metrics were as follows:
(In thousands, except percentages and asYears Ended December 31, Change(In thousands, except percentages and asYears Ended December 31,Change
otherwise indicated)2019 2018 $ %otherwise indicated)20202019Units%
Total e-files (1)Total e-files (1)5,319 5,250 69 %
Consumer:       Consumer:
Consumer e-files (1)3,239
 3,896
 (657) (17)%Consumer e-files (1)3,178 3,239 (61)(2)%
Professional:       Professional:
Professional e-files2,011
 1,916
 95
 5 %Professional e-files2,141 2,011 130 %
Units sold (in ones)20,746
 20,719
 27
  %Units sold (in ones)20,360 20,746 (386)(2)%
Professional e-files per unit sold (in ones)96.9
 92.5
 4.4
 4.8 %Professional e-files per unit sold (in ones)105.2 96.9 8.3 8.6 %
____________________________
(1)We participate in the Free File Alliance that is part of an IRS partnership that provides free electronic tax filing services to taxpayers meeting certain income-based guidelines. Free File Alliance e-files are included within consumer e-files above.
(1)We participate in the Free File Alliance that is part of an IRS partnership that provides free electronic tax filing services to taxpayers meeting certain income-based guidelines. Free File Alliance e-files are included within consumer e-files above.
For the year ended December 31, 20192020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018, consumer2019, total e-files decreased 17%increased primarily due to a 6% increase in professional e-files, partially offset by a 2% decrease in unpaid filers, while maintaining a stable number of monetized filers.consumer e-files.
Corporate-Level Activity
Certain corporate-level activity, including certain general and administrative costs (including(such as personnel and overhead costs), stock-based compensation, acquisition and integration costs, executive transition costs, headquarters relocation costs, depreciation, amortization of acquired intangible assets, and impairment of goodwill and an intangible asset, impairment, and restructuring, is not allocated to our segments.
Corporate levelCorporate-level activity by category iswas as follows:
(In thousands, except percentages)(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31,Change
20202019$%
(In thousands)Years Ended December 31, Change
2019 2018 $ %
Operating expenses$(27,361) $(20,495) $(6,866) 34 %
General and administrative expensesGeneral and administrative expenses$26,689 $27,361 $(672)(2)%
Stock-based compensation(16,300) (13,253) (3,047) 23 %Stock-based compensation10,066 16,300 (6,234)(38)%
Acquisition and integration costs(25,763) 
 (25,763) N/A
Acquisition and integration costs31,085 25,763 5,322 21 %
Executive transition costsExecutive transition costs10,701 — 10,701 N/A
Headquarters relocation costsHeadquarters relocation costs1,863 — 1,863 N/A
Depreciation(6,851) (5,003) (1,848) 37 %Depreciation10,162 6,851 3,311 48 %
Amortization of acquired intangible assets(37,357) (33,586) (3,771) 11 %Amortization of acquired intangible assets29,745 37,357 (7,612)(20)%
Impairment of intangible asset(50,900) 
 (50,900) N/A
Restructuring
 (288) 288
 (100)%
Impairment of goodwill and an intangible assetImpairment of goodwill and an intangible asset270,625 50,900 219,725 432 %
Total corporate-level activity$(164,532) $(72,625) $(91,907) 127 %Total corporate-level activity$390,936 $164,532 $226,404 138 %
For the year ended December 31, 20192020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018,2019, corporate-level activity increased $91.9$226.4 million primarily due to the following factors:
an increase in operating expenses primarily due to increases in headcount asFor the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized a resultgoodwill impairment charge of strategic initiatives;
an increase in stock-based compensation, primarily due to the impact from 1st Global, partially offset by a reduction in stock-based compensation for 2019 due to forfeitures as a result of executive departures;
acquisition and integration costs for 2019, primarily$270.6 million related to the 1st Global Acquisition;
an increase in depreciation expense, primarily due to increased amortization from depreciable assets acquired from 1st Global and internally-developed software fixed assets capitalized in 2019 and the latter part of 2018;
an increase in amortization expense, primarily due to increased amortization from intangible assets obtainedour Wealth Management reporting unit in the 1st Global Acquisition;first quarter of 2020. For additional information, see “Item 8. Financial Statements and
Supplementary Data—Note 5.” For the year ended December 31, 2019, we recognized an impairment charge of $50.9 million related to the HD Vest trade name intangible asset following the Rebranding.2019 Rebranding of the Wealth Management business in the third quarter of 2019.

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Executive transition costs of $10.7 million were recognized for the year ended December 31, 2020 due to the departure of certain Company executives.
Partially offsetting this increase in corporate-level expenses:
Amortization of acquired intangible assets decreased $7.6 million primarily due to TaxAct customer relationship intangible assets that completed their useful lives and ceased amortizing in early 2020, partially offset by an increase in amortization due to intangible assets acquired in the 1st Global Acquisition and the HKFS Acquisition.
Stock-based compensation decreased $6.2 million primarily due to stock award forfeitures resulting from executive departures in the first quarter of 2020 and the reversal of stock-based compensation expense for performance-based awards that are not expected to vest.
Acquisition and integration costs increased $5.3 million. For the year ended December 31, 2020, acquisition and integration expenses included $19.7 million related to the HKFS Acquisition and $11.4 million related to the 1st Global Acquisition. For the year ended December 31, 2019, acquisition and integration expense included $22.7 million related to the 1st Global Acquisition and $3.1 million related to the HKFS Acquisition.
OPERATING EXPENSES 
Cost of Revenue
(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31, Change(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31,Change
2019
2018
$
% 20202019$%
Wealth management services cost of revenue$352,081
 $253,580
 $98,501
 39 %Wealth management services cost of revenue$385,962 $352,081 $33,881 10 %
Tax preparation services cost of revenue10,691
 10,040
 651
 6 %Tax preparation services cost of revenue12,328 10,691 1,637 15 %
Amortization of acquired technology
 99
 (99) (100)%
Total cost of revenue$362,772
 $263,719
 $99,053
 38 %Total cost of revenue$398,290 $362,772 $35,518 10 %
Percentage of revenue51% 47%    Percentage of revenue53 %51 %
Cost of revenue consists of costs related to our Wealth Management and Tax Preparation businesses, which include commissions and advisory fees paid to independent financial advisors,professionals, payments made to CPA firms under fee sharing arrangements, third-party costs, and costs associated with the technical support team and the operation of our data centers. Data center costs include personnel expenses, the cost of temporary help and contractors, professional services fees, software support and maintenance, bandwidth and hosting costs, and depreciation.depreciation (including depreciation related to TaxAct software development costs). Cost of revenue also includesdoes not include compensation paid to in-house financial professionals in our Wealth Management business. As the amortizationin-house financial professionals are employees of acquired technology.Avantax Planning Partners, their compensation is reflected in “Sales and marketing” expense.
For the year ended December 31, 20192020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018,2019, cost of revenue increased $99.1$35.5 million primarily due to the following factors:
a $98.5$33.9 million increase in Wealth Management services cost of revenue, primarily due to an increase in commissions and advisory fees paid to our financial advisors, including approximately $80.0 millionprofessionals added as a result of commissions paid tothe 1st Global advisors;Acquisition; and
a $0.7$1.6 million increase in Tax Preparation services cost of revenue, primarily due to an increase in data centerincreased depreciation related to additional capitalized software costs for TaxAct.
In future periods, we expect increased Tax Preparation cost of revenue due to increased depreciation related to additional capitalized software costs.
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Engineering and Technology
(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31, Change(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31,Change
2019
2018
$
% 20202019$%
Engineering and technology$30,931
 $19,332
 $11,599
 60%Engineering and technology$27,258 $30,931 $(3,673)(12)%
Percentage of revenue4% 3%    Percentage of revenue%%
Engineering and technology expenses are associated with the research, development, support, and ongoing enhancements of our offerings, which include personnel expenses, the cost of temporary help and contractors, software support and maintenance, bandwidth and hosting, and professional services fees. Engineering and technology expenses do not include the costs of computer hardware and software that are capitalized, depreciated over their useful lives, and recognized on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss) as either “cost of revenue” or “depreciation.” For more information, see the “Cost of Revenue” and “Depreciation and Amortization of Acquired Intangible Assets” sections contained within this discussion of “Operating Expenses.”
For the year ended December 31, 20192020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018,2019, engineering and technology expenses increased $11.6decreased $3.7 million, primarily due to higherreduced expenses in our Wealth Management business, which were partially offset by increased headcount and consulting expensesfees in our Tax Preparation business, as well as approximately $2.6 million of costs from 1st Global, partially offset by a decrease resulting from clearing firm conversion costs we recognized for 2018.business.
Sales and Marketing
(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31, Change(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31,Change
2019 2018 $ % 20202019$%
Sales and marketing$126,205
 $111,361
 $14,844
 13%Sales and marketing$177,618 $126,205 $51,413 41 %
Percentage of revenue18% 20%    Percentage of revenue24 %18 %
Sales and marketing expenses primarily consist of marketing expenses associated with our Tax Preparation business (including expenses related to marketing agencies and media companies) and our Wealth Management business, personnel expenses, compensation paid to Avantax Planning Partners in-house financial professionals, the cost of temporary help and contractors, marketing expenses associated with our Wealth Management business and Tax Preparation business, and back office processing support expenses for our Wealth Management business.


For the year ended December 31, 20192020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018,2019, sales and marketing expenses increased $14.8$51.4 million primarily due to:
Higher expenses in our Wealth Management business, including approximately $14.1 million ofto increased advertising costs from 1st Global; and
Higher consulting efforts and headcount in our Tax Preparation business.
These increases were partially offset by reduced media spend in our Tax Preparation business during the extended tax season, as well as incremental sales and marketing costs resulting from the 1st Global Acquisition and HKFS Acquisition.
Assuming a decrease in costs related to our transitionreturn to a new clearing firm clearing firm that was completedtypical season in 2018,our Tax Preparation business (other than the delayed start date to tax season), we expect sales and marketing costs in our Tax Preparation business for 2021 to be lower stock-based compensation costs.than 2020 levels.
General and Administrative
(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31, Change(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31,Change
2019 2018 $ % 20202019$%
General and administrative$78,529
 $60,124
 $18,405
 31%General and administrative$82,158 $78,529 $3,629 %
Percentage of revenue11% 11%    Percentage of revenue11 %11 %
General and administrative (“G&A”) expenses primarily consist of expenses associated with personnel expenses, the cost of temporary help and contractors, professional services fees, general business development and management expenses, occupancy and general office expenses, business taxes, and insurance expenses.
For the year ended December 31, 20192020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018,2019, G&A expenses increased $18.4$3.6 million, primarily due to an increase in personnel costs related to increases in headcount and stock-based compensation (including $8.1$10.7 million of executive transition costs from 1st Global),and $1.9 million of headquarters relocation costs, partially offset by a decreasereduced stock-based compensation expense due to $8.5 million in prior period consulting expensesstock award forfeitures resulting from executive departures in 2020 and the reversal of stock-based compensation expense for performance-based awards that are not expected to vest. The executive transition costs primarily related to strategic initiatives.the departure of certain Company executives primarily in the first quarter of 2020.
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Acquisition and Integration
Year EndedYears Ended December 31,Change
(In thousands, except percentages)December 31, 2019(In thousands, except percentages)20202019$%
Employee-related expenses$5,241
Employee-related expenses$1,615 $5,241 $(3,626)(69)%
Professional services17,752
Professional services13,602 17,752 (4,150)(23)%
Change in fair value of HKFS Contingent ConsiderationChange in fair value of HKFS Contingent Consideration8,300 — 8,300 N/A
Other expenses2,770
Other expenses7,568 2,770 4,798 173 %
Total$25,763
Total$31,085 $25,763 $5,322 21 %
Percentage of revenue4%Percentage of revenue%%
Acquisition and integration expenses were primarily relatedrelate to transaction and integration costs for the 1st Global Acquisition and HKFS Acquisition and consist of employee-related expenses, professional services fees, and other expenses. We did not incur
For the year ended December 31, 2020, acquisition and integration expenses included $19.7 million related to the HKFS Acquisition and $11.4 million related to the 1st Global Acquisition. Acquisition and integration expenses for the yearsHKFS Acquisition in 2020 included an $8.3 million loss related to the fair value change of the HKFS Contingent Consideration liability. Acquisition and integration expenses for the 1st Global Acquisition in 2020 included a $4.1 million right-of-use asset impairment expense related to our former headquarters building lease (acquired in the 1st Global Acquisition). For the year ended December 31, 20182019, acquisition and 2017.integration expense included $22.7 million related to the 1st Global Acquisition and $3.1 million related to the HKFS Acquisition.
Depreciation and Amortization of Acquired Intangible Assets and Impairment of an Intangible Asset
(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31, Change(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31,Change
2019 2018 $ % 20202019$%
Depreciation$5,479
 $4,468
 $1,011
 23%Depreciation$7,293 $5,479 $1,814 33 %
Amortization of acquired intangible assets37,357
 33,487
 3,870
 12%Amortization of acquired intangible assets29,745 37,357 $(7,612)(20)%
Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets50,900
 
 50,900
 N/A
Total$93,736
 $37,955
 $55,781
 147%Total$37,038 $42,836 $(5,798)(14)%
Percentage of revenue13% 7%    Percentage of revenue%%
Depreciation of property and equipment includes depreciation of computer equipment and software, office equipment and furniture, and leasehold improvements. Amortization of acquired intangible assets primarily includes the amortization of client, advisor,financial professional, and sponsor relationships, which are amortized over their estimated lives.

For the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019, depreciation and amortization expense decreased $7.6 million primarily due to TaxAct customer relationship intangible assets that completed their useful lives and ceased amortizing in early 2020, partially offset by an increase in amortization due to intangibles acquired in the 1st Global Acquisition and the HKFS Acquisition, an increase in depreciation resulting from additional depreciable assets obtained in the 1st Global Acquisition and HKFS Acquisition, and additional depreciation from property and equipment put into service at our new headquarters in July 2020.

Impairment of Goodwill and an Intangible Asset
(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31,Change
 20202019$%
Impairment of goodwill and an intangible asset$270,625 $50,900 $219,725 432 %
Percentage of revenue36 %%
For the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized goodwill impairment of $270.6 million related to our Wealth Management reporting unit in the first quarter of 2020. For additional information, see “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 5.” For the year ended December 31, 2019, we recognized impairment of $50.9 million related to the HD Vest trade name intangible asset following the 2019 Rebranding of the Wealth Management business in the third quarter of 2019.
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OTHER LOSS, NET
(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31,Change
 20202019$%
Interest expense$24,570 $19,017 $5,553 29 %
Amortization of debt issuance costs1,372 1,042 330 32 %
Accretion of debt discounts693 228 465 204 %
Total interest expense26,635 20,287 6,348 31 %
Interest income(65)(449)384 86 %
Gain on the sale of a business(349)(3,256)2,907 89 
Non-capitalized debt issuance expenses3,687 — 3,687 N/A
Other1,396 333 1,063 319 %
Other loss, net$31,304 $16,915 $14,389 85 %
For the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018, amortization expense increased $3.9 million primarily due to the amortization of advisor relationships acquired in the 1st Global Acquisition. In connection with the Rebranding, the Company evaluated the HD Vest trade name indefinite-lived asset by performing a quantitative impairment test of that intangible asset. The quantitative impairment test determined that the carrying value of the HD Vest trade name exceeded its fair value. As a result, we recognized an impairment charge of $50.9 million on the “Impairment of intangible asset” lineon the consolidated statement of comprehensive income for the year ended December 31, 2019.
Other Loss, Net
(In thousands)Years Ended December 31, Change
 2019 2018 $ %
Interest expense$19,017
 $15,610
 $3,407
 22 %
Loss on debt extinguishment and amortization of debt issuance costs1,042
 2,367
 (1,325) (56)%
Accretion of debt discounts228
 163
 65
 40 %
Interest income(449) (349) (100) 29 %
Gain on sale of a business(3,256) 
 (3,256) N/A
Other333
 (1,994) 2,327
 (117)%
Other loss, net$16,915
 $15,797
 $1,118
 7 %
For the year ended December 31, 2019, compared to the year ended December 31, 2018, other loss, net, increased $1.1$14.4 million primarily due to the following factors:
a $3.4 million increase inTotal interest expense increased $6.3 million due to higher outstanding debt balances as a result of the $175.0 million increase in the Term Loan in the third quarter of 2020 and the $125.0 million increase in the term loan under the Senior Secured Credit Facility (as defined herein)Term Loan in the second quarter of 2019;2019. In addition, the increase in the Term Loan in the third quarter of 2020 resulted in the recognition of $3.7 million of non-capitalized debt issuance expenses.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, we recognized a $3.3 million gain on the sale of SimpleTax which wasSoftware Inc. (“SimpleTax”), a provider of digital tax preparation services for individuals in Canada, that we recognized in 2019 and included in “Gain on sale of a business” in the above table;Canada.
a $2.1 million gain on the sale of an investment that we recognized in 2018 and is included in “Other” in the above table; andINCOME TAXES
a loss on debt extinguishment related to debt prepayments that we recognized in 2018.
Income Taxes
(In thousands, except percentages)Years Ended December 31,Change
 20202019$%
Income tax benefit (expense)$(42,331)$65,054 $(107,385)(165)%
For 2019,2020, we recorded income tax benefitexpense of $65.1$42.3 million. Our effective income tax rate differed from the 21% statutory rate in 20192020 primarily due to a $56.9$56.8 million tax benefitexpense related to the partial releaseimpairment of goodwill (which is not deductible for tax purposes), $23.9 million tax expense related to the increase in the valuation allowances, and $4.1$21.1 million in excess tax benefits (windfalls) for stock compensation.write off of expired federal net operating loss.
At December 31, 2019,2020, we had deferred tax assets recorded for gross temporary differences representing future tax deductions of $593.4$489.0 million, primarily comprised of $391.9$249.2 million of federal net operating loss carryforwards and $109.3$108.3 million of federal capital loss carryforwards. We currently estimate that approximately $77.3 million and $20.8$206.7 million of federal net operating loss carryforwards will expire, if unutilized, in 20202021 through 2024, and 2021, respectively, and $106.3$108.3 million of federal capital loss carryforwards will expire, if unutilized, in 2021.2021 through 2023. We recorded a valuation allowance against deferred tax assets related to the federal net operating and capital loss carryforwards that are anticipated to expire unutilized. The ultimate realization of our deferred tax assets depends on our ability to generate future taxable income. Our actual future taxable income may differ from our projected taxable income as a result of differences in pre-tax income, as well as future originating book-tax differences, including excess tax benefits (windfalls) for stock compensation, which, due to inherent uncertainty, we do not forecast. In the future, if we determine more or less of the recognized net deferred tax assets is more likely than not to be realized, we will record a charge or benefit to the income statement to account for the further change in valuation allowance.



Given that we have released a large portion of valuation allowances associated with our NOLs during theFor 2019, fiscal year, we expect to have a higher annual effective tax rate for 2020, estimated at approximately 30%.
For 2018, we recorded income tax expensebenefit of $0.3$65.1 million. Our effective income tax rate differed from the 21% statutory rate in 20182019 primarily due to a $56.9 million tax benefit related to the reversalpartial release of valuation allowances previously recordedand $4.1 million in excess tax benefits (windfalls) for net operating losses used to offset current income tax expense, and the effectstock compensation.
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 56

Table of state income taxes.Contents


NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
Adjusted EBITDA
We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc., determined in accordance with GAAP, excluding the effects of stock-based compensation, depreciation and amortization of acquired intangible assets, restructuring, other loss, net, net income attributable to noncontrolling interests, acquisition and integration costs, impairment of goodwill and an intangible asset, executive transition costs, headquarters relocation costs, and income tax expense (benefit), and the impairment of an intangible asset. Restructuring costs relate to the move of our corporate headquarters that was completed in 2018. expense. Acquisition and integration costs primarily relate to the 1st Global Acquisition and the HKFS Acquisition. TheImpairment of goodwill relates to the impairment of our Wealth Management reporting unit goodwill that was recognized in the first quarter of 2020. Impairment of an intangible asset relates to the impairment of the HD Vest trade name intangible asset following the Rebranding.2019 Rebranding of the Wealth Management business in the third quarter of 2019. Executive transition costs relate to the departure of certain Company executives primarily in the first quarter of 2020. Headquarters relocation costs relate to the process of moving from our original Dallas office and Irving office to our new headquarters.
We believe that Adjusted EBITDA provides meaningful supplemental information regarding our performance. We use this non-GAAP financial measure for internal management and compensation purposes, when publicly providing guidance on possible future results, and as a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is a common measure used by investors and analysts to evaluate our performance, that it provides a more complete understanding of the results of operations and trends affecting our business when viewed together with GAAP results, and that management and investors benefit from referring to this non-GAAP financial measure. Items excluded from Adjusted EBITDA are significant and necessary components to the operations of our business and, therefore, Adjusted EBITDA should be considered as a supplement to, and not as a substitute for or superior to, GAAP net income.income (loss). Other companies may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently and, therefore, our Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.
A reconciliation of our Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc., which we believe to be the most comparable GAAP measure, is presented below:
(In thousands)Years Ended December 31,(In thousands)Years Ended December 31,
2019
2018
2017 20202019
Net income attributable to Blucora, Inc.$48,148
 $50,634
 $27,039
Net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc.Net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc.$(342,755)$48,148 
Stock-based compensation16,300
 13,253
 11,653
Stock-based compensation10,066 16,300 
Depreciation and amortization of acquired intangible assets44,208
 38,589
 38,139
Depreciation and amortization of acquired intangible assets39,907 44,208 
Restructuring
 288
 3,101
Other loss, net16,915
 15,797
 44,551
Other loss, net31,304 16,915 
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests
 935
 2,337
Acquisition and integration costs25,763
 
 
Acquisition and integration—Excluding change in fair value of HKFS Contingent ConsiderationAcquisition and integration—Excluding change in fair value of HKFS Contingent Consideration22,785 25,763 
Acquisition and integration—Change in fair value of HKFS Contingent ConsiderationAcquisition and integration—Change in fair value of HKFS Contingent Consideration8,300 — 
Income tax expense (benefit)(65,054) 311
 (25,890)Income tax expense (benefit)42,331 (65,054)
Impairment of intangible asset50,900
 
 
Impairment of goodwill and an intangible assetImpairment of goodwill and an intangible asset270,625 50,900 
Executive transition costsExecutive transition costs10,701 — 
Headquarters relocation costsHeadquarters relocation costs1,863 — 
Adjusted EBITDA$137,180
 $119,807
 $100,930
Adjusted EBITDA$95,127 $137,180 
Non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per share
We define non-GAAP net income (loss) as net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc., determined in accordance with GAAP, excluding the effects of stock-based compensation, amortization of acquired intangible assets (including acquired technology), the impairment of goodwill and an intangible asset, accretion and write-off of debt discount and debt issuance costs on previous debt, gain on the sale of a business, acquisition-acquisition and integration-relatedintegration costs, restructuringexecutive transition costs, net income attributable to noncontrolling interests,headquarters relocation costs, non-capitalized debt issuance expenses, the related cash tax impact of those adjustments, and non-cash income taxes. The write-off of debt discount and debt issuance costs on our formerly outstanding convertible senior notes and the closed TaxAct - HD Vest 2015 credit facility related to the debt refinancing that occurred in the second quarter of 2017.tax (benefit) expense. We exclude the non-cash portion of income taxes because of our ability to offset a substantial portion of our cash tax liabilities by using deferred tax assets, which primarily consist of U.S. federal net operating losses. The majority of these net operating losses will expire, if unutilized, between 20202021 and 2024. Gain on the sale of a business relates to the disposition of SimpleTax in the third quarter of 2019 and the subsequent working capital adjustment in the third quarter of 2020. Non-capitalized debt issuance expense relates to the expense recognized as a result of the Term Loan increase in the third quarter of 2020. For more information on our Term Loan, see “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 6.”
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We believe that non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per share provide meaningful supplemental information to management, investors, and analysts regarding our performance and the valuation of our business by excluding items in the statement of operations that we do not consider part of our ongoing operations or that have not been, or are not expected to be, settled in cash. Additionally, we believe that non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP


net income per share are common measures used by investors and analysts to evaluate our performance and the valuation of our business. Non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per share should be evaluated in light of our financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP and should be considered as a supplement to, and not as a substitute for or superior to, GAAP net income (loss) and GAAP net income (loss) per share. Other companies may calculate these non-GAAP measures differently, and, therefore, our non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per share may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.
A reconciliation of our non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per share to net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc. and net income (loss) per share attributable to Blucora, Inc., respectively, which we believe to be the most comparable GAAP measures, is presented below:
(In thousands, except per share amounts)Years Ended December 31,
 2019 2018 2017
Net income attributable to Blucora, Inc.$48,148
 $50,634
 $27,039
Stock-based compensation16,300
 13,253
 11,653
Amortization of acquired intangible assets37,357
 33,586
 34,002
Impairment of intangible asset50,900
 
 
Accretion and write-off of debt discount and debt issuance costs on previous debt
 
 17,875
Gain on sale of a business(3,256) 
 
Acquisition and integration costs25,763
 
 
Restructuring costs
 288
 3,101
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests
 935
 2,337
Cash tax impact of adjustments to GAAP net income(2,396) (2,257) (6)
Non-cash income tax benefit(68,618) (2,403) (26,853)
Non-GAAP net income$104,198
 $94,036
 $69,148
Per diluted share:     
Net income attributable to Blucora, Inc. (1)$0.98
 $0.90
 $0.57
Stock-based compensation0.33
 0.27
 0.25
Amortization of acquired intangible assets0.76
 0.68
 0.72
Impairment of intangible asset1.03
 
 
Accretion and write-off of debt discount and debt issuance costs on previous debt
 
 0.37
Gain on sale of a business(0.07) 
 
Acquisition and integration costs0.52
 
 
Restructuring
 0.01
 0.07
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests
 0.14
 0.05
Cash tax impact of adjustments to GAAP net income(0.05) (0.05) 
Non-cash income tax benefit(1.39) (0.05) (0.57)
Non-GAAP net income$2.11
 $1.90
 $1.46
Weighted average shares outstanding used in calculating Non-GAAP net income per share49,282
 49,381
 47,211
(In thousands, except per share amounts)Years Ended December 31,
 20202019
Net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc.$(342,755)$48,148 
Stock-based compensation10,066 16,300 
Amortization of acquired intangible assets29,745 37,357 
Impairment of goodwill and an intangible asset270,625 50,900 
Gain on sale of a business(349)(3,256)
Acquisition and integration—Excluding change in fair value of HKFS Contingent Consideration22,785 25,763 
Acquisition and integration—Change in fair value of HKFS Contingent Consideration8,300 — 
Executive transition costs10,701 — 
Headquarters relocation costs1,863 — 
Non-capitalized debt issuance expenses3,687 — 
Cash tax impact of adjustments to GAAP net income(1,647)(2,396)
Non-cash income tax (benefit) expense41,059 (68,618)
Non-GAAP net income$54,080 $104,198 
Per diluted share:
Net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc. (1)$(7.10)$0.98 
Stock-based compensation0.21 0.33 
Amortization of acquired intangible assets0.61 0.76 
Impairment of goodwill and an intangible asset5.61 1.03 
Gain on sale of a business(0.01)(0.07)
Acquisition and integration—Excluding change in fair value of HKFS Contingent Consideration0.47 0.52 
Acquisition and integration—Change in fair value of HKFS Contingent Consideration0.17 — 
Executive transition costs0.22 — 
Headquarters relocation costs0.04 — 
Non-capitalized debt issuance expenses0.08 — 
Cash tax impact of adjustments to GAAP net income(0.03)(0.05)
Non-cash income tax (benefit) expense0.85 (1.39)
Non-GAAP net income$1.12 $2.11 
Weighted average shares outstanding used in calculating Non-GAAP net income per share48,244 49,282 
____________________________
(1)
Any difference in per diluted shareAny difference in the “per diluted share” amounts between this table and the consolidated statements of comprehensive income is due to using different weighted average shares outstanding in the event that there is GAAP net loss but non-GAAP net income and vice versa.
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 58



LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Our principal source of liquidity is our cash and cash equivalents. As of December 31, 2019,2020, we had cash and cash equivalents of $80.8$150.1 million. Our Avantax Wealth Management broker-dealer subsidiary operates in a highly regulated industry and is subject to various regulatory capital requirements. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can initiate certain mandatory and possible additional discretionary actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have substantial monetary and non-monetary impacts on Avantax’sAvantax Wealth Management’s operations. As of December 31, 2019,2020, Avantax Wealth Management met all capital adequacy requirements to which it was subject.
We generally invest our excess cash in high quality marketable investments, which primarily consist of money market funds invested inthat are made up of securities issued by agencies of the U.S.U.S government. We may invest, from time-to-time, in other vehicles, such as debt instruments issued by the U.S. federal government and its agencies, international governments, municipalities, and publicly held corporations, as well as commercial paper and insured time deposits with commercial banks. Specific holdings can vary from period to period depending upon our cash requirements. Our financial instrument investments held at December 31, 20192020 had minimal default risk and short-term maturities.
Historically, we have financed our operations primarily from cash provided by operating activities and access to credit markets. Our historical uses of cash have been funding our operations, capital expenditures, business combinations that enhance our strategic position, and share repurchases under our share repurchase program.programs. We plan to finance our operating, working capital, regulatory capital requirements at our broker-dealer subsidiary, and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months largely through cash and cash equivalents. However, the underlying levels of revenues and expenses that we project may not prove to be accurate, and, from time to time, we may be requiredmake a determination to draw on our revolving credit facilitythe Revolver (as defined below) or increase the principal amount of our term loanthe Term Loan to meet our capital requirements. requirements, subject to customary terms and conditions.
Since our results of operations are sensitive to various factors, including, among others, the level of competition we face, regulatory and legal impacts, and political and economic conditions, such factors could adversely affect our liquidity and capital resources. In addition, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have experienced and may continue to experience near- to mid-term volatility in our results of operations that could further increase our liquidity needs. Due to this volatility, we have taken several measures to ensure proper liquidity levels. We are maintaining flexibility in our cash flows by applying a heightened sense of focus in monitoring and managing our cash needs. In the first quarter of 2020, we accessed our Revolver for temporary liquidity needs and subsequently repaid such borrowings in full. In addition, we increased the principal outstanding under our Term Loan to fund the HKFS Acquisition and provide additional working capital flexibility. Overall, we believe these measures provide us with the capital flexibility to satisfy our obligations, fund our operations, and invest in our businesses.
For further discussion of the risks to our business related to liquidity, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors” under the heading “Existing cash and cash equivalents and cash generated from operations may not be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for servicing debt, working capital, and capital expenditures.”
We may use our cash and cash equivalents in the future to invest in our current businesses, for repayment of debt, for acquiring companies or assets, for stock buybacks,share repurchases, for returning capital to stockholders, or for other utilizations that we deem to be in the best interests of stockholders.
Indebtedness
In May 2017, we entered into a credit agreement (as the same has been amended, the “Credit Agreement”) with a syndicate of lenders that provides for a term loan facility (the “Term Loan”) and a revolving line of credit (including a letter of credit sub-facility) (the “Revolver”) for working capital, capital expenditures, and general business purposes (as amended, the Senior Secured Credit Facility). After we increased the outstanding principal amount ofThe Revolver and the Term Loan by $125.0 million to finance the 1st Global Acquisition, the Senior Secured Credit Facility provides for up to $565.0 million of borrowings, consisting of a committed $65.0 million under the Revolver and a $500.0 million Term Loan that mature on May 22, 2022 and May 22, 2024, respectively. Obligations under the Senior Secured Credit Facility are guaranteed
On July 1, 2020, we increased our Term Loan by certain of Blucora’s subsidiaries and secured by substantially all the assets$175.0 million. Approximately $104.4 million of the proceeds from the increase to the Term Loan were used to fund the purchase price of the HKFS Acquisition, as well as to pay related fees and expenses. We intend to use the remainder of the proceeds from the increase to the Term Loan for general corporate purposes. The Company is required to make principal amortization payments on the Term Loan quarterly on the last business day of each March, June, September, and certainDecember, beginning on September 30,
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 59

Table of its subsidiaries. Contents
2020, in an amount equal to $0.5 million (subject to reduction for prepayments), with the remaining principal amount of the Term Loan due on the maturity date of May 22, 2024.
At December 31, 2019, there were $399.72020, we had $563.2 million in outstanding borrowings under the Senior Secured Credit Facility, including $389.7 million and $10.0 million in principal amount outstanding under the Term Loan and no amounts outstanding under the Revolver, respectively.Revolver. Based on aggregate loan commitments as of December 31, 2019,2020, approximately $165.3$65.0 million was available for future borrowing under the Senior Secured Credit Facility.Facility, subject to customary terms and conditions.
In connection with the previously announced HKFS Acquisition, we expect to pay the purchase price of $160.0 million with an incremental loan under the Senior Secured Credit Facility that is anticipated to be entered into on or about the time of the closing of the HKFS Acquisition, which is expected to close after all closing conditions are met. In addition, we plan to pay off the outstanding balance of the Revolver prior to closing.
The interest rateFor additional information on the Term Loan, is variable atRevolver, and the London Interbank Offered Rate, plus the applicable interest rate margin of 3.00% for Eurodollar Rate loansCredit Agreement, see, “Item 8. Financial Statements and 2.00% for ABR loans.


Commencing December 31, 2019, principal payments of the Term Loan are due on a quarterly basis in an amount equal to $312,500 (subject to reduction for prepayments), with the remaining principal amount due on the maturity date of May 22, 2024. We have the right to prepay the Term Loan and outstanding amounts under the Revolver without any premium or penalty (other than customary Eurodollar breakage costs). Prepayments on the Term Loan are subject to certain prepayment minimums. We may be required to make annual prepayments on the Term Loan in an amount equal to a percentage of excess cash flow of the Company during the applicable fiscal year from 0% to 50%, depending on the Consolidated First Lien Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Senior Secured Credit Facility agreement) for such fiscal year. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we made prepayments of $0.3 million towards the Term Loan. For the year ended December 31, 2018, we made prepayments of $80.0 million towards the Term Loan.
Depending on our Consolidated First Lien Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Senior Secured Credit Facility agreement), the applicable interest rate margin on the Revolver is 2.75% to 3.25% for Eurodollar Rate loans and 1.75% to 2.25% for ABR loans. Interest is payable at the end of each interest period.Supplementary Data—Note 6.”
Share Repurchase Plan
On March 19, 2019, we announced that our board of directors authorized a stock repurchase plan pursuant to which we may repurchase up to $100.0 million of our common stock. Pursuant to the plan, share repurchases may be made through a variety of methods, including open market or privately negotiated transactions. The timing and number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors, including price, general business and market conditions, and alternative investment opportunities. Our repurchase program does not obligate us to repurchase any specific number of shares, and may be suspended or discontinued at any time. In addition, any repurchases of our stock pursuant to the stock repurchase plan may materially reduce the amount of cash wetime, and does not have available and may not materially enhance the long-term value of our business or our stock. a specified expiration date.
For the year ended December 31, 2019,2020, we repurchased 1.3 milliondid not repurchase any shares of our common stock for an aggregate purchase priceunder the stock repurchase plan. As of $28.4 million.December 31, 2020, there was approximately $71.7 million in remaining capacity under the stock repurchase plan. In assessing our capital allocation priorities, we do not expect to make additional share repurchases in the near term.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
Our contractual obligations and commitments are as follows for years ending December 31:
(In thousands)2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Thereafter Total(In thousands)20212022202320242025ThereafterTotal
Operating lease commitments:             Operating lease commitments:
Operating lease obligations (1) (2)$3,715
 $2,275
 $4,714
 $4,817
 $4,919
 $35,418
 $55,858
Operating lease obligations (1)Operating lease obligations (1)$2,758 $5,151 $5,236 $5,119 $5,014 $30,323 $53,601 
Sublease income(991) 
 
 
 
 
 (991)Sublease income(443)(544)(557)(570)(583)(198)(2,895)
Net operating lease commitments2,724
 2,275
 4,714
 4,817
 4,919
 35,418
 54,867
Net operating lease commitments2,315 4,607 4,679 4,549 4,431 30,125 50,706 
Purchase commitments14,759
 6,866
 5,150
 3,244
 1,500
 5,625
 37,144
Purchase commitments (2)Purchase commitments (2)16,072 8,930 7,629 5,546 4,671 7,969 50,817 
Debt commitment—Term Loan1,250
 1,250
 1,250
 1,250
 384,688
 
 389,688
Debt commitment—Term Loan1,812 1,812 1,812 557,720 — — 563,156 
Debt commitment—Revolver10,000
 
 
 
 
 
 10,000
Interest payable19,507
 19,126
 18,920
 18,757
 7,793
 
 84,103
Interest payable28,844 28,559 28,330 11,770 — — 97,503 
HKFS Contingent ConsiderationHKFS Contingent Consideration17,900 18,000 — — — — 35,900 
Total$48,240
 $29,517
 $30,034
 $28,068
 $398,900
 $41,043
 $575,802
Total$66,943 $61,908 $42,450 $579,585 $9,102 $38,094 $798,082 
____________________________
(1)
Operating lease obligations include obligations due to short-term leases. In accordance with the short-term lease practical expedient in Accounting Standards Codification 842, Leases, we do not record a lease liability for short-term leases.Operating lease obligations include obligations due to short-term leases. In accordance with the short-term lease practical expedient in Accounting Standards Codification 842, Leases, we do not record a lease liability for short-term leases.
(2)Our purchase commitments primarily consist of outsourced IT and marketing services, commitments to our portfolio management tool vendor, commitments to our clearing firm provider, and commitments for financial professional support programs.
(2)
Operating lease obligations include obligations relating to our new corporate headquarters office lease, which will be located in Coppell, TX. The corporate headquarters building will replace our Irving, Texas corporate office and our additional office located in Dallas, TX. Lease payments will commence in August 2021 and end in June 2033, and will result in $45.3 million in undiscounted lease payments during this time period.
The contractual obligations and commitments table presented above does not reflect unrecognized tax benefits of approximately $6.3$7.5 million, the timing of which is uncertain. For additional discussion on unrecognized tax benefits, see “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 16.15.
As part of HKFS Acquisition, the purchase price paid by us is subject to two potential post-closing earn-out payments. The amount of the HKFS Contingent Consideration is determined based on advisory asset levels and the achievement of certain performance goals (i) for the period beginning on July 1, 2020 and ending on July 1, 2021 and (ii) for the period beginning on July 1, 2021 and ending on July 1, 2022. Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the maximum aggregate amount that we would be required to pay for each earn-out period is $30.0 million, provided that any unearned amounts during the first earn-out period may also be earned during the second earn-out
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Table of Contents
period. If the asset values on the applicable measurement date fall below certain specified thresholds, we would not be required to make any earn-out payment to the Sellers for such period.
The estimated fair value (as calculated in accordance with GAAP) of the HKFS Contingent Consideration liability was $35.9 million as of December 31, 2020. While this amount was calculated in accordance with the fair value guidance contained in ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements, there are a number of assumptions and estimates factored into these fair values (including a risk-adjusted discount rate), and actual earn-out payments could differ from these estimated fair values.
Off-balance Sheet Arrangements
We have no off-balance sheet arrangements.


Cash Flows
Our cash flows were comprised of the following:
(In thousands)Years Ended December 31,  (In thousands)Years Ended December 31,
2019 2018 Change ($) 20202019Change ($)
Net cash provided by operating activities$92,804
 $105,548
 $(12,744)Net cash provided by operating activities$44,079 $92,804 $(48,725)
Net cash used by investing activities(169,594) (7,633) (161,961)Net cash used by investing activities(140,706)(169,594)28,888 
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities77,836
 (74,804) 152,640
Net cash provided by continuing operations1,046
 23,111
 (22,065)
Net cash provided by financing activitiesNet cash provided by financing activities160,939 77,836 83,103 
Net increase in cash, before the effect of exchange rate changesNet increase in cash, before the effect of exchange rate changes64,312 1,046 63,266 
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents38
 (56) 94
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents— 38 (38)
Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash$1,084
 $23,055
 $(21,971)Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash$64,312 $1,084 $63,228 
Net cash from operating activities
Net cash from the operating activities of continuing operations consists of net income (loss), offset by certain non-cash adjustments, and changes in our working capital. Operating cash flows and changes in working capital were as follows:
(In thousands)Years Ended December 31,  (In thousands)Years Ended December 31,
2019 2018 Change ($) 20202019Change ($)
Net income$48,148
 $51,569
 $(3,421)
Net income (loss)Net income (loss)$(342,755)$48,148 $(390,903)
Non-cash adjustments47,032
 51,406
 (4,374)Non-cash adjustments384,011 47,032 336,979 
Operating cash flows before working capital95,180
 102,975
 (7,795)
Changes in working capital(2,376) 2,573
 (4,949)
Operating cash flows before changes in operating assets and liabilitiesOperating cash flows before changes in operating assets and liabilities41,256 95,180 (53,924)
Changes in operating assets and liabilitiesChanges in operating assets and liabilities2,823 (2,376)5,199 
Net cash provided by operating activities$92,804
 $105,548
 $(12,744)Net cash provided by operating activities$44,079 $92,804 $(48,725)
Net cash provided by operating activities for 20192020 included $95.2$41.3 million of operating cash flows before working capitalchanges in operating assets and $2.4liabilities and $2.8 million of working capital changes.changes in operating assets and liabilities. For the year ended December 31, 20192020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018,2019, the $7.8$53.9 million decrease in operating cash flows before working capitalchanges in operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to acquisition and integration costs incurred in 2019, partially offset by increases in operatingthe following factors:
Operating income from our Wealth Management and Tax Preparation businesses. business decreased $46.6 million; and
Executive transition costs of $10.7 million were recognized due to the departure of certain Company executives.
The changes in working capital for 2019operating assets and liabilities of $5.2 million were primarily due to the reduction of deferred revenue assumed inworking capital adjustments from the 1st Global Acquisition partially offset by the reduction in prepaid expenses acquired in the 1st Global Acquisition.2019.
Net cash provided by operating activities for 2018 included $103.0 million




Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 61

Table of operating cash flows before working capital and $2.6 million of working capital changes. The working capital contribution was primarily driven by clearing firm conversion incentives and the timing of accruals.Contents
Net cash from investing activities
Net cash fromused by investing activities of continued operations primarily consists of cash outlays for business acquisitions, transactions (purchasesnet of and proceeds from sales and maturities) related to our investments, andcash acquired, purchases of property and equipment. Our investing activities tend to fluctuateequipment, proceeds from period-to-period primarily based upon the levelsale of a business, and the acquisition activity.of a customer relationship. Investing cash flows were as follows:
(In thousands)Years Ended December 31,  (In thousands)Years Ended December 31,
2019 2018 Change 20202019Change ($)
Business acquisition, net of cash acquired$(166,560) $
 $(166,560)Business acquisition, net of cash acquired$(101,910)$(166,560)$64,650 
Purchases of property and equipment(10,501) (7,633) (2,868)Purchases of property and equipment(36,002)(10,501)(25,501)
Proceeds from sale of a business, net of cash7,467
 
 7,467
Proceeds from sale of a business, net of cash349 7,467 (7,118)
Acquisition of customer relationshipsAcquisition of customer relationships(3,143)— $(3,143)
Net cash used by investing activities$(169,594) $(7,633) $(161,961)Net cash used by investing activities$(140,706)$(169,594)$28,888 
Net cash used by investing activities was $140.7 million and $169.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, consisted of $166.6respectively. The $28.9 million ofdecrease in cash spentused by investing activities was primarily due to cash outlays for the HKFS Acquisition in connection withJuly 2020 as compared to the 1st Global Acquisition and $10.5 million in purchases of property and equipment,May 2019. This decrease was partially offset by an increase in cash outlays for office equipment and leasehold improvements related to the new headquarters office building, as well as additional capitalized software costs. Net cash from investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2019 also included $7.5 million in net proceeds received from the sale of SimpleTax.


Net cash used by investing activities for 2018 consisted of $7.6 million in purchases of property and equipment.
Net cash from financing activities
Net cash from the financing activities of continuing operations primarily consists of transactions related to the issuance of debt and stock. Our financing activities tend to fluctuate from period-to-period based upon our financing needs. Financing cash flows were as follows:
(In thousands)Years Ended December 31,  (In thousands)Years Ended December 31,
2019 2018 Change 20202019Change ($)
Proceeds from credit facilities, net of debt issuance costs and debt discount$131,489
 $
 $131,489
Proceeds from credit facilities, net of debt issuance costs and debt discount$226,278 $131,489 $94,789 
Payments on credit facilities(313) (80,000) 79,687
Payments on credit facilities(66,531)(313)(66,218)
Stock repurchases(28,399) 
 (28,399)Stock repurchases— (28,399)28,399 
Payment of redeemable noncontrolling interests(24,945) 
 (24,945)Payment of redeemable noncontrolling interests— (24,945)24,945 
Proceeds from stock option exercises4,387
 12,773
 (8,386)Proceeds from stock option exercises97 4,387 (4,290)
Proceeds from issuance of stock through employee stock purchase plan2,212
 2,100
 112
Proceeds from issuance of stock through employee stock purchase plan2,258 2,212 46 
Tax payments from shares withheld for equity awards(5,652) (8,362) 2,710
Tax payments from shares withheld for equity awards(1,163)(5,652)4,489 
Contingent consideration payments for business acquisition(943) (1,315) 372
Contingent consideration payments for business acquisition— (943)943 
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities$77,836
 $(74,804) $152,640
Net cash provided by financing activitiesNet cash provided by financing activities$160,939 $77,836 $83,103 
Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 primarily consisted of $226.3 million of additional borrowings under the Senior Credit Facility (which included a $175.0 million increase to our Term Loan in July 2020 in order to fund the HKFS Acquisition), partially offset by $66.5 million of repayments on existing indebtedness.
Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2019 primarily consisted of $131.5 million of additional borrowings under the Senior Secured Credit Facility to finance the 1st Global Acquisition and $6.6 million of combined proceeds from the issuance of common stock related to stock option exercises and the employee stock purchase plan. These cash inflows were partially offset by cash outflows of $28.4 million for share repurchases, $24.9 million to settle redeemable noncontrolling interests related to the acquisition of HD Vest in 2015, and $5.7 million in tax payments from shares withheld for equity awards.
Net cash used by financing activities for 2018 primarily consisted
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 62

Table of prepayments of $80.0 million towards the Term Loan under the Senior Secured Credit Facility, $8.4 million in tax payments from shares withheld for equity awards, and $1.3 million in contingent consideration paid related to the acquisition of SimpleTax. These cash outflows were offset by $14.9 million in combined proceeds from the issuance of common stock related to stock option exercises and the employee stock purchase plan.Contents
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the disclosures included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses, and disclosure of contingencies. In some cases, we could have reasonably used different accounting policies and estimates.
The SEC has defined a company’s most critical accounting policies as the ones that are the most important to the portrayal of the company’s financial condition and results of operations and which require the company to make its most difficult and subjective judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates of matters that are inherently uncertain. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate the estimates used. We base our estimates on historical experience, current conditions, and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances and, based on information available to us at that time, we make judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources as well as identify and assess our accounting treatment with respect to commitments and contingencies. Actual results may differ significantly from these estimates under different assumptions, judgments, or conditions. We believe the following critical accounting policies involve the moremost significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements, and we continually update and assess the facts and circumstances regarding all of these critical accounting matters and other significant accounting matters affecting estimates in our financial statements. These critical accounting estimates are also described in "Item"Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 2.“


2.”
Wealth managementManagement revenue recognition
Wealth management revenue primarily consists of commissionadvisory revenue, advisorycommission revenue, asset-based revenue, and transaction and fee revenue. Wealth management revenue is earned from customers primarily located in the United States.
Revenue is recognized upon the transfer of services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for those services. Payments received by us in advance of the performance of service are deferred and recognized as revenue when earned.we have satisfied our performance obligation.
Advisory revenue includes fees charged to clients in advisory accounts for which we are the RIA. These fees are based on the value of assets within these advisory accounts. For advisory revenues generated by Avantax Wealth Management, advisory fees are typically billed quarterly, in advance, and the related advisory revenues are deferred and recognized ratably over the period in which our performance obligations have been completed. For advisory revenues generated by Avantax Planning Partners, advisory fees are typically billed quarterly, in arrears, and the related advisory revenues are accrued and recognized over the period in which our performance obligations were completed.
Commissions represent amounts generated by clients’ purchases and sales of securities and investment products. We serve as the registered broker-dealer or insurance agent for those trades. We generate two types of commissions: (1) transaction-based commissions and (2) trailing commissions. Transaction-based commissions are generated on a per-transaction feebasis and are recognized as revenue on the trade date, which is when our performance obligations have been substantially completed. Trailing commissions are earned by us based on our ongoing account support to clients of our advisors.clients. Trailing commissions are based on a percentage of the current market value of clients’ investment holdings in trail-eligible assets and recognized over the period during which our services are performed. Since trailing commission revenue is generally paid in arrears, we estimate it based on a number of factors, including historical payout ratios, as well as stock market index levels and the amount of trailing commission revenues received in prior periods. These estimates are primarily based on historical information, and there is not significant judgment involved.
A substantial portion of advisory revenue and commission revenue is ultimately paid to our financial advisors. Weprofessionals. In Avantax Wealth Management, advisory fee payments to financial professionals typically occur at the beginning of the quarter, in advance, and therefore do not result in an advisory fee payable amount at quarter end. In Avantax Planning Partners, advisory fee payments (which are primarily composed of payments to CPA firms under fee sharing arrangements) are typically made quarterly, in arrears, and we record an estimate for the advisory fee payable based on the historical payout ratios and financial market movement for the period. For transaction-based commissions, we record an estimate for commissions payable based upon the payout rate of the financial advisorprofessional generating the accrued commission revenue. WeFor trailing commissions, we record an estimate for
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Table of Contents
trailing commissions payable based upon historical payout ratios. Such amounts are recorded as “Commissions and advisory fees payable” on the consolidated balance sheets and “Wealth management services cost of revenue” on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.
Advisory revenue includes fees charged to clients in advisory accounts for which we are the registered investment advisor. These fees are based on the value of assets within these advisory accounts. Advisory revenues are deferred and recognized ratably over the period (typically quarterly) in which our performance obligations have been completed.
Asset-based revenue primarily includes fees from financial product manufacturer sponsorship programs, cash sweep programs, and other asset-based revenues, primarily including margin revenues and areasset-based retirement plan service fees, and is recognized ratably over the period in which services are provided.
Transaction and fee revenue primarily includes (1) support fees charged to advisors,financial professionals, which are recognized over time as advisory services are provided, (2) fees charged for executing certain transactions in client accounts, which are recognized on a trade-date basis, and (3) other fees related to services provided and other account charges as generally outlined in agreements with financial advisors,professionals, clients, and financial institutions, which are recognized as services are performed or as earned, as applicable.
Tax preparationPreparation revenue recognition
We generate revenue from the sale of tax preparation digital services, packaged tax preparation software, ancillary services, and multiple element arrangements that may include a combination of these items. Tax Preparation revenue is earned from customers primarily located in the United States.
Digital revenues include revenues associated with our digital software products sold to customers and businesses primarily for the preparation of individual or business tax returns, and digital revenues are generally recognized when customers and businesses complete and file returns. Digital revenues are recognized net of an allowance for the portion of the returns filed using our refund payment transfer services (as explained below) that we estimate will not be accepted and funded by IRS.
Packaged tax preparation software revenues are generated from the sale of our downloadable software products and are recognized when legal title transfers, which is when customers download the software.


Ancillary service revenues primarily include fees we charge for refund payment transfer services, audit defense services, and referral and marketing arrangements with third party partners. Refund payment transfer services allow the cost of TaxAct software products to be deducted from a taxpayer’s refund instead of being paid at the time of filing. The fees the customer pays for refund payment transfer services and audit defense services are recognized as revenue at the time of filing. Revenue for our referral and marketing arrangements with third party partners is recognized at a point in time or over time based on the nature of the performance obligation under each arrangement.
Certain of our tax preparationTax Preparation software packages marketed towards professional tax preparers contain multiple elements, including a software element and an unlimited e-filing capability element. For these software packages that contain multiple elements, we allocate the total consideration of the package to the two elements. We then recognize revenue for the software element upon download or shipment and recognize revenue for the unlimited filing element over time based on an estimated filing timeline. The impact of multiple element arrangements is not material and only impacts the timing of revenue recognition over the tax filing season, which is primarilytypically concentrated within the first two quarters of each year.
Income taxes
We account for income taxes under the asset and liability method, under which deferred tax assets, including net operating loss carryforwards, and liabilities are determined based on temporary differences between the book and tax bases of assets and liabilities. We periodically evaluate the likelihood of the realization of deferred tax assets and reduce the carrying amount of the deferred tax assets by a valuation allowance to the extent we believe it is more likely than not that a portion will not be realized. We consider many factors when assessing the likelihood of future realization of the deferred tax assets, including expectations of future taxable income, recent cumulative earnings experience by taxing jurisdiction, and other relevant factors. There is a wide range of possible judgments relating to the valuation of our deferred tax assets.
We record liabilities to address uncertain tax positions that have been taken in previously filed tax returns or that are expected to be taken in a future tax return. The determination for required liabilities is based upon an analysis of each individual tax position, taking into consideration whether it is more likely than not that the tax position, based on technical merits, will be sustained upon examination. The tax benefit to be recognized in the financial statements from such a position is measured as the largest amount of benefit that has a greater than 50%
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 64

Table of Contents
cumulative likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the taxing authority. The difference between the amount recognized and the total tax position is recorded as a liability. The ultimate resolution of these tax positions may be greater or less than the liabilities recorded.
Business combinations
We account for business combinations, using the acquisition method. The application of the acquisition method requires the use of significant estimates and assumptions in the determination of the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in order to properly allocate purchase price consideration to assets acquired, liabilities assumed, and goodwill. Our estimates of the fair values of assets and liabilities acquired are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, and when appropriate, include assistance from independent third-party appraisal firms.
Forincluding the 1st Global Acquisition and the HKFS Acquisition, using the acquisition method.
Under the acquisition method, the purchase price wasof the acquisition is allocated to 1st Global’sthe acquired tangible assets,and identifiable intangible assets and assumed liabilities based on their estimated fair values at the time of the 1st Global Acquisition.acquisition. This allocation involvedinvolves a number of assumptions, estimates, and judgments that could materially affect the timing or amounts recognized in our financial statements. The most subjective areas includedof the acquisition accounting method include determining the fair value of the following:
intangible assets, including the valuation methodology, estimationsestimates of future cash flows, discount rates, growth rates, and attrition rates (if applicable), as well as the estimated useful life of intangible assets;
deferred tax assetscontingent consideration, including the valuation methodology, estimates of future advisory asset levels, discount rates, growth rates, and liabilitiesvolatility levels; and uncertain tax positions;
pre-existing liabilities or legal claims, and deferred revenue, in each case as may be applicable; and


goodwill, as measured as the excess of consideration transferred over the net of the 1st Global Acquisitionacquisition date fair valuesvalue of the assets acquired, including the amount assigned to identifiable intangible assets, and the liabilities assumed.
The Company’sOur assumptions and estimates wereare based upon comparable market data and information obtained from our management and the management of 1st Global.the acquired entities.
Intangible asset impairmentImpairment of goodwill
Goodwill represents the cost of an acquisition less the fair value of the net identifiable assets of the acquired business. We evaluate indefinite-lived intangible assetsgoodwill for impairment annually, as of November 30, or more frequently when events or circumstances indicate it is more likely than not that impairment may have occurred. The assessment ofthe fair value usedof one or more of our reporting units is less than its carrying amount. To determine whether it is necessary to perform a goodwill impairment test, we first assess qualitative factors to evaluate whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. We may elect to perform a goodwill impairment test without completing a qualitative assessment.
Beginning in our intangibleMarch 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant negative impact on the U.S. and global economy and caused substantial disruption in the U.S. and global securities markets, and as a result, negatively impacted certain key Wealth Management business drivers, such as client asset levels and interest rates. These macroeconomic and Company-specific factors, in totality, served as a triggering event that resulted in the testing of the goodwill of the Wealth Management reporting unit and the Tax Preparation reporting unit for potential impairment.
As part of the goodwill impairment evaluations usestest, we compared the estimated fair values of the Wealth Management and Tax Preparation reporting units to their respective carrying values. Estimated fair value was calculated using Level 3 inputs and utilized a blended valuation method that factored in the income approach and the market approach. The income approach estimated fair value by using the present value of future discounted cash flows, an income approach. The significantflows. Significant estimates we useused in ourthe discounted cash flow models include the weighted-averagemodel included our forecasted cash flows, our long-term rates of growth, and our weighted average cost of capital. The weighted average cost of capital and long-term rates of revenue growth. The weighted-average cost of capital considersfactors in the relevant risk associated with business-specific characteristics and the uncertainty related to the ability to achieve theour projected cash flows. These estimatesThe market approach estimated fair value by taking income-based valuation multiples for a set of comparable companies and applying the resulting valuations require significant judgment. Our estimatesvaluation multiple to each reporting unit’s income.
For the Wealth Management reporting unit, the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeded its fair valuesvalue by $270.6 million. Therefore, we recorded an impairment of intangible assets are based upon assumptions believedgoodwill of $270.6 million in the first quarter of 2020. For the Tax Preparation reporting unit, the carrying value of the reporting unit was significantly below its fair value, and therefore, no impairment of goodwill was deemed necessary.
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No goodwill impairment triggering events were identified for the remainder of the year ended December 31, 2020. In addition, we performed our annual goodwill impairment evaluation as of November 30, 2020 and concluded that there were no indicators of impairment. The Wealth Management reporting unit is considered to be reasonable,at risk for a future impairment of its goodwill in the event of a further decline in general economic, market, or business conditions, or any significant unfavorable changes in our forecasted revenue, expenses, cash flows, weighted average cost of capital, and/or market valuation multiples. We will continue to monitor for events and when appropriate, include assistance from independent third-party appraisal firms.circumstances that could negatively impact the key assumptions in determining the fair value of the Wealth Management reporting unit.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 2” for more information on recently issued and adopted accounting pronouncements.


