Item 1.   Business

General Corporate Overview

We are the nation's largest independent broker-dealer, a top custodian for registered investment advisors ("RIAs"), and a leading independent consultant to retirement plans. We provide an integrated platform of brokerage and investment advisory services to more than 13,600 independent financial advisors and financial advisors at more than 700 financial institutions (our "advisors") throughout the United States, enabling them to provide their retail investors (their "clients") with objective financial advice through a lower-risk model. We also support approximately 4,500 financial advisors who are affiliated and licensed with insurance companies through customized clearing services, advisory platforms and technology solutions.

We support a diverse client base through our subsidiary companies. LPL Financial LLC ("LPL Financial") is a clearing broker-dealer and an investment advisor that primarily transacts business as an agent for our advisors on behalf of their clients through a broad array of financial products and services. Fortigent Holdings Company, Inc. and its subsidiaries ("Fortigent") is a leading provider of solutions and consulting services to RIAs, banks and trust companies that serve high-net-worth clients. The Private Trust Company, N.A. ("PTC") manages trusts for high-net-worth clients.

While our services are diverse, our singular focus is to provide advisors with the front-, middle- and back-office support they need to serve the large and growing market for independent investment advice. We believe we are the only company that offers advisors the unique combination of an integrated technology platform, comprehensive self-clearing services and open architecture access to leading financial products, all delivered in an environment unencumbered by conflicts from product manufacturing, underwriting or market-making.

For over 20 years we have served and supported the independent advisor market. We are a market leader with the largest independent advisor base and we believe we have the fourth largest overall advisor base in the United States. Through our advisors, we are also one of the largest distributors of financial products in the United States with over $73 billion in sales of mutual funds, annuities and advisory services. Our significant scale combined with our differentiated focus on the independent market has created a competitive advantage that enables ongoing growth through the attraction and retention of advisors. We are also able to continually reinvest in and improve resources to help our advisors manage the increasing complexity of the financial advisory and brokerage business, improve productivity and achieve their own goals for long-term growth. We currently have 3,185  employees with primary offices in Boston, Charlotte and San Diego.

Our Business

We believe that independent, objective financial guidance is a fundamental need for everyone. To fulfill that need, we enable our advisors to focus on what they do best — build personal, long-term client relationships that serve as the foundation for turning life ' s aspirations into financial realities. With our support, our advisors are able to provide their clients with high-quality independent financial advice and investment solutions. We help our advisors manage the complexity of their businesses by providing a comprehensive integrated technology platform, customized custody and clearing services and an open-architecture product platform that offers financial management and investment solutions from over 790 providers. We offer no proprietary products of our own. Because we do not offer proprietary products, we enable the independent financial advisors, banks and credit unions with whom we partner to offer their clients truly objective, low-conflict advice.

Our business is dedicated exclusively to our advisors; we are not a market-maker nor do we offer investment banking or underwriting services. Additionally, we offer our advisors the highest average payout ratios among the five largest U.S. broker-dealers, as ranked by number of advisors, which we believe provides us with a significant competitive advantage.

Our flexible model attracts many different types of advisors, such as independent financial advisors, RIAs, advisors focused on serving retirement plans and advisors at small and mid-sized financial institutions. Furthermore, we believe that we are the only independent broker-dealer with an integrated platform supporting RIAs.

Our revenues are derived primarily from commission and advisory fees generated by our advisors. We also generate asset-based revenues from our financial product sponsor relationships, cash sweep programs and omnibus processing and networking services. Under our self-clearing platform, we custody the majority of client assets invested in these products. Our custody activities include providing statements, processing transactions and

performing ongoing account management. In addition, we generate revenues from advisor- and technology-related fees.

Our Advisor Relationships

Our advisors build long-term relationships with their clients in communities across the U.S. by guiding them through the complexities of investment decisions, retirement solutions, financial planning and wealth-management. Our advisors support approximately 4.4 million client accounts. Our services support the evolution of our advisors’ businesses over time and are designed to change as our advisors' needs change.

Our relationship with our advisors is expressed in our Commitment Creed, which for more than 20 years has set forth the guiding principles that have been the foundation for our culture and reflected our singular focus on the advisors we serve. The size and growth of our business are reflective of this focus.