Quarterly Results of Operations (Unaudited)
The following table presents a summary of our unaudited consolidated results of operations for the eight quarterly periods of 2019 and 2018. The information for each of these quarters has been prepared on a basis consistent with our annual audited consolidated financial statements. You should read this information in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.” The operating results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of results for any future period.
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 66
 2018 2019
 First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter
 (In thousands except per share data and percentages)
Revenue:               
Wealth management services revenue$92,082
 $92,015
 $91,887
 $97,190
 $89,532
 $127,831
 $145,428
 $145,188
Tax preparation services revenue113,883
 65,833
 3,498
 4,068
 136,236
 65,909
 3,588
 4,233
Total revenue205,965
 157,848

95,385

101,258

225,768

193,740

149,016

149,421
Operating expenses:               
Cost of revenue:               
Wealth management services cost of revenue63,064
 62,149
 62,313
 66,054
 61,374
 87,477
 102,030
 101,200
Tax preparation services cost of revenue4,353
 2,459
 1,370
 1,858
 4,201
 3,149
 1,633
 1,708
Amortization of acquired technology50
 49
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total cost of revenue67,467
 64,657

63,683

67,912

65,575

90,626

103,663

102,908
Engineering and technology5,131
 4,848
 4,246
 5,107
 6,529
 7,159
 8,635
 8,608
Sales and marketing55,253
 23,791
 15,675
 16,642
 55,572
 29,256
 19,976
 21,401
General and administrative14,866
 15,625
 13,404
 16,229
 17,077
 19,002
 19,642
 22,808
Acquisition and integration
 
 
 
 1,797
 9,183
 6,759
 8,024
Depreciation1,915
 993
 798
 762
 1,061
 1,315
 1,470
 1,633
Amortization of other acquired intangible assets8,307
 8,806
 8,271
 8,103
 8,044
 9,169
 10,082
 10,062
Impairment of intangible asset (1)
 
 
 
 
 
 50,900
 
Restructuring (2)289
 2
 
 (3) 
 
 
 
Total operating expenses153,228
 118,722

106,077

114,752

155,655

165,710

221,127

175,444
Operating income (loss)52,737
 39,126

(10,692)
(13,494)
70,113

28,030

(72,111)
(26,023)
Other loss, net(5,228) (2,759) (3,863) (3,947) (3,958) (5,118) (2,606) (5,233)
Income (loss) before income taxes47,509
 36,367

(14,555)
(17,441)
66,155

22,912

(74,717)
(31,256)
Income tax benefit (expense)(1,963) (907) 818
 1,741
 (3,985) 8,124
 12,331
 48,584
Net income (loss)45,546
 35,460

(13,737)
(15,700)
62,170

31,036

(62,386)
17,328
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests(205) (222) (227) (281) 
 
 
 
Net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc.$45,341
 $35,238
 $(13,964) $(15,981) $62,170
 $31,036
 $(62,386) $17,328
Net income (loss) per share attributable to Blucora, Inc.:               
Basic$0.97
 $0.75
 $(0.37) $(0.38) $1.29
 $0.64
 $(1.28) $0.36
Diluted$0.93
 $0.71
 $(0.37) $(0.38) $1.25
 $0.62
 $(1.28) $0.36
Weighted average shares outstanding:               
Basic46,641
 47,221
 47,712
 48,002
 48,161
 48,555
 48,652
 47,689
Diluted48,665
 49,434
 47,712
 48,002
 49,542
 49,822
 48,652
 48,344

____________________________
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(1)In the third quarter of 2019, we recognized a $50.9 million impairment of an intangible asset related to the HD Vest trade name intangible asset following the Rebranding. See “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 6” for more information.
(2)
In 2017, we relocated our corporate headquarters from Bellevue, Washington to Irving, Texas. In connection with this plan, we incurred restructuring costs. See Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 4 for more information.



ITEM 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
We are exposed to financial market risk and interest rate risk.
Financial market risk: We do not invest in financial instruments or their derivatives for trading or speculative purposes. By policy, we limit our credit exposure to any one issuer, other than securities issued by the U.S. federal government and its agencies, and do not have any derivative instruments in our investment portfolio. The three primary goals that guide our investment decisions, with the first being the most important to us, are: to preserve capital, maintain ease of conversion into immediate liquidity, and achieve a rate of return over a pre-determined benchmark. As of December 31, 2019,2020, we were principally invested in money market fund securities. We consider the market value, default, and liquidity risks of our investments to be low at December 31, 2019.2020.
Interest rate risk: At December 31, 2019,2020, our cash equivalent balance of $4.3 million was held in money market funds. We consider the interest rate risk for our cash equivalent securities held at December 31, 20192020 to be low. For further detail on our cash equivalents, see “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 2.”
In addition, as of December 31, 2019,2020, we had $399.7$563.2 million in principal amount of debt outstanding under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities,Facility, which carries a degree of interest rate risk. This debt has a floating portion of its interest rate tied to the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”). For further information on our outstanding debt, see “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 9.6.” A hypothetical 100 basis point increase in LIBOR on December 31, 20192020 would result in a $17.3$19.4 million increase in our interest expense until the scheduled maturity date in 2024.
The following table provides information about our cash equivalent securities as of December 31, 2019,2020, including principal cash flows for 20202021 and thereafter and the related weighted average interest rates. Principal amounts and weighted average interest rates by expected year of maturity are as follows (in thousands, except percentages):
AmountWeighted Average Interest rate
2021$4,290 0.63 %
Thereafter— — 
Total$4,290 0.63 %
Fair Value$4,290 

Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 67
 AmountWeighted Average Interest rate
2020$4,264
2.29%
Thereafter

Total$4,264
2.29%
Fair Value$4,264
 


Table of Contents


ITEM 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
 INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 68


REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Blucora, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Blucora, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 20192020 and 2018,2019, the related consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss), stockholders' equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2019,2020, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 20192020 and 2018,2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2019,2020, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019,2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework), and our report dated February 28, 202026, 2021 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matters
The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.

Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 69

Business Combination
Description of the Matter
On May 6, 2019,July 1, 2020, the Company completed its acquisition of 1st GlobalHonkamp Krueger Financial Services, “HKFS”, for a total purchase consideration of $180$131.5 million, which included contingent consideration with an initial fair value of $27.6 million related to two potential earn-out payments with a maximum payout of $60 million, as disclosed in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements. $52.8 million of the total purchase consideration was allocated to the fair value of the customer relationships intangible asset. The transaction was accounted for as a business combination.
Auditing management’s accounting for the 1st GlobalHKFS acquisition was complex and highly judgmental due to the significant estimation required in determining the future cash flows expectedinitial fair value of the contingent consideration and the customer relationships intangible asset of $27.6 million and $52.8 million, respectively, as of July 1, 2020.
The significant estimation was primarily due to the complexity of the valuation models used by management to measure the fair value of the contingent consideration and customer relationships and the sensitivity of the respective fair values to the significant underlying assumptions. The Company used a Monte Carlo simulation model to measure the fair value of the contingent consideration, which is required to be generated byremeasured at fair value each reporting period until settled. The significant assumptions used in the acquired intangible assets, which primarilysimulation included advisor relationships. In particular,forecasted advisory asset levels at July 1, 2021 and July 1, 2022, the futurerisk-adjusted discount rate reflecting the risk in the advisory asset projection and the volatility. The Company used a discounted cash flow estimates are sensitivemodel to measure the customer relationships intangible asset. The significant assumptions such asused to estimate the projectionsvalue of revenues, gross profit margins, operating expenses (collectively referred to as projected financial information or “PFI”), advisorthe customer relationships included the discount rate, customer attrition rate and the discount rate.projections of revenue growth. These significant assumptions are forward looking and could be affected by future economic and market conditions.
How We Addressed the Matter in Our Audit

We obtained an understanding, evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of controls over the Company’s process to account for acquisitions, including management’s review of key judgmentsthe valuation models and assumptions underlying the recognition and valuation of the contingent consideration and customer relationships intangible assets.asset.
ForTo test the 1st Global acquisition,fair value of the contingent consideration, we evaluated,performed audit procedures that included, among other items,others, assessing the significant assumptions,terms of the arrangement, including the projected financial information, advisor attrition rate, and discount rates used in valuingconditions that must be met for the intangibles. When evaluating these assumptions, we considered current industry and economic trends, 1st Global’s past performance, and current business plans. In addition, we evaluatedcontingent consideration to become payable. We performed procedures to test the completeness and accuracy of the underlying data supportingand to assess the assumptions.Company’s projected asset forecasts given past performance and economic trends. We also involved our valuation specialists to assist in evaluating the Company's use of a Monte Carlo simulation model and testing the significant assumptions used in the model, including volatility and the risk-adjusted discount rate. To test the fair value of the customer relationships intangible asset, we performed audit procedures that included, among others, testing the significant assumptions used in the model, including the completeness and accuracy of the underlying data. For example, we compared the significant assumptions to current market and economic trends, and to HKFS’ past performance and future forecasts. We involved our valuation specialists to assist in auditingour evaluation of the valuation methodology used and assumptions used by the Company.significant assumptions. We have also evaluated the Company’s disclosures in relation to this matter.
Valuation
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 70

Impairment of Goodwill
Description of the Matter
At December 31, 2019, the Company had gross deferred tax assets on deductible temporary differences of $129.3 million, which were offset by a $43.8 million valuation allowance, resulting in a net deferred tax asset of $85.5 million, as disclosed in Note 16. Included in the gross deferred tax assets was $84.7 million generated by net operating loss carryforwards. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance if, based upon the weight of all available evidence, it is more likely than not that some portion, or all, of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
Management’s analysis of the realizability of its deferred tax assets was complex and highly judgmental because the amounts are material to the financial statements and the assessment process can be complex, involves significant judgment, and includes assumptions that may be affected by future market or economic conditions.
How We Addressed the Matter in Our Audit

We obtained an understanding, evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of controls that address the risks of material misstatement relating to the realizability of deferred tax assets, including controls over management’s projections of future taxable income, and the future reversal of existing taxable temporary differences.
Among other audit procedures performed, we evaluated the assumptions used by the Company related to projections of future taxable income and tested the completeness and accuracy of the underlying data used in its projections. For example, we assessed the historical accuracy of management’s projections and compared the projections of future taxable income with other forecasted financial information prepared by the Company, as well as management’s consideration of current industry and economic trends. We also tested the Company’s scheduling of the reversal of existing temporary taxable differences. We have also evaluated the Company’s income tax disclosures in relation to this matter.



Impairment of Indefinite-Lived Intangible
Description of the Matter
As reflected in the Company’s consolidated financial statements at December 31, 2018, the Company’s indefinite-lived intangible assets were $72 million. As disclosed in Note 62 and Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements, indefinite-lived intangible assets aregoodwill is tested for impairment annually as of November 30, or more frequently if indicators of impairment require the performance of an interim impairment assessment. On September 9, 2019,During the first quarter of 2020, as a result of the market impacts related to the coronavirus outbreak, COVID-19, the Company announced its intention to rebrand itsdetermined that an interim goodwill impairment triggering event had occurred. The Company performed a quantitative impairment analysis for goodwill, which indicated the goodwill for the Wealth Management business, which caused the existing HD Vest trade name indefinite-lived intangible asset to becomereporting unit was impaired. As a result, a non-cash impairment charge of $50.9$270.6 million was recorded in the quarter ended SeptemberMarch 31, 2020. The Company performed their annual test as of November 30 2019.and concluded that there was no indicator of impairment.
Auditing management’s impairment test related to this indefinite-lived intangiblegoodwill was complex and highly judgmental due to the measurement uncertaintysignificant estimation required in determining the fair valuesvalue of the asset.reporting unit. The fair value estimate for the trade namereporting unit was sensitive to significant assumptions such as forecasted revenue,projected future revenue growth rates, revenue survival rates, andfuture operating margins, the selected discount rate.rate and valuation multiples.
How We Addressed the Matter in Our Audit

We obtained an understanding, evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of controls over the Company’s indefinite-lived intangible assetgoodwill impairment assessment process. This included testing of controls over the review of the Company’s forecast as well as controls over the review of the significant assumptions used to estimate the fair valuesvalue of the indefinite-lived intangible asset.reporting unit.
To test the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset,reporting unit, our audit procedures included, among others, assessing methodologies and testing the significant assumptions and underlying data used by the Company, specifically the projected financial information including the future revenue growth and survival rates, future operating margins and the selected discount rate. We also evaluated the completeness and accuracy of the underlying data supporting the assumptions. Additionally, we compared the significant assumptions used by management to current industrymarket and economic trends as well as other relevant factors.the Wealth Management reporting unit’s past performance and future forecast. We performed sensitivity analyses ofon significant assumptions to evaluate the change in the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible assetreporting unit and assessed the historical accuracy of management’s estimates. In addition, we involved aour valuation specialistspecialists to assist in evaluating the significant assumptions in the fair value estimate. We have also evaluated the Company’s disclosures in relation to this matter.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2012.
Dallas, Texas
February 28,26, 2021
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 71



Table of Contents
BLUCORA, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands, except per share data)
 December 31,
 20202019
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents$150,125 $80,820 
Cash segregated under federal or other regulations637 5,630 
Accounts receivable, net of allowance12,736 16,266 
Commissions and advisory fees receivable26,132 21,176 
Other receivables717 2,902 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets, net10,321 12,349 
Total current assets200,668 139,143 
Long-term assets:
Property and equipment, net58,500 18,706 
Right-of-use assets, net23,455 10,151 
Goodwill, net454,821 662,375 
Other intangible assets, net322,179 290,211 
Deferred tax asset, net9,997 
Other long-term assets4,569 6,989 
Total long-term assets863,524 998,429 
Total assets$1,064,192 $1,137,572 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable$9,290 $10,969 
Commissions and advisory fees payable19,021 19,905 
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities56,419 36,144 
Deferred revenue—current12,298 12,014 
Lease liabilities—current2,304 3,272 
Current portion of long-term debt, net1,784 11,228 
Total current liabilities101,116 93,532 
Long-term liabilities:
Long-term debt, net552,553 381,485 
Deferred tax liability, net30,663 
Deferred revenue—long-term6,247 7,172 
Lease liabilities—long-term36,404 5,916 
Other long-term liabilities24,919 5,952 
Total long-term liabilities650,786 400,525 
Total liabilities751,902 494,057 
Commitments and contingencies (Note 10)00
Stockholders’ equity:
Common stock, par $0.0001—900,000 authorized shares; 49,483 shares issued and 48,177 shares outstanding at December 31, 2020; 49,059 shares issued and 47,753 shares outstanding at December 31, 2019
Additional paid-in capital1,598,230 1,586,972 
Accumulated deficit(1,257,546)(914,791)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss(272)
Treasury stock, at cost—1,306 shares at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019(28,399)(28,399)
Total stockholders’ equity312,290 643,515 
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity$1,064,192 $1,137,572 
 December 31,
 2019 2018
ASSETS   
Current assets:   
Cash and cash equivalents$80,820
 $84,524
Cash segregated under federal or other regulations5,630
 842
Accounts receivable, net of allowance16,266
 15,721
Commissions receivable21,176
 15,562
Other receivables2,902
 7,408
Prepaid expenses and other current assets, net12,349
 7,755
Total current assets139,143
 131,812
Long-term assets:   
Property and equipment, net18,706
 12,389
Right-of-use assets, net10,151
 
Goodwill, net662,375
 548,685
Other intangible assets, net290,211
 294,603
Deferred tax asset, net9,997
 
Other long-term assets6,989
 10,236
Total long-term assets998,429
 865,913
Total assets$1,137,572
 $997,725
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY   
Current liabilities:   
Accounts payable$10,969
 $3,798
Commissions and advisory fees payable19,905
 15,199
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities36,144
 18,980
Deferred revenue—current12,014
 10,257
Lease liabilities—current3,272
 46
Current portion of long-term debt, net11,228
 
Total current liabilities93,532
 48,280
Long-term liabilities:   
Long-term debt, net381,485
 260,390
Deferred tax liability, net
 40,394
Deferred revenue—long-term7,172
 8,581
Lease liabilities—long-term5,916
 100
Other long-term liabilities5,952
 7,440
Total long-term liabilities400,525
 316,905
Total liabilities494,057
 365,185
    
Redeemable noncontrolling interests
 24,945
    
Commitments and contingencies (Note 11)

 

    
Stockholders’ equity:   
Common stock, par $0.0001—900,000 authorized shares; 49,059 shares issued and 47,753 shares outstanding at December 31, 2019; 48,044 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 20185
 5
Additional paid-in capital1,586,972
 1,569,725
Accumulated deficit(914,791) (961,689)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss(272) (446)
Treasury stock, at cost—1,306,000 shares at December 31, 2019(28,399) 
Total stockholders’ equity643,515
 607,595
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity$1,137,572
 $997,725




See notes to consolidated financial statements.

Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 72


Table of Contents

BLUCORA, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
(In thousands, except per share data)
Years Ended December 31, Years Ended December 31,
2019 2018 2017 202020192018
Revenue:     Revenue:
Wealth management services revenue$507,979
 $373,174
 $348,620
Wealth management services revenue$546,189 $507,979 $373,174 
Tax preparation services revenue209,966
 187,282
 160,937
Tax preparation services revenue208,763 209,966 187,282 
Total revenue717,945
 560,456
 509,557
Total revenue754,952 717,945 560,456 
Operating expenses:     Operating expenses:
Cost of revenue:     Cost of revenue:
Wealth management services cost of revenue352,081
 253,580
 235,859
Wealth management services cost of revenue385,962 352,081 253,580 
Tax preparation services cost of revenue10,691
 10,040
 10,018
Tax preparation services cost of revenue12,328 10,691 10,040 
Amortization of acquired technology
 99
 195
Amortization of acquired technology99 
Total cost of revenue362,772
 263,719
 246,072
Total cost of revenue398,290 362,772 263,719 
Engineering and technology30,931
 19,332
 19,614
Engineering and technology27,258 30,931 19,332 
Sales and marketing126,205
 111,361
 102,798
Sales and marketing177,618 126,205 111,361 
General and administrative78,529
 60,124
 52,668
General and administrative82,158 78,529 60,124 
Acquisition and integration25,763
 
 
Acquisition and integration31,085 25,763 
Depreciation5,479
 4,468
 3,460
Depreciation7,293 5,479 4,468 
Amortization of other acquired intangible assets37,357
 33,487
 33,807
Amortization of other acquired intangible assets29,745 37,357 33,487 
Impairment of intangible asset50,900
 
 
Impairment of goodwill and an intangible assetImpairment of goodwill and an intangible asset270,625 50,900 
Restructuring
 288
 3,101
Restructuring288 
Total operating expenses717,936
 492,779
 461,520
Total operating expenses1,024,072 717,936 492,779 
Operating income9
 67,677
 48,037
Operating income (loss)Operating income (loss)(269,120)67,677 
Other loss, net(16,915) (15,797) (44,551)Other loss, net(31,304)(16,915)(15,797)
Income (loss) before income taxes(16,906) 51,880
 3,486
Income (loss) before income taxes(300,424)(16,906)51,880 
Income tax benefit (expense)65,054
 (311) 25,890
Income tax benefit (expense)(42,331)65,054 (311)
Net income48,148
 51,569
 29,376
Net income (loss)Net income (loss)(342,755)48,148 51,569 
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests
 (935) (2,337)Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests(935)
Net income attributable to Blucora, Inc.$48,148
 $50,634
 $27,039
Net income per share attributable to Blucora, Inc. (1):     
Net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc.Net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc.$(342,755)$48,148 $50,634 
Net income (loss) per share attributable to Blucora, Inc. (1):Net income (loss) per share attributable to Blucora, Inc. (1):
Basic$1.00
 $0.94
 $0.61
Basic$(7.14)$1.00 $0.94 
Diluted$0.98
 $0.90
 $0.57
Diluted$(7.14)$0.98 $0.90 
Weighted average shares outstanding:     Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic48,264
 47,394
 44,370
Basic47,978 48,264 47,394 
Diluted49,282
 49,381
 47,211
Diluted47,978 49,282 49,381 
Comprehensive income (loss):     Comprehensive income (loss):
Net income$48,148
 $51,569
 $29,376
Net income (loss)Net income (loss)$(342,755)$48,148 $51,569 
Other comprehensive income (loss)174
 (442) 377
Other comprehensive income (loss)272 174 (442)
Comprehensive income48,322
 51,127
 29,753
Comprehensive income (loss)Comprehensive income (loss)(342,483)48,322 51,127 
Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests
 (935) (2,337)Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests(935)
Comprehensive income attributable to Blucora, Inc.$48,322
 $50,192
 $27,416
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc.Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc.$(342,483)$48,322 $50,192 
____________________________
(1)
Net income per share for the year ended December 31, 2018 included the noncontrolling interest redemption impact discussed further in Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting PoliciesNet income per share for the year ended December 31, 2018 included the the impact of the noncontrolling interest redemption discussed further in “Note 11—Stockholders' Equity” and in “Note 16—Net Income (Loss) Per Share. and in Note 17—Net Income Per Share.











See notes to consolidated financial statements.

Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 73


Table of Contents
BLUCORA, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(In thousands)
Redeemable noncontrolling interests
Additional
paid-in
capital
Accumulated
deficit
Accumulated
other
comprehensive
income (loss)
 Common stockTreasury stock 
 SharesAmountSharesAmountTotal
Balance as of December 31, 2017$18,033 46,366 $$1,555,560 $(1,014,174)$(4)$$541,387 
Common stock issued for stock options, restricted stock units, and employee stock purchase plan— 1,678 — 15,251 — — — — 15,251 
Other comprehensive loss— — — — — (442)— — (442)
Stock-based compensation— — — 13,253 — — — — 13,253 
Tax payments from shares withheld for equity awards— — — (8,362)— — — — (8,362)
Impact of adoption of new accounting guidance related to revenue recognition— — — — 1,851 — — — 1,851 
Adjustment of redeemable noncontrolling interests to redemption value5,977 — — (5,977)— — — — (5,977)
Net income935 — — — 50,634 — — — 50,634 
Balance as of December 31, 2018$24,945 48,044 $$1,569,725 $(961,689)$(446)$$607,595 
Common stock issued for stock options, restricted stock units, and employee stock purchase plan— 1,015 — 6,599 — — — — 6,599 
Stock repurchases— — — — — — (1,306)(28,399)(28,399)
Other comprehensive income— — — — — 174 — — 174 
Stock-based compensation— — — 16,300 — — — — 16,300 
Tax payments from shares withheld for equity awards— — — (5,652)— — — — (5,652)
Impact of adoption of new leases accounting standard— — — — (1,636)— — — (1,636)
Impact of ASC 842 consolidated deferred tax— — — — 386 — — — 386 
Reclassification of mandatorily redeemable noncontrolling interests(22,428)— — — — — — — — 
Redemption of noncontrolling interests(2,517)— — — — — — — — 
Net income— — — 48,148 — — — 48,148 
Balance as of December 31, 2019$49,059 $$1,586,972 $(914,791)$(272)(1,306)$(28,399)$643,515 
Common stock issued for stock options, restricted stock units, and employee stock purchase plan— 424 — 2,355 — — — — 2,355 
Other comprehensive loss— — — — — 272 — — 272 
Stock-based compensation— — — 10,066 — — — — 10,066 
Tax payments from shares withheld for equity awards— — — (1,163)— — — — (1,163)
Net loss— — — (342,755)— — — (342,755)
Balance as of December 31, 2020$49,483 $$1,598,230 $(1,257,546)$(1,306)$(28,399)$312,290 
 Redeemable noncontrolling interests   
Additional
paid-in
capital
 
Accumulated
deficit
 
Accumulated
other
comprehensive
income (loss)
    
 Common stock Treasury stock 
 Shares Amount Shares AmountTotal
Balance as of December 31, 2016$15,696
 41,845
 $4
 $1,510,152
 $(1,092,756) $(381) 
 
 $417,019
Common stock issued for stock options and restricted stock units
 4,382
 1
 40,271
 
 
 
 
 40,272
Common stock issued for employee stock purchase plan
 139
 
 1,429
 
 
 
 
 1,429
Other comprehensive income
 
 
 
 
 377
 
 
 377
Stock-based compensation and impact of ASU 2016-09
 
 
 12,801
 51,543
 
 
 
 64,344
Tax payments from shares withheld for equity awards
 
 
 (9,095) 
 
 
 
 (9,095)
Other
 
 
 2
 
 
 
 
 2
Net income2,337
 
 
 
 27,039
 
 
 
 27,039
Balance as of December 31, 2017$18,033
 46,366
 $5
 $1,555,560
 $(1,014,174) $(4) 
 $
 $541,387
Common stock issued for stock options and restricted stock units
 1,577
 
 13,151
 
 
 
 
 13,151
Common stock issued for employee stock purchase plan
 101
 
 2,100
 
 
 
 
 2,100
Other comprehensive loss
 
 
 
 
 (442) 
 
 (442)
Stock-based compensation
 
 
 13,253
 
 
 
 
 13,253
Tax payments from shares withheld for equity awards
 
 
 (8,362) 
 
 
 
 (8,362)
Impact of adoption of new accounting guidance related to revenue recognition
 
 
 
 1,851
 
 
 
 1,851
Adjustment of redeemable noncontrolling interests to redemption value5,977
 
 
 (5,977) 
 
 
 
 (5,977)
Net income935
 
 
 
 50,634
 
 
 
 50,634
Balance as of December 31, 2018$24,945
 48,044
 $5
 $1,569,725
 $(961,689) $(446) 
 $
 $607,595
Common stock issued for stock options and restricted stock units
 906
 
 4,387
 
 
 
 
 4,387
Common stock issued for employee stock purchase plan
 109
 
 2,212
 
 
 
 
 2,212
Stock repurchases
 
 
 
 
 
 (1,306) (28,399) (28,399)
Other comprehensive income
 
 
 
 
 174
 
 
 174
Stock-based compensation
 
 
 16,300
 
 
 
 
 16,300
Tax payments from shares withheld for equity awards
 
 
 (5,652) 
 
 
 
 (5,652)
Impact of adoption of new leases accounting standard
 
 
 
 (1,636) 
 
 
 (1,636)
Impact of ASC 842 consolidated deferred tax


 
 
 
 386
 
 
 
 386
Reclassification of mandatorily redeemable noncontrolling interests(22,428) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Redemption of noncontrolling interests(2,517) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income
 
 
 
 48,148
 
 
 
 48,148
Balance as of December 31, 2019$
 49,059
 $5
 $1,586,972
 $(914,791) $(272) (1,306) $(28,399) $643,515

















See notes to consolidated financial statements.

Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 74


Table of Contents
BLUCORA, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
 Years Ended December 31,
 2019 2018 2017
Operating activities:     
Net income$48,148
 $51,569
 $29,376
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash from operating activities:     
Stock-based compensation16,300
 13,253
 11,653
Depreciation and amortization of acquired intangible assets44,208
 38,589
 38,139
Impairment of intangible asset50,900
 
 
Reduction of right-of-use assets4,425
 
 
Restructuring (non-cash)
 
 1,569
Deferred income taxes(67,549) (3,039) (16,159)
Amortization of premium on investments, net, and debt issuance costs1,042
 833
 1,099
Accretion of debt discounts228
 163
 1,947
Loss on debt extinguishment and modification expense
 1,534
 20,445
Gain on sale of a business(3,256) 
 
Other734
 73
 30
Cash provided (used) by changes in operating assets and liabilities:     
Accounts receivable871
 (4,286) (483)
Commissions receivable(471) 1,260
 (678)
Other receivables4,506
 (3,851) (204)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets10,537
 (815) (869)
Other long-term assets3,377
 3,450
 (12,281)
Accounts payable29
 (615) (123)
Commissions and advisory fees payable432
 (2,614) 1,226
Lease liabilities(7,335) 
 
Deferred revenue(17,367) 9,930
 (3,248)
Accrued expenses and other current and long-term liabilities3,045
 114
 1,407
Net cash provided by operating activities92,804
 105,548
 72,846
Investing activities:     
Business acquisition, net of cash acquired(166,560) 
 
Purchases of property and equipment(10,501) (7,633) (5,039)
Proceeds from sale of a business, net of cash7,467
 
 
Proceeds from sales of investments
 
 249
Proceeds from maturities of investments
 
 7,252
Purchases of investments
 
 (409)
Net cash provided (used) by investing activities(169,594) (7,633) 2,053
Financing activities:     
Proceeds from credit facilities, net of debt issuance costs and debt discount131,489
 
 365,836
Repurchase of convertible notes
 
 (172,827)
Payments on credit facilities(313) (80,000) (290,000)
Repayment of note payable with related party
 
 (3,200)
Stock repurchases(28,399) 
 
Payment of redeemable noncontrolling interests(24,945) 
 
Proceeds from stock option exercises4,387
 12,773
 40,271
Proceeds from issuance of stock through employee stock purchase plan2,212
 2,100
 1,429
Tax payments from shares withheld for equity awards(5,652) (8,362) (9,095)
Contingent consideration payments for business acquisition(943) (1,315) (946)
Other
 
 (30)
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities77,836
 (74,804) (68,562)
Net cash provided by continuing operations1,046
 23,111
 6,337
Net cash provided by investing activities from discontinued operations
 
 1,028
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash38
 (56) 78
Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash1,084
 23,055
 7,443
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, beginning of period85,366
 62,311
 54,868
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, end of period$86,450
 $85,366
 $62,311
Supplemental cash flow information:     
Cash paid for income taxes$3,106
 $1,806
 $1,267
Cash paid for interest$18,852
 $15,335
 $23,316





 Years Ended December 31,
 202020192018
Operating activities:
Net income (loss)$(342,755)$48,148 $51,569 
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash from operating activities:
Stock-based compensation10,066 16,300 13,253 
Depreciation and amortization of acquired intangible assets39,907 44,208 38,589 
Impairment of goodwill and an intangible asset270,625 50,900 
Reduction of right-of-use lease assets8,908 4,425 
Deferred income taxes41,059 (67,549)(3,039)
Amortization of debt issuance costs1,372 1,042 833 
Accretion of debt discounts693 228 163 
Loss on debt extinguishment and modification expense1,534 
Gain on sale of a business(349)(3,256)
Change in fair value of acquisition-related contingent consideration8,300 
Accretion of lease liability1,922 599 
Other1,508 135 73 
Cash provided (used) by changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable10,705 871 (4,286)
Commissions and advisory fees receivable(4,956)(471)1,260 
Other receivables2,185 4,506 (3,851)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets1,662 10,537 (815)
Other long-term assets2,232 3,377 3,450 
Accounts payable(4,192)29 (615)
Commissions and advisory fees payable(884)432 (2,614)
Lease liabilities(3,894)(7,335)
Deferred revenue(796)(17,367)9,930 
Accrued expenses and other current and long-term liabilities761 3,045 114 
Net cash provided by operating activities44,079 92,804 105,548 
Investing activities:
Business acquisition, net of cash acquired(101,910)(166,560)
Purchases of property and equipment(36,002)(10,501)(7,633)
Proceeds from sale of a business, net of cash349 7,467 
Acquisition of customer relationships(3,143)
Net cash used by investing activities(140,706)(169,594)(7,633)
Financing activities:
Proceeds from credit facilities, net of debt issuance costs and debt discount226,278 131,489 
Payments on credit facilities(66,531)(313)(80,000)
Stock repurchases(28,399)
Payment of redeemable noncontrolling interests(24,945)
Proceeds from stock option exercises97 4,387 12,773 
Proceeds from issuance of stock through employee stock purchase plan2,258 2,212 2,100 
Tax payments from shares withheld for equity awards(1,163)(5,652)(8,362)
Contingent consideration payments for business acquisition(943)(1,315)
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities160,939 77,836 (74,804)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash38 (56)
Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash64,312 1,084 23,055 
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, beginning of period86,450 85,366 62,311 
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, end of period$150,762 $86,450 $85,366 
Supplemental cash flow information:
Cash paid for income taxes$1,776 $3,106 $1,806 
Cash paid for interest$24,279 $18,852 $15,335 
Non-cash investing activities:
Purchases of property and equipment through leasehold incentives (investing)$9,726 $$
See notes to consolidated financial statements.

Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 75


Table of Contents

BLUCORA, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 20172018

Note 1: Description of the Business
Blucora, Inc. (the Company,” “Blucora, we, our, or us) operates 2 primary businesses: the Wealth Management business and the digital Tax Preparation business.
Wealth Management
The Wealth Management business consists of the operations of Avantax Wealth Management (and Avantax Planning Partners (collectively, the Wealth Management business,business” or the Wealth Management segmentsegment”), which.
Avantax Wealth Management provides tax-focused wealth management solutions for financial advisors,professionals, tax preparers,professionals, certified public accounting (“CPA”) firms, and their clients. Avantax Wealth Management offers its services through its registered broker-dealer, registered investment advisor (“RIA”), and insurance agency subsidiaries and is comprisedthe largest U.S. tax-focused independent broker-dealer. Avantax Wealth Management works with a nationwide network of what wasfinancial professionals that operate as independent contractors. Avantax Wealth Management provides these financial professionals with an integrated platform of technical, practice, compliance, and product support tools to assist in making each financial professional a comprehensive financial service center for his or her clients. Avantax Wealth Management formerly operated under the HD Vest and 1st Global bothbrands prior to the rebranding of whichthese businesses to Avantax Wealth Management in 2019.
Avantax Planning Partners operates as a captive, or employee-based, RIA and wealth management business that partners with CPA firms in order to provide their consumer and small business clients with holistic financial planning and advisory services, as well as retirement plan solutions. Avantax Planning Partners formerly operated as Honkamp Krueger Financial Services, Inc. (“HKFS”).
On July 1, 2020, we acquired all of the issued and outstanding common stock of HKFS (the “HKFS Acquisition”). The operations of HKFS are discussed below.included in operating results as part of the Wealth Management segment from the date of the HKFS Acquisition. For additional information, see “Note 3—Acquisitions and Disposition.”
On May 6, 2019, we closed the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding common stock of 1st Global Inc. and 1st Global Insurance Services, Inc. (together, “1st Global”), a tax-focused wealth management company, for a cash purchase price of $180.0 million (the “1st Global Acquisition”). The purchase price was paid with a combination of (i) cash on hand and (ii) the proceeds from a $125.0 million increase in the term loan under our credit agreement. See further discussion of the term loan in “Note 9—Debt.” The operations of 1st Global are included in our operating results as part of the Wealth Management segment from the date of the 1st Global Acquisition. See further discussion in “Note 3—Acquisitions and Dispositions.”
On September 9, 2019, we announced a rebranding of our Wealth Management business to Avantax Wealth Management (the “Rebranding”). In connection with the Rebranding, HD Vest (which comprised all of the Wealth Management business prior to the 1st Global Acquisition) was renamed Avantax Wealth Management in mid-September 2019, and 1st Global converted in late October 2019. In connection with the Rebranding, we recorded an impairment charge related to the HD Vest trade name intangible asset of $50.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. See further discussion in “Note 6—Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets.”
Tax Preparation
The Tax Preparation business consists of the operations of TaxAct, Inc. (TaxAct,”TaxAct,the Tax Preparation business, or the Tax Preparation segmentsegment”) and provides digital tax preparation solutions for consumers, small business owners, and tax professionals through its website www.TaxAct.com.www.TaxAct.com and its mobile applications.
The Tax Preparation segment is highly seasonal, with a significant portion of its annual revenue typically earned in the first four months of the fiscal year. During the third and fourth quarters, the Tax Preparation segment typically reports losses because revenue from the segment is minimal while core operating expenses continue. In March 2020 and as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) extended the filing deadline for federal tax returns from April 15, 2020 to July 15, 2020. This filing extension resulted in the shifting of a significant portion of Tax Preparation segment revenue that is usually earned in the first and second quarters of 2020 to the third quarter of 2020.
Segments
We have 2 reportable segments: (1) the Wealth Management segment and (2) the Tax Preparation segment.
Reclassification
We reclassified $0.7 million in loans given to several HD Vest advisors from “Other long-term assets” to “Accounts receivable, net of allowance” on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018.
Principles of consolidation and use of estimates
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. Intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 76

Table of Contents

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses, and disclosure of contingencies. Actual amounts may differ from estimates.


NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

Net capital and regulatory requirements
The Avantax Wealth Management broker-dealer subsidiary operates in a highly regulated industry and is subject to various regulatory capital requirements. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can initiate certain mandatory and possible additional discretionary actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have substantial monetary and non-monetary impacts to Avantax’sAvantax Wealth Management’s operations. As of December 31, 2019,2020, Avantax Wealth Management met all capital adequacy requirements to which it was subject.
Note 2: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash segregated under federal or other regulations
The following table presents cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash as reported on the consolidated balance sheets and the consolidated statements of cash flows (in thousands):
 December 31,
 2019 2018
Cash and cash equivalents$80,820
 $84,524
Cash segregated under federal or other regulations5,630
 842
Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash$86,450
 $85,366

December 31,
20202019
Cash and cash equivalents$150,125 $80,820 
Cash segregated under federal or other regulations637 5,630 
Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash$150,762 $86,450 
We generally invest our available cash in high-quality marketable investments. These investments include money market funds invested in securities issued by agencies of the U.S. government. We may invest, from time-to-time, in other vehicles, such as debt instruments issued by the U.S. federal government and its agencies, international governments, municipalities and publicly held corporations, as well as commercial paper and insured time deposits with commercial banks. Specific holdings can vary from period to period depending upon our cash requirements. Such investments are reported at fair value on the consolidated balance sheets.
Cash segregated under federal and other regulations is held in a separate bank account for the exclusive benefit of our Avantax Wealth Management business clients and is considered restricted cash.
Accounts receivable
Accounts receivable are stated at amounts due from customers, net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. The allowance for doubtful accounts was not material at December 31, 2020 and 2019.
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 77

Table of Contents

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 respectively.
Property and equipment
Property and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation is calculated under the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:
Estimated Useful Life
Computer equipment and software3 years
Data center servers3 years
Internally developed software3 years
Office equipment7 years
Office furniture7 years
Airplane (1)25 years
Leasehold improvementsShorter of lease term or economic life
____________________________

(1)
As part of the HKFS Acquisition, we acquired an airplane with a value of $3.8 million.
We capitalize certain internal-use software development costs, consisting primarily of contractor costs and employee salaries and benefits allocated on a project or product basis. We capitalized $19.3 million, $7.4 million, $6.5 million, and $3.5$6.5 million of internal-use software costs for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018, and 2017, respectively.


NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

Business combinations and intangible assets including goodwill
We account for business combinations, including the 1st Global Acquisition and the HKFS Acquisition, using the acquisition method.
Under the acquisition method, the purchase price of the 1st Global Acquisition has beenacquisition is allocated to 1st Global’sthe acquired tangible assets,and identifiable intangible assets and assumed liabilities based on their estimated fair values at the time of the 1st Global Acquisition.acquisition. This allocation involves a number of assumptions, estimates, and judgments that could materially affect the timing or amounts recognized in our financial statements. The most subjective areas of the acquisition accounting method include determining the fair value of the following:
intangible assets, including the valuation methodology, estimationsestimates of future cash flows, discount rates, growth rates, and attrition rates (if applicable), as well as the estimated useful life of intangible assets;
deferred tax assetscontingent consideration, including the valuation methodology, estimates of future advisory asset levels, discount rates, growth rates, and liabilitiesvolatility levels; and uncertain tax positions, which were initially estimated as of the 1st Global Acquisition date;
pre-existing liabilities or legal claims, and deferred revenue, in each case as may be applicable; and
goodwill, as measured as the excess of consideration transferred over the net of the 1st Global Acquisitionacquisition date fair valuesvalue of the assets acquired, including the amount assigned to identifiable intangible assets, and the liabilities assumed.
The Company’sOur assumptions and estimates are based upon comparable market data and information obtained from our management and the management of 1st Global.the acquired entities.
Goodwill is calculated as the excess of the fair value of total consideration over the acquisition-date fair value of net assets, including the amount assigned to identifiable intangible assets, and is assigned to reporting units that are expected to benefit from the synergies of the business combination as of the acquisition date. ReportingOur reporting units are consistent with our reportable segments.segments, and accordingly, the goodwill acquired from the 1st Global Acquisition and the HKFS Acquisition was assigned to the Wealth Management reporting unit. Identifiable intangible assets with finite lives are amortized over their useful lives onin a straight-line basis, except for advisor relationshipspattern in which are amortized proportional to expected revenue.the asset is consumed. Acquisition-related costs, including advisory, legal, accounting, valuation, and other similar costs, are expensed in the periods in which the costs are incurred. The results of operations of acquired businesses are included in the consolidated financial statements from the acquisition date.
Goodwill and other intangible assets
We evaluate goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment annually, as of November 30, or more frequently when events or circumstances indicate that impairment may have occurred. Definite-lived intangible
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As a result of the Rebranding in the third quarter of 2019, we evaluated the Wealth Management indefinite-lived assets for potential impairment. Accordingly, we evaluated the HD Vest trade name indefinite-lived asset by performing a quantitative impairment test comparing the carrying value of the HD Vest trade name intangible asset to its fair value. The quantitative impairment test determined that the carrying value of the HD Vest trade name exceeded its fair value. As a result, we recognized an impairment charge of $50.9 million
on the “Impairment of intangible asset” lineon the consolidated statement of comprehensive income for the year ended
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019. For additional information, see “Note 6—Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets.”
Subsequently, we performed our annual assessment as of November 30,2020, 2019, and determined that no conditions existed that would make it more likely than not that goodwill and the indefinite-lived assets were further impaired.2018
Definite-lived intangible assets are reviewed for impairment when events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset or group of assets may not be recoverable. The determination of recoverability is basedFor additional information on an estimate of pre-tax undiscounted future cash flows, using our best estimates of future revenuesintangible assets and operating expenses, expected to result from the useour impairment assessment methodologies, see “Note 5—Goodwill and eventual disposition of the asset or group of assets over the


NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

remaining economic life of the primary asset in the asset group. We measure the amount of the impairment as the excess of the asset’s carrying value over its fair value.
Fair value typically is estimated using the present value of future discounted cash flows, an income approach. The significant estimates in the discounted cash flow model include the weighted-average cost of capital and long-term rates of revenue growth and/or profitability of our businesses. The weighted-average cost of capital considers the relevant risk associated with business-specific characteristics and the uncertainty related to the ability to achieve the projected cash flows. These estimates and the resulting valuations require significant judgment.Other Intangible Assets.”
Fair value of financial instruments
We measure cash equivalents and our contingent consideration liability at fair value. We consider the carrying values of accounts receivable, commissions receivable, other receivables, prepaid expenses, other current assets, accounts payable, commissions and advisory fees payable, accrued expenses, and other current liabilities to approximate fair values primarily due to their short-term natures. See “Note 7—9—Fair Value Measurements” for additional information.
Redeemable noncontrolling interests
Noncontrolling interests that are redeemable at the option of the holder and not solely within the control of the issuer are classified outside of stockholders’ equity. In connection with the acquisition of HD Vest in 2015, the former management of HD Vest retained an ownership interest in that business. We were party to put and call arrangements that became exercisable beginning in the first quarter of 2019 with respect to those interests. These put and call arrangements allowed certain former members of HD Vest management to require us to purchase their interests or allow us to acquire such interests for cash, respectively, within ninety days after we filed our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, which occurred on March 1, 2019.
The redemption value of the arrangements was based upon several factors, including, among others, our implied enterprise value, our implied equity value and certain of our financial performance measures. To the extent that the redemption value of these interests exceeded the value determined by adjusting the carrying value for the subsidiary’s attribution of net income (loss), the value of such interests was adjusted to the redemption value with a corresponding adjustment to additional paid-in capital; this occurred in the third quarter of 2018, and we recorded an adjustment of $6.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. The redemption amount of noncontrolling interests was $24.9 million as of December 31, 2018. In the second quarter of 2019, all of these arrangements were settled in cash for $24.9 million.
Revenue recognition
We recognize revenue when all five of the following revenue recognition criteria have been satisfied:
contract(s) with customers have been identified;
performance obligations have been identified;
transaction prices have been determined;
transaction prices have been allocated to the performance obligations; and
the performance obligations have been fulfilled by transferring control over the promised services to the customer.
The determination of when these criteria are satisfied varies by product or service and is explained in more detail below.


NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

Wealth management revenue recognition. Wealth management revenue primarily consists of commissionadvisory revenue, advisorycommission revenue, asset-based revenue, and transaction and fee revenue.
Revenue is recognized upon the transfer of services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for those services. Payments received by us in advance of the performance of service are deferred and recognized as revenue when earned.we have satisfied our performance obligation.
Advisory revenue includes fees charged to clients in advisory accounts for which we are the RIA. These fees are based on the value of assets within these advisory accounts. For advisory revenues generated by Avantax Wealth Management, advisory fees are typically billed quarterly, in advance, and the related advisory revenues are deferred and recognized ratably over the period in which our performance obligations have been completed. For advisory revenues generated by Avantax Planning Partners, advisory fees are typically billed quarterly, in arrears, and the related advisory revenues are accrued and recognized over the period in which our performance obligations were completed.
Commissions represent amounts generated by clients’ purchases and sales of securities and investment products. We serve as the registered broker-dealer or insurance agent for those trades. We generate two types of commissions: (1) transaction-based commissions and (2) trailing commissions. Transaction-based commissions are generated on a per-transaction feebasis and are recognized as revenue on the trade date, which is when our performance obligations have been substantially completed. Trailing commissions are earned by us based on our ongoing account support to clients of our advisors.clients. Trailing commissions are based on a percentage of the current market value of clients’ investment holdings in trail-eligible assets and recognized over the period during which our services are performed. Since trailing commission revenue is generally paid in arrears, we estimate it based on a number of factors, including historical payout ratios, as well as stock market index levels and the amount of trailing commission revenues received in prior periods. These estimates are primarily based on historical information, and there is not significant judgment involved.
A substantial portion of advisory revenue and commission revenue is ultimately paid to our financial advisors. Weprofessionals. In Avantax Wealth Management, advisory fee payments to financial professionals typically occur at the beginning of the quarter, in advance, and therefore do not result in an advisory fee payable amount at quarter end. In Avantax Planning Partners, advisory fee payments (which are primarily composed of payments to CPA firms
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
under fee sharing arrangements) are typically made quarterly, in arrears, and we record an estimate for the advisory fee payable based on the historical payout ratios and financial market movement for the period. For transaction-based commissions, we record an estimate for commissions payable based upon the payout rate of the financial advisorprofessional generating the accrued commission revenue. WeFor trailing commissions, we record an estimate for trailing commissions payable based upon historical payout ratios. Such amounts are recorded as “Commissions and advisory fees payable” on the consolidated balance sheets and “Wealth management services cost of revenue” on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.
Advisory revenue includes fees charged to clients in advisory accounts for which we are the registered investment advisor. These fees are based on the value of assets within these advisory accounts. Advisory revenues are deferred and recognized ratably over the period (typically quarterly) in which our performance obligations have been completed.
Asset-based revenue primarily includes fees from financial product manufacturer sponsorship programs, cash sweep programs, and other asset-based revenues, primarily including margin revenues and areasset-based retirement plan service fees, and is recognized ratably over the period in which services are provided.
Transaction and fee revenue primarily includes (1) support fees charged to advisors,financial professionals, which are recognized over time as advisory services are provided, (2) fees charged for executing certain transactions in client accounts, which are recognized on a trade-date basis, and (3) other fees related to services provided and other account charges as generally outlined in agreements with financial advisors,professionals, clients, and financial institutions, which are recognized as services are performed or as earned, as applicable.
The timing of Wealth Management revenue recognition was as follows (in thousands):
 Years Ended December 31,
 2019 2018
Wealth Management Segment Revenues:Recognized Upon Transaction Recognized Over Time Total Recognized Upon Transaction Recognized Over Time Total
Commission revenue$82,604
 $108,446
 $191,050
 $67,351
 $96,850
 $164,201
Advisory revenue
 252,367
 252,367
 
 164,353
 164,353
Asset-based revenue
 48,182
 48,182
 
 31,456
 31,456
Transaction and fee revenue3,457
 12,923
 16,380
 3,211
 9,953
 13,164
Total$86,061
 $421,918
 $507,979
 $70,562
 $302,612
 $373,174



NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

Tax preparation revenue recognition. We generate revenue from the sale of tax preparation digital services, packaged tax preparation software, ancillary services, and multiple element arrangements that may include a combination of these items.
Digital revenues include revenues associated with our digital software products sold to customers and businesses primarily for the preparation of individual or business tax returns, and digital revenues are generally recognized when customers and businesses complete and file returns. Digital revenues are recognized net of an allowance for the portion of the returns filed using our refund payment transfer services (as explained below) that we estimate will not be accepted and funded by IRS.
Packaged tax preparation software revenues are generated from the sale of our downloadable software products and are recognized when legal title transfers, which is when customers download the software.
Ancillary service revenues primarily include fees we charge for refund payment transfer services, audit defense services, and referral and marketing arrangements with third party partners. Refund payment transfer services allow the cost of TaxAct software products to be deducted from a taxpayer’s refund instead of being paid at the time of filing. The fees the customer pays for refund payment transfer services and audit defense services are recognized as revenue at the time of filing. Revenue for our referral and marketing arrangements with third party partners is recognized at a point in time or over time based on the nature of the performance obligation under each arrangement.
Certain of our tax preparationTax Preparation software packages marketed towards professional tax preparers contain multiple elements, including a software element and an unlimited e-filing capability element. For these software packages that contain multiple elements, we allocate the total consideration of the package to the two elements. We then recognize revenue for the software element upon download or shipment and recognize revenue for the unlimited filing element over time based on an estimated filing timeline. The impact of multiple element arrangements is not material and only impacts the timing of revenue recognition over the tax filing season, which is primarilytypically concentrated within the first two quarters of each year.
The timing of Tax Preparation revenue recognition was as follows (in thousands):
 Years Ended December 31,
 2019 2018
Tax Preparation Segment Revenues:Recognized Upon Transaction Recognized Over Time Total Recognized Upon Transaction Recognized Over Time Total
Consumer$192,438
 $2,566
 $195,004
 $172,207
 $
 $172,207
Professional12,616
 2,346
 14,962
 12,604
 2,471
 15,075
Total$205,054
 $4,912
 $209,966
 $184,811
 $2,471
 $187,282

Advertising expenses
Costs for advertising are recorded as expense and classified within “Sales and marketing” on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income when the advertisement appears. Advertising expense totaled $80.0 million, $54.5 million, $53.3 million, and $51.7$53.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, respectively. Prepaid advertising costs were $0.3 million at both December 31,2020, 2019, and 2018.2018, respectively.

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 20172018

Stock-based compensation
We measure stock-based compensation at the grant date based on the fair value of the award and recognize it as expense, net of estimated forfeitures, over the vesting or service period, as applicable, of the stock award using the straight-line method. We recognize stock-based compensation expense over the vesting period for each separately vesting portion of a share-based award as if they were individual share-based awards. We estimate forfeitures at the time of grant, based upon historical data, and revise those estimates, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates.
For performance-based stock awards, compensation expense is originally based on the number of shares that would vest if we achieve the level of performance that we estimate is the most probable outcome at the grant date. Throughout the requisite service period, we monitor the probability of achievement of the performance condition and adjust stock-based compensation expense if necessary.
Income taxes
We account for income taxes under the asset and liability method, under which deferred tax assets, including net operating loss carryforwards, and deferred tax liabilities are determined based on temporary differences between the book and tax bases of assets and liabilities. We periodically evaluate the likelihood of the realization of deferred tax assets and reduce the carrying amount of the deferred tax assets by a valuation allowance to the extent we believe it is more likely than not a portion will not be realized. We consider many factors when assessing the likelihood of future realization of deferred tax assets, including expectations of future taxable income, recent cumulative earnings experience by taxing jurisdiction, and other relevant factors. There is a wide range of possible judgments relating to the valuation of our deferred tax assets.
We record liabilities to address uncertain tax positions that have been taken in previously filed tax returns or that are expected to be taken in a future tax return. The determination for required liabilities is based upon an analysis of each individual tax position, taking into consideration whether it is more likely than not that the tax position, based on technical merits, will be sustained upon examination. The tax benefit to be recognized in the financial statements from such a position is measured as the largest amount of benefit that has a greater than 50% cumulative likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the taxing authority. The difference between the amount recognized and the total tax position is recorded as a liability. The ultimate resolution of these tax positions may be greater or less than the liabilities recorded. We recognize interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in interest expense and general and administrative expense, respectively.
Concentration of credit risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject us to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash equivalents, short-term investments, trade accounts receivable, and commissions receivable. These instruments are generally unsecured and uninsured.
For cash equivalents, short-term investments, and commissions receivable, we attempt to manage exposure to counterparty credit risk by only entering into agreements with major financial institutions and investment sponsors that are expected to be able to fully perform under the terms of the applicable agreement.
Accounts receivable are typically unsecured and are derived from revenues earned from customers primarily located in the United States operating in a variety of geographic areas. We perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers and maintain allowances for potential credit losses.
Geographic revenue information
Almost all of our revenue for 2020, 2019, 2018, and 20172018 was generated from customers located in the United States.
Recently adopted accounting pronouncements 
Changes to GAAP are established by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) in the form of accounting standards updates (“ASUs”) to the FASB’s Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”). We consider the applicability and impact
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Table of all recent ASUs. ASUs not listed below were assessed and determined to be eitherContents


NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 20172018

the applicability and impact of all recent ASUs and ASCs. ASUs and ASCs not listed below were assessed and determined to be either not applicable or are expected to have minimal impact on our consolidated financial position and results of operations. We are currently considering, or have recently adopted, ASUs and ASCs that impact the following areas:
Revenue recognition. In May 2014, the FASB issued guidance codified in ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASC 606), which amends the guidance in former ASC 605, Revenue Recognition. The core principle of ASC 606 is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services by using a five-step process. ASC 606 became effective on a retrospective basis (either to each reporting period presented or with the cumulative effect of initially applying this guidance recognized at the date of initial application) for annual reporting periods, including interim reporting periods within those annual reporting periods, beginning after December 15, 2017.
We adopted ASC 606 on January 1, 2018, utilizing the modified retrospective transition method. Upon adoption, we recognized a $1.8 million cumulative effect as an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings and deferred revenues on the consolidated balance sheets.
As a result of the adoption of ASC 606, we now recognize certain licensing fees on a net basis, which reduced both transaction and fee revenues and operating expenses by $1.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Had we not adopted ASC 606, total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2018 would have been $3.3 million higher than reported on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.
Pursuant to the modified retrospective transition method, prior periods were not retrospectively adjusted, and we do not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts with original expected durations of one year or less.
Leases. In February 2016, the FASB issued guidance codified in ASC 842, Leases (“ASC 842”), which supersedes the guidance in ASC 840, Leases (“ASC 840”). Under ASC 842, lease assets and liabilities resulting from both operating leases and finance leases (formerly known as “capital leases”) are recognized on the balance sheet. Lease liabilities are measured as the present value of unpaid lease payments for operating leases under which we are the lessee, and a corresponding right-of-use (“ROU”) asset is recognized for the right to use the leased assets.
ASC 842 became effective on a modified retrospective basis for annual reporting periods, including interim reporting periods within those annual reporting periods, beginning after December 15, 2018. Prior comparable periods are presented in accordance with accounting guidance under ASC 840 and were not restated.
We adopted ASC 842 on January 1, 2019 for all open leases with a term greater than one year as of the adoption date, using the modified retrospective method of adoption with a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings. We elected to utilize several practical expedients that were available under ASC 842, including: (1) the practical expedients under which there is no requirement to reassess lease existence, classification, and initial direct costs; (2) the hindsight practical expedient, under which we used hindsight in determining certain lease terms; (3) the short-term lease expedient, under which we dodid not apply the balance sheet recognition requirements of ASC 842 to leases with a term of twelve months or less; and (4) the lease component practical expedient, under which we made a policy election to account for the nonlease components of a lease together with the related lease components as a single lease component. The adoption of ASC 842 resulted in $6.6 million of additional operating lease assets, $9.1 million of additional operating lease liabilities, and a $1.6 million adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings as a result of reevaluating certain of our lease terms as of the adoption date. Upon adoption, we also reclassified $0.9 million of other lease-related balances to reduce the measurement of lease assets.
Our lease terms are contractually fixed but may include extension or termination options reasonably assured to be exercised at lease inception, which are included in the recognition of ROU assets and lease liabilities. Our leases do not contain residual value guarantees or material variable lease payments. We do not have any material


NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

restrictions or covenants imposed by leases that would impact our ability to pay dividends or cause us to incur additional financial obligations.
Our leases are not complex; therefore, there were no significant assumptions or judgments made in applying the requirements of ASC 842, including the determination of whether theour contracts contained a lease and the determination of the discount rates for theour leases.
Stock-based compensation. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Shared-Based Payment Accounting (“ASU 2016-09”). ASU 2016-09 requires that excess tax benefits and deficiencies be recognized as income tax benefit or expense, rather than as additional paid-in capital. In addition, ASU 2016-09 requires that excess tax benefits be recorded in the period that shares vest or settle, regardless of whether the benefit reduces taxes payable in the same period. Cash flows related to excess tax benefits will be included as an operating activity (and no longer classified as a financing activity) in the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-09 became effective for annual reporting periods, including interim reporting periods within those annual reporting periods, beginning after December 15, 2016. The portion of ASU 2016-09 related to the recognition of excess tax benefits and deficiencies as income tax benefit or expense was effective on a prospective basis, and the portion of ASU 2016-09 related to the timing of excess tax benefit recognition was effective using a modified retrospective transition method with a cumulative-effect adjustment to equity as of the beginning of the period in which ASU 2016-09 was adopted. The cash flow presentation guidance was effective on a retrospective or prospective basis.
We implemented ASU 2016-09 on January 1, 2017 and recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment of $51.5 million to credit retained earnings for deferred tax assets related to net operating losses that arose from excess tax benefits, which we have deemed realizable. In addition:
At the time of adoption and on a prospective basis, the primary impact of adoption was the recognition of excess tax benefits and deficiencies, including deferred tax assets related to net operating losses that arose from excess tax benefits that we have deemed realizable in the income tax provision (rather than in additional paid-in capital). This caused income taxes to differ from taxes at the statutory rates for 2017. For the year ended December 31, 2017, we recognized an estimated $20.1 million decrease to the income tax provision, which resulted in a $20.1 million increase to income from continuing operations and net income attributable to Blucora, a $0.45 increase to basic earnings per share, and a $0.43 increase to diluted earnings per share.
We applied the cash flow presentation guidance on a retrospective basis, restating the consolidated statements of cash flows to present excess tax benefits as an operating activity (rather than a financing activity). For the year ended December 31, 2017, that resulted in an increase to cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations of $16.0 million and a corresponding decrease to cash used by financing activities from continuing operations. The restatement had no impact on total cash flows for the period presented.
ASU 2016-09 also clarifies that payments made to tax authorities on an employee’s behalf for withheld shares should be presented as a financing activity in the statement of cash flows, allows the repurchase of more of an employee’s shares for tax withholding purposes without triggering liability accounting, and provides an accounting policy election to account for forfeitures as they occur. The cash flow presentation requirements for payments made to tax authorities on an employee’s behalf had no impact to any periods presented, since such cash flows historically have been presented as a financing activity. We are not planning to change tax withholdings and will continue to estimate forfeitures in determining the amount of compensation cost to be recognized in each period. 
Accounting pronouncements to be adopted in future periods
Measurement of Credit Losses.Losses. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-03,2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial StatementsInstruments (ASU 2016-032016-13”) that requires companies to measure, which changes how entities account for credit losses utilizingof financial assets measured at amortized cost. ASU 2016-13 requires financial assets measured at amortized cost to be presented on the balance sheet at the net amount expected to be collected.
The allowance for credit losses is a methodologyvaluation account that reflectsis deducted from the amortized cost basis of the financial asset to present the net carrying value at the amount expected to be collected on the financial asset. ASU 2016-13 replaces the previous “incurred loss” model with a “current expected credit losses andloss” model that requires a consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to informestimate expected credit loss estimates.losses over the lifetime of the financial asset. ASU 2016-03 is2016-13 was effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including the interim periods within those fiscal years. Entities were required to apply ASU 2016-13 using a modified-retrospective approach by recording a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which ASU 2016-13 was effective.
We adopted ASU 2016-13 effective January 1, 2020. Our financial assets within the scope of ASU 2016-13 primarily consisted of our commissions receivable and accounts receivable. While we have implemented the current
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 20172018

2019, including those interim periods within those fiscal years. We are currently assessingexpected credit loss model and assessed the impact of adopting ASU 2016-03, but basedthis new model on a preliminary assessment, we do not expectour in-scope financial assets, the adoption of this guidance toASU 2016-13 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.did not result in a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of January 1, 2020.
Goodwill. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Accounting for Goodwill (“ASU 2017-04”), which simplifies the subsequent measurement of goodwill by eliminating the previously applicable step two from the goodwill impairment test. Under the amended guidance of ASU 2017-04, when required to test goodwill for recoverability, an entity will perform its goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of the reporting unit to its carrying value and recognizing an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit. ASU 2017-04 was effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and entities were required to apply ASU 2017-04 on a prospective basis.
We adopted ASU 2017-04 effective January 1, 2020 and applied this new guidance to the goodwill impairment tests we performed as of March 31, 2020 and November 30, 2020. For more information on these impairment tests, see “Note 5—Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets.”
Note 3: Acquisitions and DispositionsDisposition
HKFS Acquisition
On July 1, 2020, we closed the HKFS Acquisition for an upfront cash purchase price of $104.4 million, which was paid with a portion of the proceeds from the $175.0 million increase in the Term Loan (as defined in “Note 6—Debt”). The purchase price is subject to customary adjustment and 2 potential post-closing earn-out payments (the “HKFS Contingent Consideration”) by us.
The amount of the HKFS Contingent Consideration is determined based on advisory asset levels and the achievement of certain performance goals (i) for the period beginning on July 1, 2020 and ending on July 1, 2021 and (ii) for the period beginning on July 1, 2021 and ending on July 1, 2022. Pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of January 6, 2020, by and among the Company, HKFS, the selling stockholders named therein (the “Sellers”), and JRD Seller Representative, LLC, as the Sellers’ representative, as amended, the maximum aggregate amount that we would be required to pay for each earn-out period is $30.0 million, provided that any unearned amounts during the first earn-out period may also be earned during the second earn-out period. If the asset values on the applicable measurement date fall below certain specified thresholds, we would not be required to make any earn-out payment to the Sellers for such period. On the HKFS Acquisition date, the fair value of the HKFS Contingent Consideration was $27.6 million. We recorded the short-term and long-term portions of the HKFS Contingent Consideration in “Accrued expenses and other current liabilities” and “Other long-term liabilities,” respectively, on the consolidated balance sheet. Subsequent to the HKFS Acquisition date, the HKFS Contingent Consideration is remeasured to an estimated fair value at each reporting date until the contingency is resolved. As of December 31, 2020, the fair value of the HKFS Contingent Consideration was $35.9 million. Changes in estimated fair value are recognized in “Acquisition and integration” expenses on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss) in the period in which they occur. For additional information on the HKFS Contingent Consideration, see “Note 9—Fair Value Measurements.”
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
The purchase price of the HKFS Acquisition was allocated to HKFS’s tangible assets, identifiable intangible assets, and assumed liabilities based on their estimated fair values at the time of the HKFS Acquisition. The preliminary fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the HKFS Acquisition were as follows (in thousands):
Purchase Price Allocation at
HKFS Acquisition Date
Purchase Price Allocation Adjustments Since
HKFS Acquisition Date
Purchase Price Allocation at December 31, 2020
Assets acquired:
Tangible assets acquired, including cash of $1,980 (1)15,517 $15,517 
Identifiable intangible assets62,970 (5,600)57,370 
Goodwill58,137 5,600 63,737 
Liabilities assumed(5,134)(5,134)
Total assets acquired and liabilities assumed$131,490 $131,490 
Cash paid at HKFS Acquisition date$104,404 
Post-closing cash consideration adjustment(514)
HKFS Contingent Consideration27,600 
Total purchase price$131,490 
____________________________
(1)Included in tangible assets acquired were accounts receivable of $7.8 million, which primarily consisted of advisory fees receivable. As an insignificant amount of these receivables was expected to be uncollectible, the acquired amount approximates the fair value of the accounts receivable.
The identifiable intangible assets were as follows (in thousands, except as otherwise indicated):
Estimated Fair ValueUseful Life at HKFS Acquisition Date (in months)
Customer relationships$52,800 180
CPA firm relationships4,070 180
Trade name500 36
Total identified intangible assets$57,370 179
The excess of the total consideration over the tangible assets, identifiable intangible assets, and assumed liabilities was recorded as goodwill in the amount of $63.7 million. Goodwill consists largely of the cost, revenue, and marketing synergies expected from incorporating HKFS into our existing Wealth Management business. These synergies include, but are not limited to, increased scale, enhanced capabilities, and an integrated platform. All of the acquired goodwill recognized is deductible for income tax purposes.
The preliminary estimates of the net assets acquired were based upon preliminary calculations and valuations, with these calculations and valuations being subject to change as we obtained additional information for such estimates during the measurement period. For the period from the date of the HKFS Acquisition to December 31, 2020, we adjusted the preliminary fair value estimate for our customer relationship intangible asset, resulting in a $5.6 million decrease to the customer relationship intangible asset, offset by a corresponding $5.6 million increase to goodwill. This adjustment and the corresponding impact to amortization expense had an immaterial impact on our operating results. As of December 31, 2020, the purchase price allocation for the HKFS Acquisition was considered final.
We have incurred inception-to-date transaction costs related to the HKFS Acquisition of $10.8 million, of which $7.7 million and $3.1 million were recognized for the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. These costs were recognized as “Acquisition and integration” expense on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss).
The operations of HKFS are included in operating results as part of the Wealth Management segment from the date of the HKFS Acquisition. From the date of the HKFS Acquisition, HKFS contributed $19.6 million of revenue and $4.5 million of income before income taxes to our consolidated results for the year ended December 31, 2020.
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 84

Table of Contents

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
Pro forma financial information of the HKFS Acquisition
The financial information in the table below summarizes the combined results of operations of Blucora and HKFS, on a pro forma basis, for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019. The pro forma results are presented as if the HKFS Acquisition had occurred on January 1, 2019 and include adjustments for amortization expense on the definite-lived intangible assets identified in the HKFS Acquisition, debt-related expenses associated with the Term Loan increase used to finance the HKFS Acquisition, acquisition and integration costs related to the HKFS Acquisition, the removal of historic interest expense for debt issuances of HKFS that were not assumed in the HKFS Acquisition, and the reduction of historic cost of revenue associated with fee-sharing arrangements that did not continue after the HKFS Acquisition. In addition, income taxes were also adjusted for the pro forma results of the combined entity. The historical results of operations for 1st Global are included in the table below as of the date of the 1st Global Acquisition.
The following pro forma financial information is presented for informational purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of the results of operations that would have been achieved had the HKFS Acquisition occurred on January 1, 2019 (amounts in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
20202019
Revenue$771,092 $751,054 
Net income(321,635)27,726 
1st Global Acquisition
On May 6, 2019, we closed the 1st Global Acquisition, pursuant to which we acquired all of the issued and outstanding common stock of 1st Global for a cash purchase price of $180.0 million. The 1st Global Acquisition was strategically important as it expands our presence as the leading tax-focused independent broker-dealer while also providing the scale to compete more broadly in the wealth management market.Acquisition. The purchase price has beenwas paid with a combination of (i) cash on hand and (ii) the proceeds from a $125.0 million increase in our Term Loan.
The purchase price was allocated to 1st Global’s tangible assets, identifiable intangible assets, and assumed liabilities based on their estimated fair values at the time of the 1st Global Acquisition.
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 85

Table of Contents

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
The fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the 1st Global Acquisition were as follows (in thousands):
 Estimated Purchase Price Allocation at 1st Global Acquisition Date Purchase Price Allocation Adjustments Since Acquisition Date Purchase Price Allocation at December 31, 2019
Assets acquired:     
Tangible assets acquired including cash of $12,389$37,153
 $1,260
 $38,413
Goodwill125,277
 (7,485) 117,792
Identifiable intangible assets78,200
 5,780
 83,980
Liabilities assumed:     
Contingent liability(10,000) (1,052) (11,052)
Deferred revenues(17,715) 
 (17,715)
Other current liabilities(13,397) 441
 (12,956)
Deferred tax liabilities, net(19,518) 1,056
 (18,462)
Total assets acquired and liabilities assumed$180,000
 $
 $180,000
Cash paid at the 1st Global Acquisition date    $176,850
Cash to be paid after the 1st Global Acquisition date (1)    $3,150

Purchase Price Allocation at December 31, 2019Purchase Price Allocation Adjustments Since December 31, 2019Final Purchase Price Allocation
Assets acquired:
Tangible assets acquired including cash of $12,389 (1)$38,413 $$38,413 
Goodwill117,792 (666)117,126 
Identifiable intangible assets83,980 83,980 
Liabilities assumed:
Contingent liability(11,052)(11,052)
Deferred revenues(17,715)(17,715)
Other current liabilities(12,956)281 (12,675)
Deferred tax liabilities, net(18,462)385 (18,077)
Total assets acquired and liabilities assumed$180,000 $$180,000 
Cash paid at the 1st Global Acquisition date$176,850 
Cash paid after the 1st Global Acquisition date (2)3,150 
Total purchase price$180,000 
____________________________
(1)
(1)Included in tangible assets acquired were accounts receivable (including commissions receivable) of $6.7 million. As an insignificant amount of these receivables was expected to be uncollectible, the acquired amount approximates the fair value of the accounts receivable.
(2)The Company retained $3.2 million of the purchase price of the 1st Global Acquisition, of which $2.1 million was paid to employees of 1st Global in 2019, with the remainder to be paid to either 1st Global or former employees of 1st Global within the twelve months following the 1st Global Acquisition.
For the period from the date of the 1st Global Acquisition, of which $2.1 million was paid to December 31,employees of 1st Global in 2019, with the Company adjusted its preliminary fair value estimates and estimated useful lives based upon information obtained through December 31, 2019, which resultedremainder paid to 1st Global or former employees of 1st Global in an immaterial impact to the Company’s operating results. These adjustments primarily related to estimated intangible asset fair values (primarily related to the advisor relationships intangible asset), a contingent liability, deferred tax liabilities, net, and goodwill. The primary area of the acquisition accounting that had not yet been finalized as of December 31, 2019 related to deferred taxes, which would result in a change to goodwill.


NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

2020.
The identifiable intangible assets were as follows (in thousands, except as otherwise indicated):
 Estimated Fair Value Accumulated Amortization through
December 31, 2019
 Weighted Average Estimated Remaining Useful Life (in months)
Advisor relationships$78,400
 $3,568
 196
Developed technology2,980
 916
 29
Trade name1,000
 218
 29
Training materials900
 196
 29
Sponsor relationships700
 38
 137
Balance as of December 31, 2019$83,980
 $4,936
 

For the year ended December 31, 2019, we recognized amortization expense of $4.9 million in “Amortization of other acquired intangible assets” on the consolidated statement of comprehensive income.
Estimated Fair ValueUseful Life at
1st Global Acquisition Date (in months)
Financial professional relationships$78,400 204
Developed technology2,980 36
Trade name1,000 36
Training materials900 36
Sponsor relationships700 144
Balance as of December 31, 2019$83,980 
The excess of the total consideration over the tangible assets, identifiable intangible assets, and assumed liabilities was recorded as goodwill. Goodwill consists largely of synergistic opportunities for our Wealth Management business, including increased scale, enhanced capabilities, and an integrated platform of brokerage, investment advisory, and insurance services. Goodwill is not expected to be deductible for income tax purposes and is reported in our Wealth Management segment.
Subsequent to December 31, 2019, we adjusted the fair values of goodwill, other current liabilities, and deferred tax liabilities, net, due to the pre-acquisition 1st Global tax returns that were filed in the first quarter of 2020. As more than one year has elapsed since the 1st Global Acquisition date, the measurement period for the 1st Global Acquisition has ended, and the purchase price allocation was considered final as of June 30, 2020.
As part of the 1st Global Acquisition, we assumed a contingent liability related to a regulatory inquiry and recorded the contingent liability as part of the opening balance sheet. While the inquiry is still on-going, we evaluated a range of possible losses, resulting in a contingent liability reserve balance of $11.1$11.3 million at December 31, 2019.2020.
The gross contractual amount
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 86

Table of acquired accounts receivable, including commissions receivable, was $6.7 million. As an insignificant amount of these receivables was expected to be uncollectible, the acquired amount approximates fair value.Contents

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
For the year ended December 31, 2019, we incurred transaction costs of $6.5 million associated with the 1st Global Acquisition, which were recognized as “Acquisition and integration” expenses on the consolidated statement of comprehensive income (loss).
The operations of 1st Global are included in our operating results as part of the Wealth Management segment from the date of the 1st Global Acquisition. From the date of the 1st Global Acquisition, 1st Global contributed approximately $114.8 million of revenue and $0.3 million of income before income taxes to our consolidated results for the year ended December 31, 2019.
Pro forma financial information of the 1st Global Acquisition:Acquisition
The financial information in the table below summarizes the combined results of operations of Blucora and 1st Global, on a pro forma basis, for the period in whichyears ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. The pro forma results are presented as if the 1st Global Acquisition had occurred on January 1, 2018 and the prior reporting period as though the companies had been combined as of the beginning of each period presented. Pro forma net income includesinclude adjustments for amortization expense on the definite-lived intangible assets identified in the 1st Global Acquisition, debt-related expenses associated with the credit facilityTerm Loan increase used to finance the 1st Global Acquisition, and for the removal of acquisition-related transaction costs. Income taxes also have been adjusted for the effect of these items.


NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

The historical results of operations for HKFS are not included in the table below.
The following pro forma financial information is presented for informational purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of the results of operations that would have been achieved had the 1st Global Acquisition occurred at the beginning of the period presented (amounts in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
20192018
Revenue$777,245 $734,489 
Net income36,205 41,319 
Acquisition and integration expenses
Acquisition and integration expenses primarily relate to transaction and integration costs for the 1st Global Acquisition and HKFS Acquisition and consist of employee-related expenses, professional services fees, and other expenses. These costs were recognized as “Acquisition and integration” expense on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss). Acquisition and integration expenses were as follows (in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
20202019
Employee-related expenses$1,615 $5,241 
Professional services13,602 17,752 
Change in fair value of HKFS Contingent Consideration (1)8,300 
Other expenses (2)7,568 2,770 
Total acquisition and integration expenses$31,085 $25,763 
____________________________
(1)For additional information, see “Note 9—Fair Value Measurements.”
(2)For the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized a $4.1 million impairment expense related to our former headquarters building lease (acquired in the 1st Global Acquisition). For additional information, see “Note 7—Leases.”
For the year ended December 31, 2020, acquisition and integration expenses included $19.7 million related to the HKFS Acquisition and $11.4 million related to the 1st Global Acquisition. For the year ended December 31, 2019, acquisition and integration expense included $22.7 million related to the 1st Global Acquisition and $3.1 million related to the HKFS Acquisition.
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 87


NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
Disposition of SimpleTax
On September 4, 2019, we completed the disposition of all of the issued and outstanding stock of SimpleTax Software Inc. (“SimpleTax”), which was a provider of digital tax preparation services in Canada, for proceeds of $9.6 million. This amount was received in the third quarter of 2019 and is included in “Proceeds from sale of a business, net of cash” on the consolidated statement of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2019. We also recognized a gain on the sale of $3.3 million, which is included in “Other loss, net” on the consolidated statement of comprehensive income (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2019.
The sale of SimpleTax did not meet the requisite criteria to constitute discontinued operations, as the historical results of SimpleTax were not material to our consolidated results of operations. Prior to its sale, the operations of SimpleTax were included in our operating results as part of the Tax Preparation segment.
Summarized financial information for SimpleTax prior to the sale was as follows (in thousands):
Major classes of assets and liabilities:September 3, 2019 December 31, 2018
Cash$2,198
 $1,088
Accounts receivable12
 27
Intangible assets119
 143
Goodwill4,199
 4,102
Total assets6,528
 5,360
    
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities102
 77
Long-term liabilities38
 37
Total liabilities$140
 $114

Note 4: Restructuring
In connection with the relocation of our corporate headquarters to Irving, Texas in 2017, we incurred total restructuring costs of $7.3 million, of which $7.0 million was recognized on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016. These costs were primarily recorded in “Restructuring” on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income and within corporate-level activity for segment purposes. The table below summarizes the activity in the restructuring liability (in thousands):
 Employee-Related Termination Costs Contract Termination Costs Total
Balance as of December 31, 2017$1,202
 $681
 $1,883
Restructuring charges288
 
 288
Payments(1,490) (157) (1,647)
Balance as of December 31, 2018$
 $524
 $524
Payments
 (524) (524)
Balance as of December 31, 2019$
 $
 $



NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

Employee-related termination costs primarily included severance benefits, under both ongoing and one-time benefit arrangements. Contract termination costs and fixed asset impairments were incurred in connection with the previous headquarters’ operating lease and related fixed assets.
Note 5:4: Segment Information and Revenues
We have 2 reportable segments: (1) the Wealth Management segment and (2) the Tax Preparation segment. Our Chief Executive Officer is the chief operating decision maker and reviews financial information presented on a disaggregated basis. This information is used for purposes of allocating resources and evaluating financial performance.
We do not allocate certain general and administrative costs (including personnel and overhead costs), stock-based compensation, depreciation, and amortization of intangible assets, acquisition and integration costs, executive transition costs, headquarters relocation costs, or impairment of goodwill and an intangible asset to the reportable segments. Such amounts are reflected in the table below under the heading “Corporate-level activity.” In addition, we do not allocate other loss, net, andor income taxes to the reportable segments. We do not report assets or capital expenditures by segment to the chief operating decision maker.
Information on reportable segments currently presented to our chief operating decision maker and a reconciliation to consolidated net income (loss) are presented below (in thousands):
 Years Ended December 31,
 202020192018
Revenue:
Wealth Management$546,189 $507,979 $373,174 
Tax Preparation208,763 209,966 187,282 
Total revenue754,952 717,945 560,456 
Operating income (loss):
Wealth Management72,195 68,292 53,053 
Tax Preparation49,621 96,249 87,249 
Corporate-level activity(390,936)(164,532)(72,625)
Total operating income (loss)(269,120)67,677 
Other loss, net(31,304)(16,915)(15,797)
Income tax benefit (expense)(42,331)65,054 (311)
Net income (loss)$(342,755)$48,148 $51,569 
 Years Ended December 31,
 2019
2018 2017
Revenue:     
Wealth Management$507,979
 $373,174
 $348,620
Tax Preparation209,966
 187,282
 160,937
Total revenue717,945
 560,456
 509,557
Operating income:     
Wealth Management68,292
 53,053
 50,916
Tax Preparation96,249
 87,249
 72,921
Corporate-level activity(164,532) (72,625) (75,800)
Total operating income9
 67,677
 48,037
Other loss, net(16,915) (15,797) (44,551)
Income tax benefit (expense)65,054
 (311) 25,890
Net income$48,148
 $51,569
 $29,376

Revenues by major category within each segment are presented below (in thousands):
 Years Ended December 31,
 2019 2018 2017
Wealth Management:     
Commission$191,050
 $164,201
 $160,241
Advisory252,367
 164,353
 145,694
Asset-based48,182
 31,456
 26,297
Transaction and fee16,380
 13,164
 16,388
Total Wealth Management revenue$507,979
 $373,174
 $348,620
Tax Preparation:     
Consumer$195,004
 $172,207
 $147,084
Professional14,962
 15,075
 13,853
Total Tax Preparation revenue$209,966
 $187,282
 $160,937





Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 88

Table of Contents

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 20172018
Wealth Management revenue recognition
Wealth Management revenue primarily consists of advisory revenue, commission revenue, asset-based revenue, and transaction and fee revenue.
Revenues by major category within the Wealth Management segment and the timing of Wealth Management revenue recognition was as follows (in thousands):
 Years Ended December 31,
 202020192018
Recognized upon transaction:
Advisory revenue$$$
Commission revenue74,788 82,604 67,351 
Asset-based revenue
Transaction and fee revenue6,494 3,457 3,211 
Total Wealth Management revenue recognized upon transaction$81,282 $86,061 $70,562 
Recognized over time:
Advisory revenue$314,751 $252,367 $164,353 
Commission revenue110,413 108,446 96,850 
Asset-based revenue23,688 48,182 31,456 
Transaction and fee revenue16,055 12,923 9,953 
Total Wealth Management revenue recognized over time$464,907 $421,918 $302,612 
Total Wealth Management revenue:
Advisory revenue$314,751 $252,367 $164,353 
Commission revenue185,201 191,050 164,201 
Asset-based revenue23,688 48,182 31,456 
Transaction and fee revenue22,549 16,380 13,164 
Total Wealth Management revenue$546,189 $507,979 $373,174 
Tax Preparation revenue recognition
We generate Tax Preparation revenue from the sale of tax preparation digital services, packaged tax preparation software, ancillary services, and multiple element arrangements that may include a combination of these items.
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 89

Table of Contents

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
Revenues by major category within the Tax Preparation segment and the timing of Tax Preparation revenue recognition was as follows (in thousands):
 Years Ended December 31,
 202020192018
Recognized upon transaction:
Consumer$192,223 $192,438 $172,207 
Professional14,031 12,616 12,604 
Total Tax Preparation revenue recognized upon transaction$206,254 $205,054 $184,811 
Recognized over time:
Consumer$$2,566 $
Professional2,506 2,346 2,471 
Total Tax Preparation revenue recognized over time$2,509 $4,912 $2,471 
Total Tax Preparation revenue:
Consumer$192,226 $195,004 $172,207 
Professional16,537 14,962 15,075 
Total Tax Preparation revenue$208,763 $209,966 $187,282 
Note 6:5: Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
Goodwill
The following table presents goodwill by reportable segment (in thousands):
Wealth ManagementTax PreparationTotal
Balance as of December 31, 2018Balance as of December 31, 2018$356,041 $192,644 $548,685 
Acquired (1)Acquired (1)117,792 117,792 
Disposed (1)Disposed (1)(4,102)(4,102)
Balance as of December 31, 2019Balance as of December 31, 2019473,833 188,542 662,375 
Acquired (1)(2)63,737 63,737 
Purchase accounting adjustments (3)Purchase accounting adjustments (3)(666)(666)
ImpairmentImpairment(270,625)(270,625)
Balance as of December 31, 2020Balance as of December 31, 2020$266,279 $188,542 $454,821 
Wealth Management Tax Preparation Total
Balance as of December 31, 2017$356,041
 $192,996
 $549,037
Foreign currency translation adjustment
 (352) (352)
Balance as of December 31, 2018356,041
 192,644
 548,685
Acquired (1)(2)117,792
 
 117,792
Disposed (1)
 (4,102) (4,102)
Balance as of December 31, 2019$473,833
 $188,542
 $662,375
Balance as of December 31, 2020Balance as of December 31, 2020
Gross goodwillGross goodwill$536,904 $188,542 $725,446 
Accumulated impairmentAccumulated impairment(270,625)(270,625)
Goodwill, net of accumulated impairmentGoodwill, net of accumulated impairment$266,279 $188,542 $454,821 
___________________________
____________________________(1)For the year ended December 31, 2019, goodwill acquired resulted from the 1st Global Acquisition, and goodwill disposed resulted from the disposition of SimpleTax.
(1)For the year ended December 31, 2019, goodwill acquired resulted from the 1st Global Acquisition, and goodwill disposed resulted from the disposition of SimpleTax. For additional information, see “Note 3—Acquisitions and Dispositions.”
(2)For the year ended December 31, 2020, goodwill acquired resulted from the HKFS Acquisition.
(3)For the year ended December 31, 2020, the goodwill purchase accounting adjustment related to the 1st Global Acquisition.
Goodwill represents the cost of an acquisition less the fair value of the net identifiable assets of the acquired business. We evaluate goodwill for impairment annually, as of November 30, or more frequently when events or circumstances indicate it is more likely than not that the fair value of one or more of our reporting units is less than its carrying amount. To determine whether it is necessary to perform a goodwill impairment test, we first assess qualitative factors to evaluate whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. We may elect to perform a goodwill impairment test without completing a qualitative assessment.
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 90

Table of Contents

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
Beginning in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant negative impact on the U.S. and global economy and caused substantial disruption in the U.S. and global securities markets, and as a result, negatively impacted certain key Wealth Management business drivers, such as client asset levels and interest rates. These macroeconomic and Company-specific factors, in totality, served as a triggering event that resulted in the testing of the goodwill of the Wealth Management reporting unit and the Tax Preparation reporting unit for potential impairment.
As part of the goodwill impairment test, we compared the estimated fair values of the Wealth Management and Tax Preparation reporting units to their respective carrying values. Estimated fair value was calculated using Level 3 inputs and utilized a blended valuation method that factored in the income approach and the market approach. The income approach estimated fair value by using the present value of future discounted cash flows. Significant estimates used in the discounted cash flow model included our forecasted cash flows, our long-term rates of growth, and our weighted average cost of capital. The weighted average cost of capital factors in the relevant risk associated with business-specific characteristics and the uncertainty related to the ability to achieve our projected cash flows. The market approach estimated fair value by taking income-based valuation multiples for a set of comparable companies and applying the valuation multiple to each reporting unit’s income.
For the Wealth Management reporting unit, the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeded its fair value by $270.6 million . Therefore, we recorded an impairment of goodwill of $270.6 million in the first quarter of 2020. For the Tax Preparation reporting unit, the carrying value of the reporting unit was significantly below its fair value, and therefore, no impairment of goodwill was deemed necessary.
No goodwill impairment triggering events were identified for the remainder of the year ended December 31, 2020. In addition, we performed our annual goodwill impairment evaluation as of November 30, 2020 and concluded that there were no indicators of impairment. The Wealth Management reporting unit is considered to be at risk for a future impairment of its goodwill in the event of a further decline in general economic, market, or business conditions, or any significant unfavorable changes in our forecasted revenue, expenses, cash flows, weighted average cost of capital, and/or market valuation multiples. We will continue to monitor for events and circumstances that could negatively impact the key assumptions in determining the fair value of the Wealth Management reporting unit.
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 91

Table of Contents

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
Intangible Assets
Intangible assets other than goodwill consisted of the following (in thousands):
 December 31, 2019 December 31, 2018  December 31, 2020December 31, 2019
Weighted Average Amortization Period (months)
Gross
carrying
amount
 
Accumulated
amortization
 Net 
Gross
carrying
amount
 
Accumulated
amortization
 NetWeighted Average Amortization Period (months)
Gross
carrying
amount
Accumulated
amortization
Net
Gross
carrying
amount
Accumulated
amortization
Net
Definite-lived intangible assets:            Definite-lived intangible assets:
Advisor relationships193$318,700
 $(71,066) $247,634
 $240,300
 $(50,973) $189,327
Financial professional relationshipsFinancial professional relationships181$318,700 $(92,436)$226,264 $318,700 $(71,066)$247,634 
Sponsor relationships16617,200
 (3,705) 13,495
 16,500
 (2,750) 13,750
Sponsor relationships15517,200 (4,680)12,520 17,200 (3,705)13,495 
Technology2646,952
 (41,335) 5,617
 43,847
 (38,396) 5,451
Technology1316,470 (14,026)2,444 46,952 (41,335)5,617 
Trade names (1)312,600
 (396) 2,204
 
 
 
Trade namesTrade names223,100 (1,346)1,754 2,600 (396)2,204 
Customer relationships1101,575
 (100,518) 1,057
 101,686
 (87,811) 13,875
Customer relationships17457,143 (1,784)55,359 101,575 (100,518)1,057 
CPA firm relationshipsCPA firm relationships1744,070 (136)3,934 
Curriculum291,700
 (996) 704
 800
 (600) 200
Curriculum17900 (496)404 1,700 (996)704 
Total definite-lived intangible assets186488,727
 (218,016) 270,711
 403,133
 (180,530) 222,603
Total definite-lived intangible assets417,583 (114,904)302,679 488,727 (218,016)270,711 
Indefinite-lived intangible assets:            Indefinite-lived intangible assets:
Trade names (1) 19,500
 
 19,500
 72,000
 
 72,000
Trade nameTrade name19,500 — 19,500 19,500 — 19,500 
Total intangible assets $508,227
 $(218,016) $290,211
 $475,133
 $(180,530) $294,603
Total intangible assets$437,083 $(114,904)$322,179 $508,227 $(218,016)$290,211 

____________________________
(1)
At December 31, 2018, the HD Vest trade name was included in “Trade names” in indefinite-lived intangible assets. At December 31, 2019, the HD Vest trade name was included in “Trade names” in definite-lived intangible assets. For more information, see the “Intangible asset impairment” section below.
Amortization expense was as follows (in thousands):
 Years Ended December 31,
 2019 2018 2017
Statement of comprehensive income line item:     
Cost of revenue$
 $99
 $195
Amortization of other acquired intangible assets37,357
 33,487
 33,807
Total$37,357
 $33,586
 $34,002



NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

Years Ended December 31,
202020192018
Statement of comprehensive income line item:
Cost of revenue$$$99 
Amortization of other acquired intangible assets29,745 37,357 33,487 
Total amortization expense$29,745 $37,357 $33,586 
Expected amortization of definite-lived intangible assets held as of December 31, 20192020 was as follows (in thousands):
2020$27,688
202123,992
202220,732
202319,502
202419,025
Thereafter159,772
Total$270,711

2021$28,185 
202224,980 
202323,666 
202423,106 
202522,427 
Thereafter180,315 
Total$302,679 
Intangible asset impairment. impairment
The carrying valueIn September 2019, we announced a rebranding of our indefinite-lived intangible asset relatedWealth Management business to Avantax Wealth Management (the “2019 Rebranding”). In connection with the trade names within our2019 Rebranding, HD Vest (which comprised all of the Wealth Management business prior to the Rebranding was $52.5 million. In connection with the Rebranding, HD Vest1st Global Acquisition) was renamed Avantax Wealth Management in mid-SeptemberSeptember 2019, and 1st Global converted in late October 2019. Accordingly,As a result, the Company evaluated the HD Vest trade name indefinite-lived asset by performing a quantitative impairment test of that intangible asset. This test compared the carrying value of the HD Vest trade name asset to its fair value. We utilized Level 3 fair value
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
measurements in estimating fair value using the present value of future discounted cash flows, an income approach. The significant estimates used in the discounted cash flow model include the weighted-average cost of capital and long-term rates of revenue growth. The weighted-average cost of capital considered the relevant risk associated with business-specific characteristics and the uncertainty related to the ability to achieve the projected cash flows. These estimates and the resulting valuations required significant judgment.
The carrying value of our indefinite-lived intangible asset related to the trade names within our Wealth Management business prior to the 2019 Rebranding was $52.5 million. The quantitative impairment test determined that the carrying value of the HD Vest trade name exceeded its fair value. As a result, we recognized an impairment charge of $50.9 million on the “Impairment of goodwill and an intangible asset” line on the consolidated statement of comprehensive income (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2019. For segment purposes, the impairment of intangible asset is in “Corporate-level activity.” Following the impairment, the remaining useful life of the HD Vest trade name asset was estimated to be three years.
Note 6: Debt
Our debt consisted of the following (in thousands):
 December 31, 2020December 31, 2019
UnamortizedUnamortized
 Principal amountDiscountDebt issuance costsNet carrying valuePrincipal amountDiscountDebt issuance costsNet carrying value
Senior secured credit facility$563,156 $(4,173)$(4,646)$554,337 $399,687 $(1,366)$(5,608)$392,713 
Less: Current portion of long-term debt, net(1,784)(11,228)
Long-term debt, net

$552,553 $381,485 
In May 2017, we entered into a credit agreement (as the same has been amended, the “Credit Agreement”) with a syndicate of lenders that provides for a term loan facility (the “Term Loan”) and a revolving line of credit (including a letter of credit sub-facility) (the “Revolver”) for working capital, capital expenditures, and general business purposes (as amended, the Senior Secured Credit Facility).
Credit Agreement Amendments No. 1 and No. 2
In November 2017, we amended the Credit Agreement in order to refinance and reprice the initial Term Loan. In May 2019, we amended the Credit Agreement to, among other things, increase the outstanding principal amount of the Term Loan by $125.0 million to finance the 1st Global Acquisition.
Credit Agreement Amendment No. 3
The Senior Secured Credit Facility includes financial and operating covenants, including a Consolidated Total Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement) that governs the Revolver. On May 1, 2020, we entered into Amendment No. 3 to the Credit Agreement (“Credit Agreement Amendment No. 3”). This amendment amended the Credit Agreement to, among other things: (i) provide that, during the period commencing on the effective date of Credit Agreement Amendment No. 3 and ending on December 31, 2020 (the “Third Amendment Relief Period”), if an advance under the Revolver was requested, then the Company was required to be in pro forma compliance with certain covenants, (ii) provide that, for purposes of determining compliance with the Consolidated Total Net Leverage Ratio for the Revolver, during the Third Amendment Relief Period certain limitations to add-backs did not apply when calculating Consolidated EBITDA (as defined in the Credit Agreement), (iii) solely with respect to the Revolver, add restrictions on certain restricted payments during the Third Amendment Relief Period, and (iv) solely with respect to the Revolver, if the Revolver usage was over $0 on the last day of any calendar quarter during the Third Amendment Relief Period, impose a minimum liquidity financial covenant that would require the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries (as defined in the Credit Agreement) to maintain liquidity of at least $115.0 million on the last day of such quarter. Solely with respect to the Revolver and solely if the Revolver usage exceeded $0 on the last day of any calendar quarter during the Third Amendment Relief Period, Credit Agreement Amendment No. 3 increased the maximum Consolidated Total Net Leverage Ratio to (i) 5.75 to
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
1.00 for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2020 and (ii) 3.75 to 1.00 for the fiscal quarters ending September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2020.
Credit Agreement Amendment No. 4
On July 1, 2020, the Company entered into Amendment No. 4 to the Credit Agreement (“Credit Agreement Amendment No. 4”) in connection with the closing of the HKFS Acquisition. Pursuant to Credit Agreement Amendment No. 4, the Credit Agreement was amended to, among other things, (i) increase the Term Loan by an aggregate principal amount of $175.0 million and (ii) increase the applicable margin under the Term Loan to 4.00% for Eurodollar Rate Loans (as defined in the Credit Agreement) and 3.00% for ABR Loans (as defined in the Credit Agreement). As of December 31, 2020, the applicable interest rate on the Term Loan was 5.00%.
Approximately $104.4 million of the proceeds from the increase to the Term Loan were used to fund the purchase price of the HKFS Acquisition, as well as to pay related fees and expenses. We intend to use the remainder of the proceeds from the increase to the Term Loan for additional working capital. The increase in the Term Loan resulted in non-capitalizable debt issuance costs of $3.7 million that were recognized as expense in “Other loss, net” on the consolidated statement of comprehensive income (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2020.
The Company is required to make mandatory annual prepayments on the Term Loan in certain circumstances, including in the event that the Company generates Excess Cash Flow (as defined in the Credit Agreement) in a given fiscal year. The Credit Agreement permits the Company to voluntarily prepay the Term Loan without premium or penalty. The Company is required to make principal amortization payments on the Term Loan quarterly on the last business day of each March, June, September and December, beginning on September 30, 2020, in an amount equal to $0.5 million (subject to reduction for prepayments), with the remaining principal amount of the Term Loan due on the maturity date of May 22, 2024.
The future principal payments on the Term Loan as of December 31, 2020 are as follows (in thousands):
2021$1,812 
20221,812 
20231,812 
2024557,720 
Total future principal payments on the Term Loan$563,156 
Depending on our Consolidated First Lien Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement), the applicable interest rate margin on the Revolver is 2.75% to 3.25% for Eurodollar Rate loans and 1.75% to 2.25% for ABR loans. Interest is payable at the end of each interest period.
As of December 31, 2020, the Senior Secured Credit Facility provided up to $740.0 million of borrowings and consisted of a committed $65.0 million under the Revolver and a $675.0 million Term Loan that mature on May 22, 2022 and May 22, 2024, respectively. Obligations under the Senior Secured Credit Facility are guaranteed by certain of the Company’s subsidiaries and secured by substantially all the assets of the Company and certain of its subsidiaries (including certain subsidiaries acquired in the HKFS Acquisition and certain other material subsidiaries). The Senior Secured Credit Facility includes financial and operating covenants (including a Consolidated Total Net Leverage Ratio), which are set forth in detail in the Credit Agreement.
As of December 31, 2020, we had $563.2 million in principal amount outstanding under the Term Loan and 0 amounts outstanding under the Revolver. Based on aggregate loan commitments as of December 31, 2020, approximately $65.0 million was available for future borrowing under the Senior Secured Credit Facility, subject to customary terms and conditions.


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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018

Note 7: Leases
Our leases are primarily related to office space and are classified as operating leases. For the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, operating lease expense, net of sublease income, was recognized in “General and administrative” expense (for net lease expense related to leases used in our operations) and “Acquisition and integration” expense (for net lease expense related to the unoccupied lease resulting from the 1st Global Acquisition) on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss). For the year ended December 31, 2018, we recognized rent expense of $4.7 million that was recognized in “General and administrative” expense on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss).
Lease expense, cash paid on operating lease liabilities, and lease liabilities obtained from new ROU assets for the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 were as follows (in thousands):
Years ended December 31,
20202019
Fixed lease expense$6,762 $5,224 
Variable lease expense893 1,315 
Lease expense, before sublease income7,655 6,539 
Sublease income(1,235)(1,287)
Total lease expense, net of sublease income$6,420 $5,252 
Additional lease information:
Cash paid on operating lease liabilities$3,818 $7,339 
Lease liabilities obtained from new right-of-use assets$21,766 $15,829 
As of December 31, 2020, our weighted-average remaining operating lease term was approximately 11 years, and our weighted-average operating lease discount rate was 5.4%.
Operating leases were recorded on the consolidated balance sheets as follows (in thousands):
December 31, 2020December 31, 2019
Lease liabilities—current$2,304 $3,223 
Lease liabilities—long-term36,404 5,865 
Total operating lease liabilities$38,708 $9,088 
The maturities of our operating lease liabilities as of December 31, 2020 are as follows (in thousands):
Undiscounted cash flows:
2021$2,667 
20225,056 
20235,138 
20245,077 
20255,013 
Thereafter30,324 
Total undiscounted cash flows$53,275 
Imputed interest(14,567)
Present value of cash flows$38,708 
Lease liabilities obtained from new ROU assets were $21.8 million and $15.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. In 2019, we signed a new corporate headquarters lease, which commenced in January 2020 and, therefore, an ROU asset of $20.7 million and a lease liability of $20.4 million was reflected on the consolidated financial statements beginning in January 2020. The new
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
headquarters lease is classified as an operating lease, and the term of the lease extends to June 2033. Lease payments begin in August 2021 and will result in $45.2 million in undiscounted fixed lease payments, which are partially offset by a $9.7 million tenant improvement allowance. Under the new lease, we will also make variable payments for operating expenses and utilities.
As part of the HKFS Acquisition, we acquired various operating leases, for which we recognized an ROU asset of $1.5 million and a lease liability of $1.4 million as of the HKFS Acquisition date. The acquired leases primarily relate to office spaces and have remaining lease terms ranging from one year to four years.
In addition, in July 2020, we began subleasing a portion of our former office building (acquired in the 1st Global Acquisition) located in Dallas, TX. As the terms of the sublease were at rental rates below those of the original building lease, we tested the related asset group (which consisted of the ROU asset and leasehold improvements) for impairment by comparing the estimated fair value of the asset group to its carrying value. Estimated fair value was calculated using a discounted cash flow analysis that utilized Level 3 inputs, which included forecasted cash flows and a discount rate derived from market data. As the carrying value of the asset group exceeded its estimated fair value, we determined the asset group to be impaired. As a result, we recognized impairment expense of $4.1 million, which was included in “Acquisition and integration” expense on the consolidated statement of comprehensive income (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2020.
Note 7: Fair Value Measurements
In accordance with ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, certain of our assets and liabilities are carried at fair value and are value using inputs that are classified in one of the following three categories:
Level 1: Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2: Observable market-based inputs, other than Level 1, or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data.
Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are not corroborated by market data and reflect our own assumptions.
The fair value hierarchy of our financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value and measured on a recurring basis was as follows (in thousands):
 December 31, 2019 Fair value measurements at the reporting date using
 
Quoted prices in active markets using identical assets
(Level 1)
 
Significant other observable inputs
(Level 2)
 
Significant unobservable inputs
(Level 3)
Cash equivalents: money market and other funds$4,264
 $4,264
 $
 $
Total assets at fair value$4,264
 $4,264
 $
 $


NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

 December 31, 2018 Fair value measurements at the reporting date using
 
Quoted prices in active markets using identical assets
(Level 1)
 
Significant other observable inputs
(Level 2)
 
Significant unobservable inputs
(Level 3)
Cash equivalents: money market and other funds$23,181
 $23,181
 $
 $
Total assets at fair value$23,181
 $23,181
 $
 $
Acquisition-related contingent consideration liability$1,275
 $
 $
 $1,275
Total liabilities at fair value$1,275
 $
 $
 $1,275
Cash equivalents are classified within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy because we value them utilizing quoted prices in active markets. Unrealized gains and losses are included in “Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)” on the consolidated balance sheets, and amounts reclassified out of comprehensive income into net income are determined on the basis of specific identification.
The acquisition-related contingent consideration liability was related to our acquisition of SimpleTax in 2015, and this liability was included in “Accrued expenses and other current liabilities” on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018. The remaining liability was paid off in 2019. This liability was included within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy because we valued it utilizing inputs not observable in the market. Specifically, we determined the fair value of the contingent consideration liability based on a probability-weighted discounted cash flow analysis, which included assumptions related to estimating SimpleTax revenues, the probability of payment (100%), and the discount rate (9%).
A reconciliation of Level 3 items measured at fair value on a recurring basis was as follows (in thousands):
 Years Ended December 31,
 2019 2018
Acquisition-related contingent consideration liability:   
Balance at beginning of year$1,275
 $2,689
Payment(1,331) (1,315)
Foreign currency transaction (gain) loss56
 (99)
Balance at end of year$
 $1,275

Note 8: Balance Sheet Components
Other receivables consisted of the following (in thousands):
 December 31,
 2019 2018
Income taxes receivable$2,735
 $7,243
Other receivables167
 165
Total other receivables$2,902
 $7,408

Prepaid expenses and other current assets, net consisted of the following (in thousands):
 December 31,
 2019 2018
Prepaid expenses$11,787
 $7,169
Other current assets562
 586
Total prepaid expenses and other current assets, net$12,349
 $7,755



NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

December 31,
20202019
Prepaid expenses$9,643 $11,787 
Other current assets678 562 
Total prepaid expenses and other current assets, net$10,321 $12,349 
Property and equipment, net, consisted of the following (in thousands):
 December 31,

2019
2018
Internally developed software$13,046
 $9,220
Computer equipment and data center6,998

5,641
Purchased software5,404

4,214
Leasehold improvements and other4,624
 3,313
Office furniture1,221
 929
Office equipment1,314

662

32,607

23,979
Accumulated depreciation(19,172)
(13,724)

13,435

10,255
Capital projects in progress5,271

2,134
Total property and equipment, net$18,706

$12,389

December 31,
20202019
Internally developed software$22,983 $13,046 
Computer equipment and data center7,807 6,998 
Purchased software7,300 5,404 
Leasehold improvements and other17,647 4,624 
Airplane3,770 
Office furniture6,116 1,221 
Office equipment2,536 1,314 
68,159 32,607 
Accumulated depreciation(23,712)(19,172)
44,447 13,435 
Capital projects in progress14,053 5,271 
Total property and equipment, net$58,500 $18,706 
Total depreciation expense was $10.2 million, $6.9 million, $5.0 million, and $4.1$5.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017,2018, respectively.
The net book value of internally-developed software was $12.8$26.6 million and $8.0$12.8 million at December 31, 20192020 and 2018,2019, respectively. We recorded depreciation expense for internally-developed software of $5.4 million, $3.2 million, $1.5 million, and $0.9$1.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018, respectively.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2017, respectively.2018
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands): 
December 31,
20202019
Salaries and related expenses$19,317 $15,053 
Contingent liability from 1st Global Acquisition11,328 11,052 
Retained purchase price from 1st Global Acquisition1,050 
Accrued vendor and advertising costs2,606 4,351 
HKFS Contingent Consideration liability (1)17,900 
Other5,268 4,638 
Total accrued expenses and other current liabilities$56,419 $36,144 
____________________________
 December 31,
 2019 2018
Salaries and related expenses$15,053
 $13,050
Contingent liability from 1st Global Acquisition11,052
 
Retained purchase price from 1st Global Acquisition1,050
 
Accrued vendor and advertising costs4,351
 1,541
Other4,638
 4,389
Total accrued expenses and other current liabilities$36,144
 $18,980
(1)Represents the short-term portion of the HKFS Contingent Consideration liability. The long-term portion of the HKFS Contingent Consideration liability was classified in “Other long-term liabilities” on the consolidated balance sheet.

In 2018, we received $9.3 million of incentives from our new clearing firm provider. These incentives are reported in current and long-term deferred revenue on the consolidated balance sheets. As these incentives are amortized, the amortized amount reduces operating expenses. As of December 31, 2019,2020, $0.9 million and $7.2$6.2 million waswere reported in current and long-term deferred revenue, respectively.
Note 9: DebtFair Value Measurements
Our debt consistedIn accordance with ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, certain of our assets and liabilities are carried at fair value and are valued using inputs that are classified in one of the following three categories:
Level 1: Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2: Observable market-based inputs, other than Level 1, or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data.
Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are not corroborated by market data and reflect our own assumptions.
Assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis
The fair value hierarchy of our financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value and measured on a recurring basis was as follows (in thousands):
 December 31, 2020Fair value measurements at the reporting date using
 
Quoted prices in active markets using identical assets
(Level 1)
Significant other observable inputs
(Level 2)
Significant unobservable inputs
(Level 3)
Cash equivalents: money market and other funds$4,290 $4,290 $$
Total assets at fair value$4,290 $4,290 $$
HKFS Contingent Consideration$35,900 $$$35,900 
Total liabilities at fair value$35,900 $$$35,900 
 December 31, 2019 December 31, 2018
   Unamortized     Unamortized  
 Principal amount Discount Debt issuance costs Net carrying value Principal amount Discount Debt issuance costs Net carrying value
Senior secured credit facility$399,687
 $(1,366) $(5,608) $392,713
 $265,000
 $(970) $(3,640) $260,390
Less: Current portion of long-term debt, net      (11,228)       
Long-term debt, net

      $381,485
       $260,390
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 20172018

 December 31, 2019Fair value measurements at the reporting date using
 
Quoted prices in active markets using identical assets
(Level 1)
Significant other observable inputs
(Level 2)
Significant unobservable inputs
(Level 3)
Cash equivalents: money market and other funds$4,264 $4,264 $$
Total assets at fair value$4,264 $4,264 $$
In May 2017, we entered into a credit agreement with a syndicate of lenders that provides for a term loan facility (the “Term Loan”) and a revolving line of credit (including a letter of credit sub-facility) (the “Revolver”) for working capital, capital expenditures, and general business purposes (as amended, the Senior Secured Credit Facility). After we increased the outstanding principal amountCash equivalents are classified within Level 1 of the Term Loan by $125.0 million to finance the 1st Global Acquisition, the Senior Secured Credit Facility provides for up to $565.0 million of borrowings, consisting of a committed $65.0 million under the Revolver and a $500.0 million Term Loan that mature on May 22, 2022 and May 22, 2024, respectively. Obligations under the Senior Secured Credit Facility are guaranteed by certain of Blucora’s subsidiaries and secured by substantially all the assets of the Company and certain of its subsidiaries.
At December 31, 2019,fair value hierarchy because we had $389.7 million and $10.0 millionvalue them utilizing quoted prices in principal amount outstanding under the Term Loan and the Revolver, respectively. Based on aggregate loan commitments as of December 31, 2019, approximately $165.3 million was available for future borrowing under the Senior Secured Credit Facility.active markets.
The Senior Secured Credit Facility includes financialHKFS Contingent Consideration liability relates to the potential earn-out payments resulting from the HKFS Acquisition (see “Note 3—Acquisitions and operating covenants, including a consolidated total net leverage ratio, which are set forth in detail in the Senior Secured Credit Facility agreement.Disposition”). As of December 31, 2019, we were in compliance with all2020, the fair value of the financialHKFS Contingent Consideration was $35.9 million. The estimated fair value of HKFS Contingent Consideration was determined using a Monte Carlo simulation model in a risk neutral framework with the underlying simulated variable of advisory asset levels and operating covenants under the Senior Secured Credit Facility agreement.related achievement of certain advisory asset growth levels. The Monte Carlo simulation model utilized Level 3 inputs, which included forecasted advisory asset levels at July 1, 2021 and July 1, 2022, a risk-adjusted discount rate (which reflects the risk in the advisory asset projection) of 12.8%, volatility of 34.9%, and a credit spread of 2.7%. Significant increases to the discount rate, volatility, or credit spread inputs would have resulted in a significantly lower fair value measurement, with a similar inverse relationship existing for significant decreases to these inputs. A significant increase to the forecasted advisory asset levels would have resulted in a significantly higher fair value measurement, while a significant decrease to the forecasted advisory asset levels would have resulted in a significantly lower fair value measurement.
A reconciliation of the HKFS Contingent Consideration liability is as follows (in thousands):
HKFS Contingent Consideration Liability
Balance as of December 31, 2019$
Recognized at HKFS Acquisition27,600 
Valuation loss included in net income (loss) (1)8,300 
Balance as of December 31, 2020$35,900 
____________________________
The interest rate(1)Recognized in “Acquisition and integration” expense on the Term Loan is variable at the London Interbank Offered Rate, plus the applicable interest rate marginconsolidated statement of 3.00%comprehensive income (loss) for Eurodollar Rate loans and 2.00% for ABR loans.
Commencing December 31, 2019, principal payments of the Term Loan are due on a quarterly basis in an amount equal to $312,500 (subject to reduction for prepayments), with the remaining principal amount due on the maturity date of May 22, 2024. We have the right to prepay the Term Loan and outstanding amounts under the Revolver without any premium or penalty (other than customary Eurodollar breakage costs). Prepayments on the Term Loan are subject to certain prepayment minimums. We may be required to make annual prepayments on the Term Loan in an amount equal to a percentage of excess cash flow of the Company during the applicable fiscal year from 0% to 50%, depending on the Consolidated First Lien Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Senior Secured Credit Facility agreement) for such fiscal year. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we made prepayments2020.

Fair value of $0.3 million towardsfinancial instruments
We consider the carrying values of accounts receivable, commissions receivable, other receivables, prepaid expenses, other current assets, accounts payable, commissions and advisory fees payable, accrued expenses, and other current liabilities to approximate fair values primarily due to their short-term natures.
As of December 31, 2020, the Term Loan. ForLoan’s principal amount was $563.2 million, and the year ended December 31, 2018, we made prepaymentsfair value of $80.0 million towards the Term Loan.
Loan’s principal amount was $561.7 million. The fair value of the Term Loan’s principal amount was based on Level 2 inputs from a third-party market quotation. As of December 31, 2019, the Term Loan’s and Revolver’s principal amountsamount approximated theirits fair valuesvalue as they arethe Term Loan is a variable rate instrumentsinstrument, and their currentits applicable margins approximate currentmargin at that date approximated market conditions.
Depending on our Consolidated First Lien Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Senior Secured Credit Facility agreement), the applicable interest rate margin on the Revolver is 2.75% to 3.25% for Eurodollar Rate loans and 1.75% to 2.25% for ABR loans. Interest is payable at the end of each interest period.
Note 10: Leases
Our leases are primarily related to office space. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we recognized operating lease expense of approximately $6.5 million in “General and administrative” expense on the consolidated statement of comprehensive income. Included in total operating lease expense were variable lease expenses of $1.3 million, which relate to reimbursements to lessors for operating expenses and utilities. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, we recognized rent expense of $2.9 million and $3.0 million, respectively, in “General and administrative” expense on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.
As of December 31, 2019, our weighted-average remaining operating lease term was approximately 4.5 years,the Revolver’s principal amount outstanding approximated its fair value as the Revolver is a variable rate instrument and our weighted-average operating lease discount rate was 5.4%.its applicable margin approximated market conditions. As of December 31, 2020, we had 0 amounts outstanding under the Revolver.