Advisors licensed with LPL Financial as registered representatives and as investment advisory representatives are able to conduct both commission-based business on our brokerage platform and fee-based business on our corporate RIA platform. In order to be licensed with LPL Financial, advisors must be approved through our assessment process, which includes a thorough review of each advisor’s education, experience and credit and compliance history. Approved advisors become registered with LPL Financial and enter into a representative agreement that establishes the duties and responsibilities of each party. Pursuant to the representative agreement, each advisor makes a series of representations, including that the advisor will disclose to all clients and prospective clients that the advisor is acting as LPL Financial's registered representative or investment advisory representative, that all orders for securities will be placed through LPL Financial, that the advisor will sell only products LPL Financial has approved and that the advisor will comply with LPL Financial policies and procedures as well as securities rules and regulations. These advisors also agree not to engage in any outside business activity without prior approval from us and not to act as an agent for any of our competitors.

In return for the services we provide to advisors, including, among others, transaction processing and technology services to support their daily activities, we typically retain a range of 10 to 15 percent of the commission and advisory revenue generated by our advisors and pay out the remaining 85 to 90 percent directly to them. Advisors are also entitled to receive annual production bonuses, based on their individual and branch production. In addition, advisors pay certain fees directly to us relating to technology and platform access, insurance coverage and licensing fees, as well as administrative fees. The registered representative agreement, which covers such fees, is terminable by us or the advisor without cause on 30 days' notice and by us for cause immediately upon notice.

LPL Financial also supports over 280 stand-alone RIA practices ("Independent RIAs") with over 2,000 advisors who conduct their advisory business through separate entities by establishing their own RIAs, rather than using our corporate RIA. These Independent RIAs engage us for technology, clearing, compliance related and custody services, as well as access to certain of our investment platforms. These advisors retain 100% of their advisory fees. In return, we charge separate fees for custody, trading and support services to the Independent RIAs. In addition, Independent RIAs seeking to operate a hybrid model carry their brokerage license exclusively with LPL Financial and access our fully-integrated brokerage platform under standard terms.

Our advisors average over 15 years of industry experience. This level of industry experience allows us to focus on supporting and enhancing our advisors’ businesses without needing to provide basic training or subsidizing advisors who are new to the industry. Our independent advisors join us from a broad range of firms including wirehouses, regional and insurance broker-dealers, banks and other independent firms. Our flexible business platform allows our advisors to choose the most appropriate business model to support their clients, whether they conduct brokerage business, offer brokerage and fee-based services on our corporate RIA platforms or provide fee-based services through their own RIAs.

The majority of our advisors are entrepreneurial independent contractors who deliver their services through over 4,000 branch offices. They are primarily located in rural and suburban areas and as such are viewed as local providers of independent advice. Approximately 77% of these advisors operate under their own business name. We assist these advisors with their own branding, marketing and promotion, and regulatory review.

We believe we are the market leader in providing support to over 2,200 financial advisors at approximately 700 banks and credit unions nationwide. For these institutions, whose core capabilities may not include investment and financial planning services, or who find the technology, infrastructure and regulatory requirements to be cost prohibitive, we provide their financial advisors with the services they need to be successful, allowing the institutions to focus more energy and capital on their core businesses. In addition, we have expanded our technology and

wealth management solutions to support trust departments at such institutions, which enables them to more efficiently manage their assets.

A subset of our advisors provides advice and serves group retirement plans primarily for small and mid-size businesses. These approximately 1,500 advisors serve over 20,800 retirement plans representing $60.6 billion in retirement plan assets custodied at various custodians. LPL Financial provides these advisors with marketing tools and technology capabilities, which are designed for retirement solutions.

We also provide support to approximately 4,500 additional financial advisors who are affiliated and licensed with insurance companies. These arrangements allow us to provide outsourced customized clearing, advisory platforms and technology solutions that enable the financial advisors at these insurance companies to offer a breadth of services to their client base in an efficient manner.

Through our subsidiary Fortigent, we provide unique solutions and consulting services aimed to assist RIAs, banks and trust companies serving high-net-worth clients by providing them with sophisticated investment advice and helping them build their wealth management practices.

Our Value Proposition

The core of our business is dedicated to meeting the evolving needs of our advisors and providing the platform and tools to grow and enhance the profitability of their businesses. Our Service Value Commitment expresses our dedication to continuous improvement in the processes, systems and resources we leverage to meet these needs. In February 2013, we announced the next phase of evolution of our Service Value Commitment, which is designed to create a better service experience for our advisors, evolve our operating model to simplify processes and enhance our ability to invest in areas that are differentiators for our business by lowering our costs in areas where work can be performed more effectively by outsourcing partners specializing in this work.

We support our advisors by providing front-, middle- and back-office solutions through the four pillars of our distinct value proposition: integrated technology solutions, comprehensive clearing and compliance services, practice management programs and training and independent research. The comprehensive and automated nature of our offering enables our advisors to focus on their clients while successfully and efficiently managing the complexities of running their own practice.

Integrated Technology Solutions

We provide our technology and service to advisors through BranchNet, our proprietary, integrated technology platform that is server-based and web-accessible. Using the BranchNet workstation as their core technology platform, our advisors can effectively manage all critical aspects of their businesses while remaining highly efficient and responsive to their clients’ needs. Time-consuming processes, such as account opening and management, document imaging, transaction execution, and account rebalancing, are automated to improve efficiency and accuracy. We believe BranchNet allows our advisors to transact and monitor their business more efficiently, lowering operating costs for their business.

Through BranchNet, our advisors have direct access to a fully integrated array of tools and support systems, including:

In addition to the account management capabilities of BranchNet, our Resource Center, which is embedded within BranchNet, provides advisors with access to our research, training, compliance and support services, as well as the ability to review products and develop marketing materials, including:

Many advisors also subscribe to premium features, such as performance reporting, financial planning and customized websites. Select third-party resources have been integrated into our technology software, which

enables seamless access to important tools, broadens our range of offerings and reduces duplicate operational functions. Once on BranchNet, advisors have the ability to choose which services suit their business plan, purchasing only the services that they believe are needed to grow their business.

Comprehensive Clearing and Compliance Services

We custody and clear the majority of our advisors’ transactions, providing a simplified and streamlined advisor experience and expedited processing capabilities. Our self-clearing platform enables us to better control client data, more efficiently process and report trades, facilitate platform development, reduce costs and ultimately enhance the service experience for our advisors and their clients. Our self-clearing platform also enables us to serve a wider range of advisors, including Independent RIAs.

Because we are self-clearing, we can address all facets of securities transaction processing, including:

All of these services are backed by our service center and operations organizations focused on providing timely, accurate and consistent support. Our employees share a passion for maximizing our advisors’ ease of doing business and thereby enhancing their ability to serve their clients. Each employee is highly committed to delivering a level of service unmatched in our competitive space.

Service360, a service paradigm available to the majority of our advisors and Independent RIAs, offers a small team-based approach. This service model emphasizes personal accountability and empowerment within each Service360 team. Service360 currently serves over 9,700 advisors.

We continue to make substantial investments in our compliance function to provide our advisors with a strong framework through which to understand and operate within regulatory guidelines as well as guidelines established by our firm. These investments include hiring and retaining experienced compliance and risk professionals and technology-related expenditures. Our compliance and risk management tools are integrated into our technology platform to further enhance the overall effectiveness and scalability of our control environment. All of this enables us to maintain our long term track-record of strong regulatory compliance, as evidenced by the number of regulatory events reported in Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.'s (“FINRA”) BrokerCheck Reports. 

Our team of approximately 370 risk and compliance employees assist our advisors through:

Practice Management Programs and Training

Our practice management programs are designed to help financial advisors in independent practices and financial institutions, as well as all levels of financial institution leadership, enhance and grow their businesses. Our experience gives us the ability to benchmark the best practices of successful advisors and develop customized recommendations to meet the specific needs of an advisor’s business and market. Because of our scale, we are able to dedicate an experienced group of approximately 190 practice management professionals who counsel our advisors to build and better manage their business and client relationships through one-on-one support as well as group training. In addition, we hold over 110 conferences and group training events around the country annually for the benefit of our advisors. Our practice management and training services include:

Independent Research

We provide our advisors with integrated access to comprehensive research on a broad range of investments and market analysis, including on mutual funds, separate accounts, alternative investments and annuities, asset allocation strategies, financial markets and the economy. We take our research and create packaged, discretionary portfolios, for which we serve as a portfolio manager, that are available through the LPL Financial turnkey advisory asset management platforms. Our research team consists of approximately 35 professionals with an average of 11 years of industry experience providing unbiased and low-conflict advice. Our research operation is designed to empower our advisors to provide their clients with thoughtful advice in a timely manner. Our research team actively works with our product due diligence group to effectively scrutinize the financial products offered through our platform. Our lack of proprietary products or investment banking services helps ensure that our research remains unbiased and objective. A substantial portion of our research is approved by our Marketing Regulatory Review organization for use with clients, allowing our advisors to leverage these materials to help clients understand complex investment topics and make informed decisions.

Our research enables advisors to:

With a focus on performance, service and transparency, our research team utilizes a wide spectrum of available tools to deliver timely perspectives on the ever-changing economic marketplace and products, enabling advisors to help their clients understand and adjust to the latest developments. Through its objective recommendations and portfolio management, the research group helps advisors meet a broad range of investor needs effectively, which in turn allows advisors to focus on their clients and growing their practice.