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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 20172018

Operating leases were recorded on the consolidated balance sheets as follows (in thousands):
 December 31, 2019
Lease liabilities—current$3,223
Lease liabilities—long-term5,865
Total operating lease liabilities$9,088
The maturities of our operating lease liabilities as of December 31, 2019 are as follows (in thousands):
Undiscounted cash flows: 
2020$3,614
20211,136
20221,264
20231,292
20241,319
Thereafter1,799
Total undiscounted cash flows$10,424
Imputed interest(1,336)
Present value of cash flows$9,088

The Company’s finance lease liabilities as of December 31, 2019 were immaterial.
Cash paid on operating lease liabilities was $8.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Lease liabilities from new ROU assets obtained during the year ended December 31, 2019 was $6.7 million due to a building lease obtained in the 1st Global Acquisition. In 2019, we signed a new corporate headquarters office lease, which commenced in January 2020 and, therefore, was not reflected on the consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2019.
As a result of relocating our corporate headquarters to Irving, Texas in 2017, we have a non-cancelable operating lease that runs through 2020 for our former corporate headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, which we occupied until May 2017. In March 2017, we agreed to a sublease for the entire Bellevue facility, which was effective June 1, 2017 and expires on September 30, 2020, consistent with the underlying operating lease. We recognized sublease income of $1.4 million, $1.3 million, and $0.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, respectively.
Note 11: Commitments and Contingencies
Our contractual commitments are as follows for years ending December 31 (in thousands):
 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Thereafter Total
Operating lease commitments:             
Operating lease obligations (1) (2)$3,715
 $2,275
 $4,714
 $4,817
 $4,919
 $35,418
 $55,858
Sublease income(991) 
 
 
 
 
 (991)
Net operating lease commitments2,724
 2,275
 4,714
 4,817
 4,919
 35,418
 54,867
Purchase commitments14,759
 6,866
 5,150
 3,244
 1,500
 5,625
 37,144
Debt commitment—Term Loan1,250
 1,250
 1,250
 1,250
 384,688
 
 389,688
Debt commitment—Revolver10,000
 
 
 
 
 
 10,000
Interest payable19,507
 19,126
 18,920
 18,757
 7,793
 
 84,103
Total$48,240
 $29,517
 $30,034
 $28,068
 $398,900
 $41,043
 $575,802

____________________________
(1)
Operating lease obligations include obligations due to short-term leases. In accordance with the short-term lease practical expedient in ASC 842, we do not record a lease liability for short-term leases.
(2)
Operating lease obligations include obligations relating to our new corporate headquarters office lease, which will be located in Coppell, TX. The corporate headquarters building will replace our Irving, Texas corporate office and our additional office located in Dallas, TX. Lease payments will commence in August 2021 and end in June 2033, and will result in $45.3 million in undiscounted lease payments during this time period.


NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

Operating leases. For information on our operating leases, see “Note 10—Leases.”
Purchase commitments. Our purchase commitments consist primarily of marketing agreements, commitments with a vendor to provide cloud computation services, commitments to our clearing firm provider, and commitments for advisory support programs.
Debt commitments. Our debt commitments are based upon contractual payment terms and consist of the outstanding principal related to the Senior Secured Credit Facility. For further detail regarding the Senior Secured Credit Facility, see “Note 9—Debt.”
Off-balance sheet arrangements. We have no off-balance sheet arrangements.
Litigation. From time to time, we are subject to various legal proceedings or claims that arise in the ordinary course of business. We accrue a liability when management believes that it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. Although we believe that resolving such claims, individually or in aggregate, will not have a material adverse impact on its financial statements, these matters are subject to inherent uncertainties. Aside from the contingent liability described in “Note 3—Acquisitions and Dispositions,” we are not currently party to any such matters for which we have incurred a liability on our consolidated balance sheets.
We have entered into indemnification agreements in the ordinary course of business with our officers and directors. Pursuant to these agreements, we may be obligated to advance payment of legal fees and costs incurred by the defendants pursuant to our obligations under these indemnification agreements and applicable Delaware law.
Note 12:10: Commitments and Contingencies
Purchase commitments
Our purchase commitments primarily consist of outsourced IT and marketing services, commitments to our portfolio management tool vendor, commitments to our clearing firm provider, and commitments for financial professional support programs. As of December 31, 2020, our purchase commitments for the next five years and thereafter are as are as follows (in thousands):
2021$16,072 
20228,930 
20237,629 
20245,546 
20254,671 
Thereafter7,969 
Total purchase commitments$50,817 
Litigation
From time to time, we are subject to various legal proceedings or claims that arise in the ordinary course of business. We accrue a liability when management believes that it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. Although we believe that resolving such claims, individually or in aggregate, will not have a material adverse impact on its financial statements, these matters are subject to inherent uncertainties. Aside from the contingent liability related to the 1st Global Acquisition that is described in “Note 3—Acquisitions and Disposition,” we are not currently party to any such matters for which we have incurred a material liability on our consolidated balance sheets.
We have entered into indemnification agreements in the ordinary course of business with our officers and directors. Pursuant to these agreements, we may be obligated to advance payment of legal fees and costs incurred by the defendants pursuant to our obligations under these indemnification agreements and applicable Delaware law.
Note 11: Stockholders' Equity
Stock Repurchase Plan.Plan
On March 19, 2019, we announced that our board of directors authorized a stock repurchase plan pursuant to which we may repurchase up to $100.0 million of our common stock. Pursuant to the plan, share repurchases may be made through a variety of methods, including open market or privately negotiated transactions. The timing and number of shares repurchased will dependdepends on a variety of factors, including price, general business and market conditions, and alternative investment opportunities. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we repurchased 1.3 million shares of our common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $28.4 million. There were no0 stock repurchases in 2018 and 2017.for the year ended December 31, 2020 or the year ended December 31, 2018.
Accumulated other comprehensive loss.loss
The following table provides information about activity in accumulated other comprehensive loss (in thousands):
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 99

Table of Contents
 Unrealized gain (loss) on investments Foreign currency translation adjustment Total
Balance as of December 31, 2016$(1) $(380) $(381)
Other comprehensive income1
 376
 377
Balance as of December 31, 2017
 (4) (4)
Other comprehensive loss
 (442) (442)
Balance as of December 31, 2018
 (446) (446)
Other comprehensive income
 174
 174
Balance as of December 31, 2019$
 $(272) $(272)

Note 13: Stock-based Compensation
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
The 2016 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”) permits eligible employees to contribute up to 15% of their base earnings toward the twice-yearly purchase of our common stock, subject to an annual maximum dollar


NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 20172018

Foreign currency translation adjustmentTotal
Balance as of December 31, 2017$(4)$(4)
Other comprehensive loss(442)(442)
Balance as of December 31, 2018(446)(446)
Other comprehensive income174 174 
Balance as of December 31, 2019(272)(272)
Other comprehensive income272 272 
Balance as of December 31, 2020$$
amount. The purchase price isRedeemable noncontrolling interests
Noncontrolling interests that are redeemable at the lesser of 85%option of the fair market value of common stock onholder and not solely within the first day or on the last day of an offering period. An aggregate of 2.4 million shares of common stock are authorized for issuance under the ESPP. Of this amount, 0.7 million shares were available for issuance as of December 31, 2019. We issue new shares upon purchase through the ESPP.
Stock incentive plan
We may grant incentive or non-qualified stock options, stock, restricted stock, time-based restricted stock units and performance-based restricted stock units (collectively, RSUs), stock appreciation rights, and performance shares or performance units to employees, non-employee directors, and consultants.
In 2018, our stockholders approved the Blucora, Inc. 2018 Long-term Incentive Plan (the “2018 Plan”), which replaced the Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan (as amended and restated). Upon approvalcontrol of the 2018 Plan, we have granted all RSUs and options under the 2018 Plan, except for inducement awards made under the Blucora, Inc. 2016 Equity Inducement Plan.
Stock options and RSUs generally vest over a periodissuer are classified outside of one-to-three years,stockholders’ equity. In connection with the majorityacquisition of awards vesting over three years. For stock optionsHD Vest in 2015, the former management of HD Vest retained an ownership interest in that business. We were party to put and RSUs grantedcall arrangements that became exercisable beginning in 2018 or after, one-third of the award vests one year after the date of grant, with the remainder of the award vesting ratably thereafter on an annual basis. For stock options and RSUs granted prior to 2018, one-third of the award vests one year after the date of grant, with the remainder of the award vesting ratably thereafter on a semi-annual basis. In addition, stock options expire seven years from the date of grant. There are a few exceptions to this vesting schedule, which provide for vesting at different rates or based on achievement of performance targets.
We issue new shares upon the exercise of stock options and upon the vesting of RSUs. If a stock option or RSU is surrendered or otherwise unused, the related shares will continue to be available for issuance.
A summary of the general terms of stock options and RSUs at December 31, 2019 is as follows: 
Number of shares authorized for awards10,806,231
Options and RSUs outstanding2,971,002
Options and RSUs expected to vest2,747,970
Options and RSUs available for grant5,028,497

The following activity occurred under our stock incentive plans:

Number of Options
Weighted average exercise price
Intrinsic value
(in thousands)

Weighted average remaining contractual term (in years)
Stock options:






Outstanding at December 31, 20182,447,939
 $14.62
 
 
Granted280,135
 $27.38
 
 
Forfeited(265,490) $17.10
 
 
Expired(9,995) $8.63
 
 
Exercised(838,282) $9.42
 
 
Outstanding at December 31, 20191,614,307
 $19.16
 $11,612
 4.5
Exercisable at December 31, 2019752,375
 $15.12
 $8,288
 3.8
Vested and expected to vest after December 31, 20191,559,047
 $18.91
 $11,572
 4.4


NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017


Number of Units
Weighted average grant date fair value
Intrinsic value
(in thousands)

Weighted average remaining contractual term (in years)
RSUs:






Outstanding at December 31, 2018862,935
 $21.78
 
 
Granted1,055,206
 $28.89
 
 
Forfeited(193,368) $23.86
 
 
Vested(368,078) $17.30
 
 
Outstanding at December 31, 20191,356,695
 $28.22
 $35,466
 1.7
Expected to vest after December 31, 20191,188,923
 $28.17
 $31,078
 1.6

Supplemental information is presented below: 
 Years Ended December 31,
 2019 2018 2017
Stock options:     
Weighted average grant date fair value per option granted$8.88
 $7.68
 $6.25
Total intrinsic value of options exercised (in thousands)$17,674
 $27,759
 $44,405
Total fair value of options vested (in thousands)$2,593
 $4,142
 $5,566
RSUs:     
Weighted average grant date fair value per unit granted$28.89
 $26.89
 $18.39
Total intrinsic value of units vested (in thousands)$10,679
 $16,452
 $14,642
Total fair value of units vested (in thousands)$6,368
 $6,069
 $6,469



NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

We account for stock-based compensation in accordance with ASC 718, Stock Compensation, which requires that compensation related to all share-based awards (including stock options, RSUs, and ESPP shares) be recognized in the consolidated financial statements. Amounts recognized for stock-based compensation expense on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income are as follows (in thousands):
 Years Ended December 31,
 2019 2018 2017
Cost of revenue$4,082
 $1,467
 $774
Engineering and technology715
 766
 984
Sales and marketing346
 2,424
 2,376
General and administrative11,157
 8,596
 7,519
Restructuring
 
 1,148
Total$16,300
 $13,253
 $12,801

To estimate stock-based compensation expense, we used the Black-Scholes-Merton valuation method with the following assumptions for stock options granted:
 Years Ended December 31,
 2019 2018 2017
Risk-free interest rate2.28% - 2.88%
 1.82% - 2.54%
 1.2% - 1.94%
Expected dividend yield0% 0% 0%
Expected volatility38% - 42%
 38% - 42%
 39% - 45%
Expected life3.6
 3.6
 3.8
The risk-free interest rate was based on the implied yield available on U.S. Treasury issues with an equivalent remaining term. The expected dividend yield was 0 since we have not paid a dividend since 2008. The expected volatility was based on historical volatility of our stock for the related expected life of the award. The expected life of the award was based on historical experience, including historical post-vesting termination behavior.
As of December 31, 2019, total unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to unvested stock awards was as follows:
 
Expense
(in thousands)
 
Weighted average period
over which to be recognized
(in years)
Stock options$1,544
 1.1
RSUs18,977
 2.0
Total$20,521
 1.9




NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

Note 14: Other Loss, Net
“Other loss, net” on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income consisted of the following (in thousands): 
 Years Ended December 31,
 2019 2018 2017
Interest expense$19,017
 $15,610
 $21,211
Loss on debt extinguishment and amortization of debt issuance costs (1)1,042
 2,367
 21,534
Accretion of debt discounts228
 163
 1,947
Interest income(449) (349) (110)
Gain on sale of a business (2)(3,256) 
 
Other (3)333
 (1,994) (31)
Other loss, net$16,915
 $15,797
 $44,551

____________________________
(1)For the year ended December 31, 2017, we recognized a $20.4 million loss on debt extinguishment that primarily resulted from the prepayment of a portion of the credit facility previously entered into in 2015 for the purpose of financing the HD Vest acquisition, as well as the redemption of convertible senior notes previously issued in 2013.
(2)For the year ended December 31, 2019, we recognized a $3.3 million gain on the sale of SimpleTax. See Note 3—Acquisitions and Dispositions for additional information.
(3)For the year ended December 31, 2018, we had a $2.1 million gain on the sale of an investment.


Note 15: 401(k) Plan
We have a 401(k) savings plan covering our employees. Eligible employees may contribute through payroll deductions. We may match the employees’ 401(k) contributions at the discretion of our board of directors. Pursuant to a continuing resolution, we have matched a portion of the 401(k) contributions made by our employees. The amount we have contributed ranges from 1% to 4% of an employee’s salary, depending upon the percentage contributed by the employee. For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, we contributed $2.4 million, $1.9 million, and $1.6 million, respectively, to our employees’ 401(k) plans.


NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

Note 16: Income Taxes
Income (loss) before income taxes consisted of the following (in thousands):
 Years Ended December 31,
 2019 2018 2017
United States$(18,088) $51,385
 $3,293
Foreign1,182
 495
 193
Income (loss) before income taxes$(16,906) $51,880
 $3,486

Income tax expense (benefit) consisted of the following (in thousands):
 Years Ended December 31,
 2019
2018
2017
Current:     
U.S. federal$(732) $(42) $123
State2,901
 3,230
 962
Foreign333
 157
 122
Total current expense2,502
 3,345
 1,207
Deferred:     
U.S. federal(62,580) (3,035) (26,012)
State(4,970) 37
 (1,022)
Foreign(6) (36) (63)
Total deferred benefit(67,556) (3,034) (27,097)
Income tax expense (benefit)$(65,054) $311
 $(25,890)

Income tax expense (benefit) differed from the amount calculated by applying the statutory federal income tax rate of 21% for 2019 and 2018, and 35% for 2017, as follows (in thousands):
 Years Ended December 31,
 2019
2018 2017
Income tax expense (benefit) at the statutory federal income tax rate$(3,550) $10,895
 $1,220
Non-deductible compensation1,933
 2,796
 283
Non-deductible acquisition-related transaction costs1,359
 
 
State income taxes, net of federal benefit(1,897) 2,014
 582
Uncertain tax positions and audit settlements(1,227) 473
 (321)
Research and development credit
 (552) 
Excess tax benefits of stock-based compensation(4,100) (6,851) (11,558)
Valuation allowances(56,881) (8,537) 4,974
Tax legislation impact
 
 (21,430)
Other(691) 73
 360
Income tax expense (benefit)$(65,054) $311
 $(25,890)

The primary difference between the statutory tax rate and the annual effective tax rate was the valuation allowance release, as discussed further below. Other differences between the statutory rate and the annual effective tax rate are related to excess tax benefits (windfalls) for stock compensation, uncertain tax positions, and state taxes, partially offset by non-deductible compensation and non-deductible acquisition-related transaction costs.


NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

The tax effect of temporary differences and net operating loss carryforwards that gave rise to our deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows (in thousands):
 December 31,
 2019
2018
Deferred tax assets:   
Net operating loss and credit carryforwards$84,684
 $97,154
Capital loss22,948
 23,008
Accrued compensation6,686
 5,526
Stock-based compensation4,986
 3,971
Deferred revenue4,042
 3,700
Lease liability2,133
 
Other, net3,833
 2,143
Total gross deferred tax assets129,312
 135,502
Valuation allowance(43,824) (100,705)
Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance85,488
 34,797
Deferred tax liabilities:   
Amortization(69,668) (72,563)
Depreciation(2,521) (1,572)
Right-of-use assets(2,382) 
Other, net(920) (1,056)
Total gross deferred tax liabilities(75,491) (75,191)
Net deferred tax assets (liabilities)$9,997
 $(40,394)

At December 31, 2019, we evaluated the need for a valuation allowance for certain deferred tax assets based upon our assessment of whether it is more likely than not that we will generate sufficient future taxable income necessary to realize the deferred tax benefits. We maintain a valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets that are capital in nature to the extent that it is more likely than not that the related deferred tax benefit will not be realized. We also have a deferred tax asset related to the net operating losses (NOLs) that we believe is more likely than not to expire before utilization. In 2019, we released $56.9 million of the valuation allowance because we believe this portion of net operating losses is more likely than not to be realized. Additionally, we are no longer in a three-year cumulative loss position. If in the future we determine that any additional portion of the deferred tax assets is more likely than not to be realized, the tax benefit relating to any reversal of the valuation allowance on deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2019 will be recognized as a reduction of income tax expense. Conversely, if we determine that it is more likely than not that our deferred tax assets will not be utilized, we would record additional tax expense.


NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

The changes in the valuation allowance for deferred tax assets are shown below (in thousands):
 Years Ended December 31,
 2019 2018 2017
Balance at beginning of year$100,705
 $109,242
 $226,813
Decrease in valuation allowance—future year utilization(45,651) 
 
Increase (decrease) in valuation allowance—current year utilization(10,943) (8,597) 4,875
Decrease in valuation allowance—change in federal income tax rate
 
 (72,482)
Decrease in valuation allowance—adoption of ASU 2016-09
 
 (50,203)
Increase (decrease) in valuation allowance—other(287) 60
 239
Balance at end of year$43,824
 $100,705
 $109,242

As of December 31, 2019, our U.S. federal and state net operating loss carryforwards for income tax purposes were $391.9 million and $26.9 million, respectively, which primarily related to excess tax benefits for stock-based compensation. If not utilized, our federal net operating loss carryforwards will expire between 2020 and 2037, with the majority of them expiring between 2020 and 2024. Additionally, changes in ownership, as defined by Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code, may limit the amount of net operating loss carryforwards used in any one year.
A reconciliation of the unrecognized tax benefit balances is as follows (in thousands): 
 Years Ended December 31,
 2019 2018 2017
Balance at beginning of year$22,590
 $22,625
 $22,919
Gross increases for tax positions of prior years
 516
 93
Gross decreases for tax positions of prior years(99) 
 (31)
Gross increases for tax positions of current year60
 
 
Purchase accounting for 1st Global Acquisition442
 
 
Settlements with taxing authorities(563) 
 (66)
Statute of limitations expirations(2,947) (551) (290)
Balance at end of year$19,483
 $22,590
 $22,625

The total amount of unrecognized tax benefits that could affect our effective tax rate if recognized was $6.3 million and $4.7 million as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The remaining $13.2 million and $17.9 million was not recognized on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and if recognized, would create a deferred tax asset subject to a valuation allowance. The Company and its subsidiaries file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, various state jurisdictions, and Canada. With few exceptions, we are no longer subject to U.S. federal, state and local, or non-U.S. income tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 2015, although NOL carryforwards and tax credit carryforwards from any year are subject to examination and adjustment for at least three years following the year in which they are fully utilized. As of December 31, 2019, 0 significant adjustments have been proposed relative to our tax positions.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, we reversed $0.4 million of interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, we recognized $0.4 million and $0.2 million of interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions, respectively. We had $1.4 million and $1.5 million accrued for interest and penalties as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
Note 17: Net Income Per Share
“Basic net income per share” is calculated using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. “Diluted net income per share” is calculated using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding plus the number of dilutive potential common shares outstanding during the period. Dilutive potential common shares consist of the incremental common shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding


NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017

stock options and the vesting of unvested RSUs. Dilutive potential common shares are excluded from the calculation of diluted net income per share if their effect is antidilutive.
The calculation of basic and diluted net income per share attributable to Blucora, Inc. is as follows (in thousands):
 Years Ended December 31,
 2019 2018 2017
Numerator:     
Net income$48,148
 $51,569
 $29,376
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests
 (935) (2,337)
Adjustment of redeemable noncontrolling interests (1)
 (5,977) 
Net income attributable to Blucora, Inc. shareholders after adjustment of redeemable noncontrolling interests$48,148
 $44,657
 $27,039
Denominator:     
Basic weighted average common shares outstanding48,264
 47,394
 44,370
Dilutive potential common shares1,018
 1,987
 2,841
Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding49,282
 49,381
 47,211
Net income per share attributable to Blucora, Inc.:     
Basic net income per share$1.00
 $0.94
 $0.61
Diluted net income per share$0.98
 $0.90
 $0.57
Shares excluded1,150
 354
 1,058

____________________________
(1)
For the year ended December 31, 2018, the redemption value adjustment for our redeemable noncontrolling interest was deducted from net income for purposes of calculating net income per share attributable to Blucora, Inc. This redeemable noncontrolling interest was subsequently redeemed in 2019. See Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies for further discussion of redeemable noncontrolling interests.

Note 18: Subsequent Event
On January 6, 2020, we entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Honkamp Krueger Financial Services, Inc. (“HKFS”), the selling stockholders named therein (the “Sellers”), and JRD Seller Representative, LLC, pursuant to which we agreed to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common stock of HKFS for a cash purchase price of $160 million. HKFS is a registered investment advisor and wealth management business that partners with CPA firms in order to provide their consumer and small business clients with holistic planning and financial advisory services.
The purchase price is subject to customary purchase price adjustments, a post-closing adjustment for assets under administration, and certain indemnity escrows, as described more fully in the Purchase Agreement. The purchase price is expected to be paid with an incremental loan under the Senior Secured Credit Facility, which is anticipated to be entered into on or about the time of the closing of the HKFS Acquisition. The HKFS Acquisition is expected to close around the end of the first quarter subjectof 2019 with respect to customary closing conditions. The HKFS Acquisition was not reflected inthose interests. These put and call arrangements allowed certain former members of HD Vest management to require us to purchase their interests or allow us to acquire such interests for cash, respectively, within ninety days after we filed our consolidated financial statementsAnnual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, which occurred on March 1, 2019.

The redemption value of the arrangements was based upon several factors, including, among others, our implied enterprise value, our implied equity value and certain of our financial performance measures. To the extent that the redemption value of these interests exceeded the value determined by adjusting the carrying value for the subsidiary’s attribution of net income (loss), the value of such interests was adjusted to the redemption value with a corresponding adjustment to additional paid-in capital; this occurred in the third quarter of 2018, and we recorded an adjustment of $6.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. The redemption amount of noncontrolling interests was $24.9 million as of December 31, 2018. In the second quarter of 2019, all of these arrangements were settled in cash for $24.9 million.


ITEM 9. ChangesNote 12: Stock-based Compensation
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
The 2016 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”) permits eligible employees to contribute up to 15% of their base earnings toward the twice-yearly purchase of our common stock, subject to an annual maximum dollar amount. The purchase price is the lesser of 85% of the fair market value of common stock on the first day or on the last day of an offering period. An aggregate of 2.7 million shares of common stock are authorized for issuance under the ESPP. Of this amount, 0.8 million shares were available for issuance as of December 31, 2020. We issue new shares upon purchase through the ESPP.
Stock Incentive Plan
We may grant incentive or non-qualified stock options, stock, restricted stock, time-based and performance-based restricted stock units (collectively, RSUs), stock appreciation rights, and performance shares or performance units to employees, non-employee directors, and financial professionals.
In 2018, our stockholders approved the Blucora, Inc. 2018 Long-term Incentive Plan (the “2018 Plan”), which replaced the Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan (as amended and restated). Upon approval of the 2018 Plan, we have granted all RSUs and options under the 2018 Plan, except for inducement awards made under the Blucora, Inc. 2016 Equity Inducement Plan.
Stock options and RSUs generally vest over a period of one-to-three years, with the majority of awards vesting over three years. For stock options and time-based RSUs, one-third of the award vests one year after the date of grant, with the remainder of the award vesting ratably thereafter on an annual basis. For performance-based RSUs, these awards typically cliff vest following a three-year performance period based on the achievement of company-
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 100

Table of Contents

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
stated performance goals or market-based conditions. In addition, stock options expire seven years from the date of grant. There are a few exceptions to this vesting schedule, which provide for vesting at different rates.
We issue new shares upon the exercise of stock options and upon the vesting of RSUs. If a stock option or RSU is surrendered or otherwise unused, the related shares will continue to be available for issuance under the 2018 Plan.
A summary of stock options and RSUs at December 31, 2020 is as follows: 
Number of shares authorized for awards12,277,883 
Options and RSUs outstanding2,865,692 
Options and RSUs expected to vest2,510,231 
Options and RSUs available for grant6,548,963 
For the year ended December 31, 2020, the following activity occurred under our stock incentive plans:
Number of OptionsWeighted average exercise priceIntrinsic value
(in thousands)
Weighted average remaining contractual term (in years)
Stock options:
Outstanding at December 31, 20191,614,307 $19.16 
Granted803,210 $17.21 
Forfeited (1)(382,866)$25.49 
Expired(657,898)$17.16 
Exercised(12,426)$7.61 
Outstanding at December 31, 20201,364,327 $17.31 $2,738 4.8
Exercisable at December 31, 2020601,055 $17.83 $966 3
Vested and expected to vest after December 31, 20201,233,665 $17.45 $2,396 4.6
____________________________
(1)Forfeited stock options included 368,678 stock options related to executive departures in 2020.

Number of UnitsWeighted average grant date fair valueIntrinsic value
(in thousands)
Weighted average remaining contractual term (in years)
RSUs:
Outstanding at December 31, 20191,356,695 $28.22 
Granted949,142 $19.06 
Forfeited (1)(596,550)$27.04 
Vested(207,922)$26.11 
Outstanding at December 31, 20201,501,365 $23.19 $23,888 1.2
Expected to vest after December 31, 20201,276,566 $23.21 $20,310 1.1
____________________________
(1)Forfeited RSUs included 444,657 RSUs related to executive departures in 2020.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and Disagreements2018
Supplemental information is presented below: 
 Years Ended December 31,
 202020192018
Stock options:
Weighted average grant date fair value per option granted$6.04 $8.88 $7.68 
Total intrinsic value of options exercised (in thousands)$71 $17,674 $27,759 
Total fair value of options vested (in thousands)$4,488 $2,593 $4,142 
RSUs:
Weighted average grant date fair value per unit granted$19.06 $28.89 $26.89 
Total intrinsic value of units vested (in thousands)$4,115 $10,679 $16,452 
Total fair value of units vested (in thousands)$6,182 $6,368 $6,069 
We account for stock-based compensation in accordance with AccountantsASC 718, Stock Compensation, which requires that compensation related to all share-based awards (including stock options, RSUs, and ESPP shares) be recognized in the consolidated financial statements. Amounts recognized for stock-based compensation expense on Accountingthe consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss) were as follows (in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
202020192018
Cost of revenue$5,129 $4,082 $1,467 
Engineering and technology795 715 766 
Sales and marketing1,776 346 2,424 
General and administrative (1)2,366 11,157 8,596 
Total$10,066 $16,300 $13,253 
____________________________
(1)Stock-based compensation expense for the year ended December 31, 2020 was reduced by $8.5 million related to the reversal of stock-based compensation expense due to: (1) forfeitures resulting from executive departures and Financial Disclosure(2) the reversal of stock-based compensation expense for performance-based RSUs that are not expected to vest.
None.To estimate stock-based compensation expense, we used the Black-Scholes-Merton valuation method with the following assumptions for stock options granted:
 Years Ended December 31,
 202020192018
Risk-free interest rate0.24% - 1.62%2.28% - 2.88%1.82% - 2.54%
Expected dividend yield%%%
Expected volatility39% - 56%38% - 42%38% - 42%
Expected life3.53.63.6
The risk-free interest rate was based on the implied yield available on U.S. Treasury issues with an equivalent remaining term. The expected dividend yield was 0 since we have not paid a dividend since 2008. The expected volatility was based on historical volatility of our stock for the related expected life of the award. The expected life of the award was based on historical experience, including historical post-vesting termination behavior.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
As of December 31, 2020, total unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to unvested stock awards was as follows:
Expense
(in thousands)
Weighted average period
over which to be recognized
(in years)
Stock options$1,515 1.5
RSUs12,306 1.4
Total$13,821 1.4

Note 13: Other Loss, Net
“Other loss, net” on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss) consisted of the following (in thousands): 
Years Ended December 31,
202020192018
Interest expense$24,570 $19,017 $15,610 
Amortization of debt issuance costs1,372 1,042 833 
Accretion of debt discounts693 228 163 
Total interest expense26,635 20,287 16,606 
Interest income(65)(449)(349)
Gain on sale of a business (1)(349)(3,256)
Non-capitalized debt issuance expenses3,687 
Loss on debt extinguishment and modification expense1,534 
Other (2)1,396 333 (1,994)
Other loss, net$31,304 $16,915 $15,797 
____________________________
(1)For the year ended December 31, 2019, we recognized a $3.3 million gain on the sale of SimpleTax. See Note 3—Acquisitions and Disposition for additional information. For the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized a $0.3 million gain on sale due to a net working capital true-up related to the sale of SimpleTax in the third quarter of 2020.
(2)For the year ended December 31, 2018, we had a $2.1 million gain on the sale of an investment.