We also offer independent investment research through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Fortigent. Fortigent's research team consists of approximately 12 dedicated professionals who provide objective advice and guidance on macro-economic analysis, capital markets assumptions, and strategic and tactical asset allocation. Fortigent also provides robust third-party asset manager search, selection and monitoring services for both traditional and alternative strategies across all investment access points (ETFs, mutual funds, separately managed accounts, unified managed accounts and limited partnerships). Fortigent's targeted client base consists of independent advisors (RIAs), banks and trust companies that target primarily taxable high-net-worth investors and families. In addition, Fortigent also provides model management services for both traditional and alternative investment portfolios.

Our Economic Value Proposition

We offer a compelling economic value proposition to independent advisors that is a key factor in our ability to attract and retain advisors and their practices. The independent channels pay advisors a greater share of brokerage commissions and advisory fees than the captive channels — generally 80-90% compared to 30-50%. Through our scale and operating efficiencies, we are able to offer our advisors what we believe to be the highest average payout ratios among the five largest U.S. broker-dealers, ranked by number of advisors, providing us with a significant competitive advantage.

Furthermore, we believe our superior technology and service platforms enable our advisors to operate their practices with a greater focus on generating revenue opportunities and at a lower cost than other independent advisors. As a result, we believe our practice owners earn meaningfully more pre-tax profit than practice owners affiliated with other independent brokerage firms. We attribute this difference in profitability in part to lower fixed costs driven by the need for fewer support staff at our associated practices. Finally, as business owners, our independent financial advisors, unlike captive advisors, also have the opportunity to build equity in their own businesses.

Our Product and Solution Access

We do not manufacture any financial products. Instead, we provide our advisors open architecture access to a broad range of commission, fee-based, cash and money market products and services. Our product due diligence group conducts extensive diligence on substantially all of our product offerings, including annuities, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and alternative investments, including real estate investment trusts. Our platform provides access to over 11,000 financial products, manufactured by over 790 product sponsors. Typically, we enter into arrangements with these product sponsors pursuant to the sponsor’s standard distribution agreement.

The sales and administration of these products are facilitated through BranchNet and our Resource Center, which together allow our advisors to access client accounts, product information, asset allocation models, investment recommendations, and economic insight as well as to perform trade execution.

The following table presents a breakdown of the assets of advisors to whom we provide advisory and brokerage services as of December 31, 2013 (dollars in billions):

Advisors with Independent RIA firms have the ability to conduct investment advisory business using our platform and tools, and carry a brokerage license with LPL Financial to support brokerage accounts as well.

Of the $151.6 billion of advisory assets under custody, $113.6 billion are mutual funds. Brokerage sales of financial products were over $29 billion, including over $11 billion in mutual funds and $18 billion in annuities. This sales volume is illustrative of our scale and significant distribution capabilities, as we can offer leading products and services with attractive economics to our advisors.

Commission-Based Products

Commission-based products are those for which we and our advisors receive an upfront commission and, for certain products, a trailing commission. Our brokerage offerings include variable and fixed annuities, mutual funds, equities, alternative investments such as non-traded real estate investment trusts and business development companies, retirement and 529 education savings plans, fixed income and insurance. Our insurance offering is provided through LPL Insurance Associates, Inc. (“LPLIA”), a brokerage general agency which provides personalized advance case design, point-of-sale service and product support for a broad range of life, disability and long-term care products. As of December 31, 2013 , the total assets in our commission-based products were $286.8 billion .

Fee-Based Advisory Platforms and Support

We have been an innovator in fee-based advisory solutions since the introduction of our Strategic Asset Management platform in 1991. Today, LPL Financial has five fee-based advisory platforms that provide centrally managed or customized solutions from which advisors can choose to meet the investment needs of their mass affluent and high-net-worth clients. The fee structure aligns the interests of our advisors with their clients, while establishing a recurring revenue stream for the advisor and for us. Our fee-based platforms provide access to no-load/load-waived mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, stocks, bonds, conservative option strategies, unit investment trusts and institutional money managers and no-load multi-manager variable annuities. As of December 31, 2013 , the total assets under custody in these platforms were $151.6 billion .

Cash Sweep Programs

We assist our advisors in managing their clients’ cash balances through two primary cash sweep programs depending on account type: a money market sweep vehicle involving money market fund providers and an insured bank deposit sweep vehicle. Our insured bank deposit sweep vehicle allocates client cash balances across multiple non-affiliated banks to provide advisors with up to $1.5 million ($3.0 million joint) of insurance through the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). As of December 31, 2013 , the total assets in our cash sweep programs, which are held within brokerage and advisory accounts, were approximately $24.9 billion, with $7.5 billion held in a money market sweep vehicle and $17.4 billion in an insured bank deposit sweep vehicle.

Retirement Services

We offer a retirement solution that is fee-based and which allows qualified advisors to provide consultation and advice to plan sponsors using our corporate RIA. We also offer a retirement solution that provides for commission-based services. Both solutions deliver a comprehensive suite of products and services, which we believe have been instrumental in gaining new and larger retirement plan business. In 2013, we launched our Worksite Financial Solutions platform, which furnishes our advisors with the ability to serve Individual Retirement Account ("IRA") rollovers in an efficient and compliant manner. Our advisors, whether through our corporate RIA or through their own independent RIA, serve over 20,800 retirement plans representing $60.6 billion in retirement plan assets, which are custodied with various custodians. These retirement plan assets are custodied with 30 third-party providers of retirement plan administrative services who provide us with reporting feeds. There are additional retirement plan assets supported by our advisors, custodied with third party providers who do not provide reporting feeds to us, and we estimate the total assets in retirement plans (including such additional assets) served by our advisors to be between $95.0 billion and $105.0 billion . The retirement assets are not included in our reported brokerage and advisory assets.

Other Services

We provide a number of tools and services that enable advisors to maintain and grow their practices. Through our subsidiary, PTC, we provide administrative and custodial services to trusts for estates and families. Under our unique model, an advisor may provide the trust with investment management services. Administrative services for the trust are provided by PTC. We also provide open architecture investment management solutions to trust departments of financial institutions through LPL Financial's Concord Trust and Wealth Solutions division ("Concord"). At December 31, 2013 , Concord supported $10.6 billion in trust assets for 29 institutions.

In addition, we are a leading provider of solutions and consulting services to registered investment advisors, banks and trust companies that serve high-net-worth clients through Fortigent. At December 31, 2013 , $73.9 billion of assets were supported by Fortigent. The assets supported by Concord and Fortigent are not custodied by LPL Financial and are therefore not included in our reported brokerage and advisory assets.

Our Financial Model

Our financial model has inherent resilience, and our overall financial performance is a function of the following dynamics of our business:

• The majority of our revenue base is recurring in nature, with approximately 65% recurring revenue in 2013 .

(1) Transaction and fee revenues include individual advisor and account fees.

The combination of our ability to reinvest in our business and maintain highly competitive payout ratios has enabled us to attract and retain advisors. This, in turn, has driven our growth and led to a continuous cycle of reinvestment that reinforces our established scale advantage.

Our Sources of Growth

We expect to increase our revenue and profitability by benefiting from favorable industry trends and by executing strategies to accelerate our growth beyond that of the broader markets in which we operate.

Favorable Industry Trends

(1) The 18,513 advisors classified as dually registered RIAs are advisors who are both licensed through independent broker-dealers and registered as investment advisors. Including the 18,513 dually registered advisors, advisors in the Independent Broker-Dealer channel represent 31.6% of the advisor population. Including the 18,513 dually registered advisors, advisors in the RIA channel represent 15.0% of the advisor population.

Competition

We believe we offer a unique and dedicated value proposition to independent financial advisors and financial institutions. This value proposition is built upon the delivery of our services through our scale, independence and integrated technology, the sum of which we believe is not replicated in the industry. As a result we believe that we do not have any direct competitors that offer our unique business model. For example, because we do not have any proprietary manufacturing products, we do not view firms that manufacture asset management products and other financial products as direct competitors.

We compete to attract and retain experienced and productive advisors with a variety of financial firms. Within the independent channel, the industry is highly fragmented, comprised primarily of small regional firms that rely on third-party custodians and technology providers to support their operations. The captive wirehouse channel tends to consist of large nationwide firms with multiple lines of business that have a focus on the highly competitive high-net-worth investor market. Competitors in this channel include Morgan Stanley; Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner, & Smith Incorporated; UBS Financial Services Inc.; and Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC. Competition for advisors also includes regional firms, such as Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P. and Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. RIAs, who are licensed directly with the SEC and not through a broker-dealer, choose third-party firms to provide custodial services. Competitors in this space include Charles Schwab & Co., Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC and TD Ameritrade.

Those competitors that do not offer a complete clearing solution for advisors are frequently supported by third-party clearing and custody oriented firms. Pershing LLC, a subsidiary of Bank of New York Mellon, National Financial Services LLC, a subsidiary of Fidelity Investments, and J.P. Morgan Clearing Corp., a subsidiary of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., offer custodial services and technology solutions to independent firms and RIAs who are not self-clearing. These clearing firms and their affiliates and other providers also offer an array of service, technology and reporting tools. Albridge Solutions, a subsidiary of Bank of New York Mellon, Advent Software, Inc., Envestnet, Inc., and Morningstar, Inc., provide an array of research, analytics and reporting solutions.