Note 14: 401(k) Plan
We have a 401(k) savings plan covering our employees. Eligible employees may contribute through payroll deductions. Pursuant to a continuing resolution by our board of directors, we match a portion of the 401(k) contributions made by our employees. The amount we have contributed ranges from 1% to 4% of an employee’s salary, depending upon the percentage contributed by the employee. For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018, we contributed $2.8 million, $2.4 million, and $1.9 million, respectively, to our employees’ 401(k) plans.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
Note 15: Income Taxes
Income (loss) before income taxes consisted of the following (in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
202020192018
United States$(300,424)$(18,088)$51,385 
Foreign1,182 495 
Income (loss) before income taxes$(300,424)$(16,906)$51,880 
Income tax expense (benefit) consisted of the following (in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
202020192018
Current:
U.S. federal$$(732)$(42)
State1,272 2,901 3,230 
Foreign333 157 
Total current expense1,272 2,502 3,345 
Deferred:
U.S. federal40,857 (62,580)(3,035)
State202 (4,970)37 
Foreign(6)(36)
Total deferred expense (benefit)41,059 (67,556)(3,034)
Income tax expense (benefit)$42,331 $(65,054)$311 
Income tax expense (benefit) differed from the amount calculated by applying the statutory federal income tax rate of 21% as follows (in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
202020192018
Income tax expense (benefit) at the statutory federal income tax rate$(63,089)$(3,550)$10,895 
Non-deductible compensation1,681 1,933 2,796 
Non-deductible acquisition-related transaction costs1,359 
State income taxes, net of federal benefit1,053 (1,897)2,014 
Uncertain tax positions and audit settlements(575)(1,227)473 
Research and development credit(552)
Excess tax (benefits) and deficiencies of stock-based compensation1,004 (4,100)(6,851)
Valuation allowances23,911 (56,881)(8,537)
Non-deductible goodwill56,831 
Net operating loss write-off21,051 
Other464 (691)73 
Income tax expense (benefit)$42,331 $(65,054)$311 
The primary difference between the statutory tax rate and the annual effective tax rate was non-deductible goodwill, the valuation allowance, and the net operating loss write-off, as discussed further below. Other differences between the statutory rate and the annual effective tax rate are related to excess tax deficiencies for stock compensation, uncertain tax positions, state taxes, and non-deductible compensation.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
The tax effect of temporary differences and net operating loss carryforwards that gave rise to our deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows (in thousands):
December 31,
20202019
Deferred tax assets:
Net operating loss and credit carryforwards$54,196 $84,684 
Capital loss22,753 22,948 
Accrued compensation7,094 6,686 
Stock-based compensation4,848 4,986 
Deferred revenue3,935 4,042 
Lease liability9,193 2,133 
Other, net3,583 3,833 
Total gross deferred tax assets105,602 129,312 
Valuation allowance(67,735)(43,824)
Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance37,867 85,488 
Deferred tax liabilities:
Amortization(59,580)(69,668)
Depreciation(1,947)(2,521)
Right-of-use assets(5,571)(2,382)
Other, net(1,432)(920)
Total gross deferred tax liabilities(68,530)(75,491)
Net deferred tax assets (liabilities)$(30,663)$9,997 
At December 31, 2020, we evaluated the need for a valuation allowance for deferred tax assets based upon our assessment of whether it is more likely than not that we will generate sufficient future taxable income necessary to realize the deferred tax benefits. We maintain a valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets that are capital in nature to the extent that it is more likely than not that the related deferred tax benefit will not be realized. We also have a deferred tax asset related to the net operating losses (“NOLs”) that we believe is more likely than not to expire before utilization. In 2020, we increased the valuation allowance by $23.9 million because we believe this portion of NOLs is more likely than not to not be realized.
The changes in the valuation allowance for deferred tax assets are shown below (in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
202020192018
Balance at beginning of year$43,824 $100,705 $109,242 
Increase (decrease) in valuation allowance—future year utilization18,136 (45,651)
Increase (decrease) in valuation allowance—current year utilization5,047 (10,943)(8,597)
Increase (decrease) in valuation allowance—other728 (287)60 
Balance at end of year$67,735 $43,824 $100,705 
As of December 31, 2020, our U.S. federal and state net operating loss carryforwards for income tax purposes were $249.2 million and $27.9 million, respectively, which primarily related to excess tax benefits for stock-based compensation. If unutilized, our federal net operating loss carryforwards will expire between 2021 and 2037, with the majority of them expiring between 2021 and 2024. Additionally, changes in ownership, as defined by Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code, may limit the amount of net operating loss carryforwards used in any one year.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
A reconciliation of the unrecognized tax benefit balances is as follows (in thousands): 
Years Ended December 31,
202020192018
Balance at beginning of year$19,483 $22,590 $22,625 
Gross increases for tax positions of prior years516 
Gross decreases for tax positions of prior years(11,972)(1,858)(508)
Gross increases for tax positions of current year60 
Purchase accounting for 1st Global Acquisition(35)442 
Settlements with taxing authorities(563)
Statute of limitations expirations(1,188)(43)
Balance at end of year$7,476 $19,483 $22,590 
The total amount of unrecognized tax benefits that could affect our effective tax rate if recognized was $2.8 million and $6.3 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The remaining $4.7 million and $13.2 million was not recognized on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and if recognized, would create a deferred tax asset subject to a valuation allowance. The Company and its subsidiaries file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and, various state jurisdictions. With few exceptions, we are no longer subject to U.S. federal, state and local, or non-U.S. income tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 2015, although NOL carryforwards and tax credit carryforwards from any year are subject to examination and adjustment for at least three years following the year in which they are fully utilized. As of December 31, 2020, 0 significant adjustments have been proposed relative to our tax positions.
For the year ended December 31, 2020, the amount recognized for interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions was immaterial. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we reversed $0.4 million of interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions. For the year ended December 31, 2018, we recognized $0.4 million of interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions. We had $1.5 million and $1.4 million accrued for interest and penalties as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Note 16: Net Income (Loss) Per Share
“Basic net income (loss) per share” is calculated using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the applicable period. “Diluted net income (loss) per share” is calculated using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding plus the number of dilutive potential common shares outstanding during the applicable period. Dilutive potential common shares consist of the incremental common shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options and the vesting of unvested RSUs. Dilutive potential common shares are excluded from the calculation of diluted net income per share if their effect is antidilutive.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Years Ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018
The calculation of basic and diluted net income (loss) per share attributable to Blucora, Inc. is as follows (in thousands):
 Years Ended December 31,
 202020192018
Numerator:
Net income (loss)$(342,755)$48,148 $51,569 
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests(935)
Adjustment of redeemable noncontrolling interests (1)(5,977)
Net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc. shareholders after adjustment of redeemable noncontrolling interests$(342,755)$48,148 $44,657 
Denominator:
Basic weighted average common shares outstanding47,978 48,264 47,394 
Dilutive potential common shares1,018 1,987 
Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding47,978 49,282 49,381 
Net income (loss) per share attributable to Blucora, Inc.:
Basic net income (loss) per share$(7.14)$1.00 $0.94 
Diluted net income (loss) per share$(7.14)$0.98 $0.90 
Shares excluded (2)2,936 1,150 354 
____________________________
(1)For the year ended December 31, 2018, the redemption value adjustment for our redeemable noncontrolling interest was deducted from net income for purposes of calculating net income per share attributable to Blucora, Inc. This redeemable noncontrolling interest was subsequently redeemed in 2019. See “Note 11—Stockholders' Equity” for further discussion of redeemable noncontrolling interests.
(2)Potential common shares were excluded from the calculation of diluted net income (loss) per share for these periods because their effect would have been anti-dilutive. For the year ended December 31, 2020, all potential common shares were excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share as their effect would have been anti-dilutive due to the net loss recognized.

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ITEM 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
None.
ITEM 9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management evaluated, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and our interim PrincipalChief Financial Officer, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and our interim PrincipalChief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 20192020 to ensure that information we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our PrincipalChief Executive Officer and interim PrincipalChief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure, and that such information is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange CommissionSEC rules and forms.
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act RulesRule 13a-15(f). Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our Chief Executive Officer and interim PrincipalChief Financial Officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013 framework) issued by the Committee of the Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
Based on our evaluation under the framework in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013 framework), our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2019.2020.
We acquired 1st GlobalHKFS on May 6, 2019.July 1, 2020. Management excluded 1st GlobalHKFS from its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019. 1st Global's2020. HKFS’s total assets and net assets constituted 18%2% and 28%6% of total and net assets, respectively, as of December 31, 20192020 and 16% and 0%3% of total revenues and net income, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2019.2020.
Ernst & Young LLP has audited the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019,2020, and its report is included below.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fourth quarter of 20192020 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Blucora, Inc.
Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited Blucora, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019,2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control-IntegratedControl—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the COSO criteria). In our opinion, Blucora, Inc. (the Company) maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019,2020, based on the COSO criteria.
As indicated in the accompanying Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting, management's assessment of and conclusion on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting did not include the internal controls of 1st Global,Honkamp Krueger Financial Services, HKFS, which is included in the December 31, 20192020 consolidated financial statements of the Company and constituted 18%2% and 28%6% of total assets and net assets, respectively, as of December 31, 20192020 and 16% and 0%3% of revenues and net income, respectively, for the year then ended. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting of the Company also did not include an evaluation of the internal control over financial reporting of 1st Global.HKFS.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of Blucora, Inc. as of December 31, 20192020 and 2018,2019, the related consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss), stockholders' equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2019,2020, and the related notes, and our report dated February 28, 202026, 2021 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

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Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

Dallas, Texas
February 28,26, 2021
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ITEM 9B. Other Information
None.

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PART III
As permitted by the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission,SEC, we have omitted certain information from Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We intend to file a Definitive Proxy Statement (the Proxy Statement) with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to our annual meeting of stockholders not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and such information is incorporated by reference herein.
ITEM 10. Directors, Executive Officers, and Corporate Governance
The information required in response to this Item 10 is incorporated by reference herein to our Proxy Statement.
ITEM 11. Executive Compensation
The information required in response to this Item 11 is incorporated by reference herein to our Proxy Statement.
ITEM 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
The information required in response to this Item 12 is incorporated by reference herein to our Proxy Statement.
ITEM 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
The information required in response to this Item 13 is incorporated by reference herein to our Proxy Statement.
ITEM 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services
The information required in response to this Item 14 is incorporated by reference herein to our Proxy Statement.


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PART IV
ITEM 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
(a) Financial Statements and Schedules
1.    Consolidated Financial Statements
See “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”
2.    Financial Statement Schedules
All financial statement schedules required by Item 15(a)(2) have been omitted because they are not applicable or the required information is presented in the Consolidated Financial Statements or Notes thereto.
3.    Exhibits
The exhibits required by Item 601 of Regulation S-K are set forth below.
(b)   Exhibits



Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 113


INDEX TO EXHIBITS
Exhibit
Number
 Exhibit Description Form Date of First Filing 
Exhibit
Number
Filed
Herewith
 Stock Purchase Agreement between Blucora, Inc., Monoprice Holdings, Inc. and YFC-Boneagle Electric Co., LTD, dated November 14, 2016 8-K November 15, 2016 2.1
  
 Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of March 18, 2019, by and among 1G Acquisitions, LLC, 1st Global, Inc., 1st Global Insurance Services, Inc., the sellers named therein and joinder sellers, SAB Representative, LLC, as the sellers’ representative, and Blucora, Inc., as guarantor 8-K March 19, 2019 2.1
  
 Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of January 6, 2020, by and among Blucora, Inc., Honkamp Krueger Financial Services, Inc., the sellers named therein, and JRD Seller Representative, LLC, as the sellers’ representative 8-K January 7, 2020 2.1
  
 Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as filed with the Secretary of the State of Delaware on August 10, 2012 8-K (No. 000-25131) August 13, 2012 3.1
  
 Certificate of Amendment to the Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Blucora, Inc. filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware on June 1, 2017 8-K June 5, 2017 3.1
  
 Certificate of Amendment to the Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Blucora, Inc. filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware on June 8, 2018 8-K June 8, 2018 3.1
  
 Amended and Restated Bylaws of Blucora, Inc. 8-K February 28, 2017 3.2
  
 Description of Securities       X
 Restated 1996 Flexible Stock Incentive Plan, as amended and restated effective as of June 5, 2012 S-8 (No. 333-198645) September 8, 2014 99.1
  
 Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan, as Amended and Restated DEF 14A April 25, 2016 App-endix A
  
 Form of Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan Nonqualified Stock Option Grant Notice 10-Q July 30, 2015 10.2
  
 Form of Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice 10-Q July 30, 2015 10.3
  
 Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Agreement for Executive Officers under the Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan, as amended and restated 8-K February 23, 2018 10.2
  
 Form of Time-Based Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for Executive Officers under the Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan, as amended and restated 8-K February 23, 2018 10.3
  
 Form of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for Executive Officers under the Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan, as amended and restated 8-K February 23, 2018 10.4
  
 Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Grant Notice and Agreement for Nonemployee Directors under the Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan 10-Q April 28, 2016 10.3
  
 Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Grant Notice and Agreement for Nonemployee Chairman of the Board under the Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan 10-Q April 28, 2016 10.4
  
 Form of Director Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice and Award Agreement for Initial Grants to New Directors under the Amended and Restated Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan 10-Q July 27, 2017 10.3
  
 Form of Director Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice and Award Agreement for Annual Grants to Directors under the Amended and Restated Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan 10-Q July 27, 2017 10.4
  
 Blucora, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan DEF 14A April 19, 2018 App-endix A
  


Exhibit
Number
Exhibit DescriptionFormDate of First Filing
Exhibit
Number
Filed
Herewith
Stock Purchase Agreement between Blucora, Inc., Monoprice Holdings, Inc. and YFC-Boneagle Electric Co., LTD, dated November 14, 20168-KNovember 15, 20162.1 
Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of March 18, 2019, by and among 1G Acquisitions, LLC, 1st Global, Inc., 1st Global Insurance Services, Inc., the sellers named therein and joinder sellers, SAB Representative, LLC, as the sellers’ representative, and Blucora, Inc., as guarantor8-KMarch 19, 20192.1 
Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of January 6, 2020, by and among Blucora, Inc., Honkamp Krueger Financial Services, Inc., the sellers named therein, and JRD Seller Representative, LLC, as the sellers’ representative, as amended by First Amendment to Stock Purchase Agreement, dated April 7, 2020 and Second Amendment to Stock Purchase Agreement dated June 30, 20208-KJuly 1, 20202.1 
Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as filed with the Secretary of the State of Delaware on August 10, 20128-K (No. 000-25131)August 13, 20123.1 
Certificate of Amendment to the Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Blucora, Inc. filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware on June 1, 20178-KJune 5, 20173.1 
Certificate of Amendment to the Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Blucora, Inc. filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware on June 8, 20188-KJune 8, 20183.1 
Amended and Restated Bylaws of Blucora, Inc., dated July 15, 20208-KJuly 16, 20203.1 
Description of SecuritiesX
Restated 1996 Flexible Stock Incentive Plan, as amended and restated effective as of June 5, 2012S-8 (No. 333-198645)September 8, 201499.1 
Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan, as Amended and RestatedDEF 14AApril 25, 2016App-endix A
Form of Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan Nonqualified Stock Option Grant Notice10-QJuly 30, 201510.2 
Form of Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice10-QJuly 30, 201510.3 
Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Agreement for Executive Officers under the Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan, as amended and restated8-KFebruary 23, 201810.2 
Form of Time-Based Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for Executive Officers under the Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan, as amended and restated8-KFebruary 23, 201810.3 
Form of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for Executive Officers under the Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan, as amended and restated8-KFebruary 23, 201810.4 
Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Grant Notice and Agreement for Nonemployee Directors under the Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan10-QApril 28, 201610.3 
Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Grant Notice and Agreement for Nonemployee Chairman of the Board under the Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan10-QApril 28, 201610.4��
Form of Director Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice and Award Agreement for Initial Grants to New Directors under the Amended and Restated Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan10-QJuly 27, 201710.3 
Form of Director Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice and Award Agreement for Annual Grants to Directors under the Amended and Restated Blucora, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan10-QJuly 27, 201710.4 
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 114
 Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Award Agreement for Executive Officers under the Blucora, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan       X
 Form of Time-Based Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement for Executive Officers under the Blucora, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan       X
 Form of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement for Executive Officers under the Blucora, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan       X
 Form of Director Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice and Award Agreement for Initial Grants to New Directors under the Blucora, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan       X
 Form of Director Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice and Award Agreement for Annual Grants to Directors under Blucora, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan       X
 Blucora, Inc. 2016 Equity Inducement Plan S-8 January 29, 2016 99.1
  
 Amendment No. 1 to Blucora, Inc. 2016 Inducement Plan S-8 October 14, 2016 99.1
  
 Amendment No. 2 to the Blucora, Inc. 2016 Inducement Plan 8-K May 25, 2018 10.1
  
 Form of Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice and Award Agreement for Initial Grants to Newly-Hired Executive Officers Under the Blucora, Inc. 2016 Equity Inducement Plan, as amended 10-Q October 31, 2018 10.2
  
 Form of Blucora, Inc. 2016 Inducement Plan Nonqualified Stock Option Grant Notice 10-K February 24, 2016 10.41
  
 Form of Blucora, Inc. 2016 Inducement Plan Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice 10-K February 24, 2016 10.42
  
 Blucora, Inc. 2018 Annual Incentive Plan 8-K February 23, 2018 10.1
  
 Employment Agreement by and between Blucora, Inc. and Ann Bruder, dated June 19, 2017 10-Q July 27, 2017 10.2
  
 Employment Agreement by and between Blucora, Inc. and Todd Mackay, dated December 24, 2018 10-K March 1, 2019 10.33
  
 Employment Agreement by and between Blucora, Inc. and Curtis Campbell, dated October 12, 2018 10-K March 1, 2019 10.34
  
 Employment Agreement by and between Blucora, Inc. and Mike Hogan, dated October 20, 2018 10-K March 1, 2019 10.35
  
 Employment Agreement by and between Blucora, Inc. and Enrique Vasquez, dated May 31, 2019 10-Q August 8, 2019 10.3
  
 Separation and Release Agreement by and between Blucora, Inc. and Davinder Athwal, dated January 6, 2020       X
 General Release and Waiver of Claims by and between Blucora, Inc. and John Clendening, dated January 15, 2020       X
 Employment Agreement by and between Blucora, Inc. and Christoper W. Walters, dated January 17, 2020       X
 Credit Agreement, dated May 22, 2017, among Blucora, Inc., as borrower, and most of its direct and indirect domestic subsidiaries, as guarantors, and Credit Suisse AG, Cayman Islands Branch, as administrative agent and collateral agent, and each lender from time to time a party to the Credit Agreement 8-K May 23, 2017 10.1
  
 First Amendment, dated November 28, 2017, among Blucora, Inc., as borrower, and most of its direct and indirect domestic subsidiaries, as guarantors, and Credit Suisse AG, Cayman Islands Branch, as administrative agent and collateral agent, and each lender party to the First Amendment 8-K November 29, 2017 10.1
  



 Second Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated May 6, 2019, among Blucora, Inc., as borrower, most of its direct and indirect domestic subsidiaries, as guarantors, and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as successor administrative agent and successor collateral agent, and each lender party to the Second Amendment 8-K May 6, 2019 10.1
  
 Lease Agreement between BDDC, Inc. and Blucora, Inc., dated May 10, 2019       X
 Blucora, Inc., 2016 Employee Stock Purchase Plan DEF 14A April 25, 2016 App-endix B
  
 Amendment No. 1 to the Blucora, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan 10-Q August 1, 2018 99.1
  
 Blucora, Inc. Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy 10-Q August 8, 2019 10.2
  
 Blucora, Inc. Director Tax-Smart Deferral Plan 10-K March 1, 2019 10.51
  
 Blucora, Inc. Executive Officer Tax-Smart Deferral Plan 10-K March 1, 2019 10.52
  
 First Amendment to Blucora, Inc. Director Tax-Smart Deferral Plan       X
 First Amendment to Blucora, Inc. Executive Officer Tax-Smart Deferral Plan       X
 Form of Indemnification Agreement       X
 Principal Subsidiaries of the Registrant       X
 Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm       X
 Power of Attorney (contained on the signature page hereto)       X
 Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002       X
 Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002       X
 Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002       X
 Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002       X
101 The following financial statements from the Company’s 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, formatted in Inline XBRL: (i) Consolidated Balance Sheets, (ii) Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, (iii) Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity, (iv) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, and (v) Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements       X
104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and Contained in Exhibit 101)       X

*Blucora, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive PlanDEF 14AApril 19, 2018App-endix A
Amendment No. 1 to the Blucora, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive PlanDEF 14AApril 9, 2020App-endix B
Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Award Agreement for Executive Officers under the Blucora, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan10-KFebruary 28, 202010.13 
Form of Time-Based Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement for Executive Officers under the Blucora, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan10-KFebruary 28, 202010.14
Form of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement for Executive Officers under the Blucora, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan10-KFebruary 28, 202010.15
Form of Director Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice and Award Agreement for Initial Grants to New Directors under the Blucora, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan10-KFebruary 28, 202010.16
Form of Director Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice and Award Agreement for Annual Grants to Directors under Blucora, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan10-KFebruary 28, 202010.17
Blucora, Inc. 2016 Equity Inducement PlanS-8January 29, 201699.1 
Amendment No. 1 to Blucora, Inc. 2016 Inducement PlanS-8October 14, 201699.1 
Amendment No. 2 to the Blucora, Inc. 2016 Inducement Plan8-KMay 25, 201810.1 
Amendment No. 3 to the Blucora, Inc. 2016 Equity Inducement Plan8-KMay 28, 202010.3 
Form of Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice and Award Agreement for Initial Grants to Newly-Hired Executive Officers Under the Blucora, Inc. 2016 Equity Inducement Plan, as amended10-QOctober 31, 201810.2 
Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Grant Notice and Agreement under the Blucora, Inc. 2016 Equity Inducement Plan10-QMay 6, 202010.6 
Form of Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice and Award Agreement under the Blucora, Inc. 2016 Equity Inducement Plan10-QMay 6, 202010.5 
Blucora, Inc. 2018 Annual Incentive Plan8-KFebruary 23, 201810.1 
Employment Agreement by and between Blucora, Inc. and Ann Bruder, dated June 19, 201710-QJuly 27, 201710.2 
Employment Agreement by and between Blucora, Inc. and Todd Mackay, dated December 24, 20810-KMarch 1, 201910.33 
Employment Agreement by and between Blucora, Inc. and Curtis Campbell, dated October 12, 201810-KMarch 1, 201910.34 
Separation and Release Agreement by and between Blucora, Inc. and Davinder Athwal, dated January 6, 202010-KFebruary 28, 202010.30
General Release and Waiver of Claims by and between Blucora, Inc. and John Clendening, dated January 15, 202010-KFebruary 28, 202010.31
Employment Agreement by and between Blucora, Inc. and Christopher W. Walters, dated January 17, 2020X
Form of Employment Agreement by and between Blucora, Inc. and certain executive officers8-KApril 22, 202010.1 
Blucora, Inc. Executive Change of Control Severance Plan, including the form of Participation Agreement as Appendix A thereto8-KJanuary 19, 202110.1 
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 115

Credit Agreement, dated May 22, 2017, among Blucora, Inc., as borrower, and most of its direct and indirect domestic subsidiaries, as guarantors, and Credit Suisse AG, Cayman Islands Branch, as administrative agent and collateral agent, and each lender from time to time a party to the Credit Agreement8-KMay 23, 201710.1 
First Amendment, dated November 28, 2017, among Blucora, Inc., as borrower, and most of its direct and indirect domestic subsidiaries, as guarantors, and Credit Suisse AG, Cayman Islands Branch, as administrative agent and collateral agent, and each lender party to the First Amendment8-KNovember 29, 201710.1 
Second Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated May 6, 2019, among Blucora, Inc., as borrower, most of its direct and indirect domestic subsidiaries, as guarantors, and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as successor administrative agent and successor collateral agent, and each lender party to the Second Amendment8-KMay 6, 201910.1 
Third Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated May 1, 2020, among Blucora, Inc., as borrower, most of its direct and indirect domestic subsidiaries, as guarantors, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as successor administrative agent and successor collateral agent, and each lender party to the Third Amendment10-QMay 6, 202010.7
Fourth Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated July 1, 2020, among Blucora, Inc., as borrower, most of its direct and indirect domestic subsidiaries, as guarantors, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as successor administrative agent and successor collateral agent, and each lender party to the Fourth Amendment8-KJuly 1, 202010.1
Lease Agreement between BDDC, Inc. and Blucora, Inc., dated May 10, 201910-KFebruary 28, 202010.36
Blucora, Inc., 2016 Employee Stock Purchase PlanDEF 14AApril 25, 2016App-endix B
Amendment No. 1 to the Blucora, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan10-QAugust 1, 201899.1
Amendment No. 2 to the Blucora, Inc. 2016 Employee Stock Purchase PlanDEF 14AApril 9, 2020App-endix C
Blucora, Inc. Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy10-QAugust 8, 201910.2 
Blucora, Inc. Director Tax-Smart Deferral Plan10-KMarch 1, 201910.51 
Blucora, Inc. Executive Officer Tax-Smart Deferral Plan10-KMarch 1, 201910.52 
First Amendment to Blucora, Inc. Director Tax-Smart Deferral Plan10-KFebruary 28, 202010.42
First Amendment to Blucora, Inc. Executive Officer Tax-Smart Deferral Plan10-KFebruary 28, 202010.43
Form of Indemnification Agreement10-KFebruary 28, 202010.44
Principal Subsidiaries of the RegistrantX
Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting FirmX
Power of Attorney (contained on the signature page hereto)X
Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002X
Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002X
Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002X
Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002X
Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 116

101The following financial statements from the Company’s 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, formatted in Inline XBRL: (i) Consolidated Balance Sheets, (ii) Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, (iii) Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity, (iv) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, and (v) Notes to Consolidated Financial StatementsX
104Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and Contained in Exhibit 101)X
____________________________
*Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
#^Certain portions of the exhibit have been omitted.
#Schedules and exhibits have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. Blucora, Inc. hereby undertakes to furnish supplemental copies of any of the omitted schedules and exhibits upon request by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
**The certifications attached as Exhibits 32.1 and 32.2 are not deemed filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of Blucora, Inc. under the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, whether made before or after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.
(c)   Financial Statements and Schedules
See Item 15(a) above.
ITEM 16. Form 10-K Summary
None.

Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 117


SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
BLUCORA, INC.
BLUCORA, INC.
By:
By:/s/ Christopher W. Walters
Christopher W. Walters
President and Chief Executive Officer
Date:February 28, 202026, 2021
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Ann J. Bruder as his or her attorney-in-fact, with the power of substitution, for him or her in any and all capacities to execute any amendments to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and to file the same, exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that the said attorney-in-fact, or her substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated and on the dates indicated.
SignatureTitleDate
SignatureTitleDate
/s/ Christopher W. Walters
President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director
(Principal Executive Officer)
February 28, 202026, 2021
Christopher W. Walters
/s/ Marc Mehlman
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)
February 26, 2021
Marc Mehlman
/s/ Stacy A. Murray
Chief Accounting Officer

(Interim Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)
February 28, 202026, 2021
Stacy A. Murray
/s/ Georganne C. ProctorChair and DirectorFebruary 28, 202026, 2021
Georganne C. Proctor
/s/ Steven AldrichDirectorFebruary 28, 202026, 2021
Steven Aldrich
/s/ Mark A. ErnstDirectorFebruary 26, 2021
Mark A. Ernst
/s/ E.Carol HaylesDirectorFebruary 28, 202026, 2021
E. Carol Hayles
/s/ John MacIlwaineDirectorFebruary 28, 202026, 2021
John MacIlwaine
/s/ Karthik RaoDirectorFebruary 26, 2021
Karthik Rao
/s/ Jana R. SchreuderDirectorFebruary 26, 2021
Jana R. Schreuder
/s/ Mary S. ZapponeDirectorFebruary 28, 202026, 2021
Mary S. Zappone

Blucora, Inc. | 2020 Form 10-K 118