Our advisors compete for clients with financial advisors of brokerage firms, banks, insurance companies, asset management and investment advisory firms. In addition, they also compete with a number of firms offering direct to investor on-line financial services and discount brokerage services, such as Charles Schwab & Co. and Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC.

Employees

As of December 31, 2013 , we had 3,185 full-time employees. None of our employees are subject to collective bargaining agreements governing their employment with us. Our continued growth is dependent, in part, on our ability to recruit and retain talented employees. That is why we strive to provide an environment conducive to learning, growth, satisfaction and achievement. We offer ongoing learning opportunities and programs that empower employees to drive their development and careers. Our work environment provides employees with opportunities to collaborate and share their knowledge and insights with peers, managers and stakeholders. Through these initiatives, we work to help all employees to be engaged and empowered.

Our Corporate Structure

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. is the parent company of our collective businesses. Our broker-dealer subsidiary, LPL Financial, was formed in 1989. In 2005, investment funds affiliated with TPG Global, LLC ("TPG Capital") and Hellman & Friedman LLC ("H&F") acquired a majority ownership stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc., with the remaining interest owned primarily by our founders, senior management and advisors. In 2013, investment funds affiliated with H&F effected distributions of shares of our common stock to their respective partners and no longer own shares of our common stock. At December 31, 2013, investment funds affiliated with TPG Capital owned approximately 17% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. Following the February 2014 repurchase of shares by us from TPG Capital and TPG Capital's simultaneous sale of shares to a private investor, TPG Capital owned approximately 13% of the outstanding shares of our common stock.

In recent years we have grown our business through a number of opportunistic acquisitions. We strengthened our position as a leading independent broker-dealer through our 2007 acquisition of Pacific Select Group, LLC (renamed LPL Independent Advisor Services Group, LLC) and its wholly owned subsidiaries: Mutual Service Corporation (“MSC”), Associated Financial Group, Inc. (“AFG”), Associated Securities Corp. (“Associated”), Associated Planners Investment Advisory, Inc. (“APIA”) and Waterstone Financial Group, Inc. (“WFG,” and together with MSC, AFG, Associated, and APIA, the “Affiliated Entities”). In 2009, we consolidated the operations of the Affiliated Entities with those of LPL Financial. The consolidation involved the transfer of securities licenses of certain registered representatives associated with the Affiliated Entities and their client accounts. Following the completion of these transfer activities, the registered representatives and client accounts that transferred became associated with LPL Financial.

Our acquisitions of UVEST Financial Services Group, Inc. (“UVEST”), and IFMG Securities, Inc., Independent Financial Marketing Group, Inc. and LSC Insurance Agency of Arizona, Inc. (collectively “IFMG”) further expanded our reach in offering financial services through banks, savings and loan institutions and credit unions nationwide. In March 2011, we committed to a corporate restructuring plan to enhance our service offering, while generating efficiencies by consolidating the operations of UVEST with those of LPL Financial (See Item 7 — “Management’s Discussion and Analysis” for further discussion).

Our acquisition of certain assets of National Retirement Partners, Inc. (“NRP”) in February 2011 enhanced our capabilities in the group retirement space. Our NRP advisors expanded our base of advisors who offer retirement products, consulting and investment services to retirement plan sponsors and plan participants as well as comprehensive financial services to plan participants. In June 2011, we acquired Concord Capital Partners, Inc. ("CCP") and its subsidiaries, which provided technology and open architecture investment management solutions for trust departments of financial institutions. Through this acquisition, we sought the ability to support both the brokerage and trust business lines of current and prospective financial institutions. In April 2012, we acquired all of the outstanding common stock of Fortigent. Fortigent provides high-net-worth solutions and consulting services to registered investment advisors, banks, and trust companies. This strategic acquisition has further enhanced our capabilities and offers an extension of our existing services for wealth management advisors. (See Item 7 — “Management’s Discussion and Analysis” for further discussion of our acquisitions of NRP, CCP and Fortigent.)

Our subsidiary, Independent Advisers Group Corporation (“IAG”), offers an investment advisory solution to insurance companies to support their financial advisors who are licensed with them. Our subsidiary, LPLIA, operates as a brokerage general agency which offers life, long-term care and disability insurance sales and

services. Through our subsidiary PTC, we offer trust administration, investment management oversight and RIA custodial services for estates and families.

Regulation

The financial services industry is subject to extensive regulation by U.S. federal, state, and international government agencies as well as various self-regulatory organizations. We take an active leadership role in the development of the rules and regulations that govern our industry. Given the turmoil in the financial services industry in 2008 and 2009, we anticipate continued heightened scrutiny and significant modifications in these rules and regulations. We strive to be at the forefront of influencing this change. We have also invested heavily, with the benefit of our scale, in our compliance functions to monitor our adherence to the numerous legal and regulatory requirements applicable to our business.

Broker-Dealer Regulation

LPL Financial is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC, a member of FINRA and various other self-regulatory organizations and a participant in various clearing organizations including the Depository Trust Company, the National Securities Clearing Corporation and the Options Clearing Corporation. LPL Financial is registered as a broker-dealer in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Broker-dealers are subject to rules and regulations covering all aspects of the securities business, including sales and trading practices, public offerings, publication of research reports, use and safekeeping of clients’ funds and securities, capital adequacy, recordkeeping and reporting, and the conduct of directors, officers and employees. Broker-dealers are also regulated by state securities administrators in those jurisdictions where they do business. Compliance with many of the rules and regulations applicable to us involves a number of risks because rules and regulations are subject to varying interpretations, among other reasons. Regulators make periodic examinations and review annual, monthly and other reports on our operations, track record and financial condition. Violations of rules and regulations governing a broker-dealer’s actions could result in censure, penalties and fines, the issuance of cease-and-desist orders, the suspension or expulsion from the securities industry of such broker-dealer, its financial advisor(s) or its officers or employees, or other similar adverse consequences. The rules of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, which are enforced by the SEC and FINRA, apply to the municipal securities activities of LPL Financial.

Our margin lending is regulated by the Federal Reserve Board’s restrictions on lending in connection with client purchases and short sales of securities, and FINRA rules also require our subsidiaries to impose maintenance requirements based on the value of securities contained in margin accounts. In many cases, our margin policies are more stringent than these rules.

Significant new rules and regulations continue to arise as a result of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), which was enacted in July 2010. Provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act that may impact our business include, but are not limited to, the potential implementation of a more stringent fiduciary standard for broker-dealers and the potential establishment of a new self-regulatory organization for investment advisors. Compliance with these provisions is likely to result in increased costs. Moreover, to the extent the Dodd-Frank Act impacts the operations, financial condition, liquidity and capital requirements of financial institutions with whom we do business, those institutions may seek to pass on increased costs, reduce their capacity to transact, or otherwise present inefficiencies in their interactions with us. The ultimate impact that the Dodd-Frank Act will have on us, the financial industry and the economy cannot be known until all such applicable regulations called for under the Dodd-Frank Act have been finalized and implemented.

Investment Adviser Regulation

As investment advisers registered with the SEC, our subsidiaries LPL Financial, IAG and Fortigent, LLC are subject to the requirements of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the "Advisers Act"), and the regulations promulgated thereunder, including examination by the SEC’s staff. Such requirements relate to, among other things, fiduciary duties to clients, performance 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 is authorized to institute proceedings and impose sanctions for violations of the Advisers Act, ranging from fines and censure to termination of an investment adviser’s registration. Investment advisers 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 consequences.

Retirement Plan Services Regulation

Certain of our subsidiaries, including LPL Financial, Fortigent, PTC, IAG and LPLIA, are subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA") or Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code (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 penalty 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), which includes individual retirement accounts and Keogh plans) and service providers, including fiduciaries, to such plans. Section 4975 imposes excise taxes for violations of these prohibitions.

Commodities and Futures Regulation

LPL Financial is licensed as a futures commission merchant (“FCM”) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member of the National Futures Association (“NFA”). Although licensed as an FCM, LPL Financial clears commodities and futures products through ADM Investor Services International Limited (“ADM”), and all commodities accounts and related client positions are held by ADM. LPL Financial is regulated by the CFTC and NFA. Violations of the rules of the CFTC and the NFA could result in remedial actions including fines, registration terminations or revocations of exchange memberships.

Trust Regulation

Through our subsidiary, PTC, we offer trust, investment management oversight and custodial services for estates and families. PTC is chartered as a non-depository national banking association. As a limited purpose national bank, PTC is regulated and regularly examined by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”). PTC files reports with the OCC within 30 days after the conclusion of each calendar quarter. Because the powers of PTC are limited to providing fiduciary services and investment advice, it does not have the power or authority to accept deposits or make loans. For this reason, trust assets under PTC’s management are not insured by the FDIC.

Because of its limited purpose, PTC is not a “bank” as defined under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956. Consequently, neither its immediate parent, PTC Holdings, Inc., nor its ultimate parent, LPLFH, is regulated by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as a bank holding company. However, PTC is subject to regulation by the OCC and to various laws and regulations enforced by the OCC, such as capital adequacy, change of control restrictions and regulations governing fiduciary duties, conflicts of interest, self-dealing and anti-money laundering. For example, the Change in Bank Control Act, as implemented by OCC supervisory policy, imposes restrictions on parties who wish to acquire a controlling interest in a limited purpose national bank such as PTC or the holding company of a limited purpose national bank such as LPL Financial Holdings Inc. In general, an acquisition of 10% or more of our common stock, or another acquisition of “control” as defined in OCC regulations, may require OCC approval. These laws and regulations are designed to serve specific bank regulatory and supervisory purposes and are not meant for the protection of PTC, LPL Financial or its stockholders.

Regulatory Capital

The SEC, FINRA, CFTC and the NFA have stringent rules and regulations with respect to the maintenance of specific levels of net capital by regulated entities. Generally, a broker-dealer’s net capital is calculated as net worth plus qualified subordinated debt less deductions for certain types of assets. The net capital rule under the Exchange Act requires that at least a minimum part of a broker-dealer’s assets be maintained in a relatively liquid form. LPL Financial is also subject to the NFA ' s financial requirements and is required to maintain net capital that is in excess of or equal to the greatest of the NFA's minimum financial requirements. Currently the greatest NFA requirement is the minimum net capital calculated pursuant to the SEC ' s Uniform Net Capital Rule.

The SEC, FINRA, CFTC and NFA impose rules that require notification when net capital falls below certain predefined criteria. These broker-dealer capital rules also dictate the ratio of debt to equity in regulatory capital composition, and constrain the ability of a broker-dealer to expand its business under certain circumstances. If a broker-dealer fails to maintain the required net capital, it may be subject to suspension or revocation of registration by the applicable regulatory agency, and suspension or expulsion by these regulators ultimately could lead to the

broker-dealer’s liquidation. Additionally, the net capital rule and certain FINRA rules impose requirements that may have the effect of prohibiting a broker-dealer from distributing or withdrawing capital, and that require prior notice to the SEC and FINRA for certain capital withdrawals. LPL Financial, which is subject to net capital rules has been, and currently is, in compliance with those rules and has net capital in excess of the minimum requirements.

Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions Compliance

The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 (the “PATRIOT Act”) contains anti-money laundering and financial transparency laws and mandates the implementation of various regulations applicable to broker-dealers, FCMs and other financial services companies. Financial institutions subject to the PATRIOT Act generally must have anti-money laundering procedures in place, monitor for and report suspicious activity, implement specialized employee training programs, designate an anti-money laundering compliance officer and are audited periodically by an independent party to test the effectiveness of compliance. In addition, sanctions administered by the U.S. Office of Foreign Asset Control prohibit U.S. persons from doing business with blocked persons and entities. We have established policies, procedures and systems designed to comply with these regulations.

Privacy

Regulatory activity in the areas of privacy and data protection continues to grow worldwide and is generally being driven 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 these global, federal, and state information-related laws and regulations, including, for example, those in the United States, such as the 1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, SEC Regulation S-P and the Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1970, as amended.

Financial Information about Geographic Areas

Our revenues for the periods presented were derived from our operations in the United States.

Trademarks

Access Alts ^® , Access Overlay ^® , BranchNet ^® , Circle Wave Design logo, DO IT SMARTER ^® , Fortigent ^® , Integrated Advisory Services ^® , LPL ^® , LPL Career Match ^® , LPL Financial ^® , the LPL Financial logo, LPL Partners Program ^® , Manager Access Network ^® , Manager Access Select ^® , OMP ^® , National Retirement Partners ^® , NRP National Retirement Partners ^® , the NRP National Retirement Partners logo, Vista Active Portfolio Solutions ^® , and Veritat Advisors ^® are our registered trademarks.

Item 1A.   Risk Factors

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We depend on our ability to attract and retain experienced and productive advisors.

We derive a large portion of our revenues from commissions and fees generated by our advisors. Our ability to attract and retain experienced and productive advisors has contributed significantly to our growth and success, and our strategic plan is premised upon continued growth in the number of our advisors. If we fail to attract new advisors or to retain and motivate our current advisors, replace our advisors who retire, or assist our retiring advisors with transitioning their practices to existing advisors, or if advisor migration away from wirehouses and to independent channels decreases or slows, our business may suffer.

The market for experienced and 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. If we are not successful in retaining highly qualified advisors, we may not be able to recover the expense involved in attracting and training these individuals. 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.

Our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by market fluctuations and other economic factors.

Significant downturns and volatility in equity and other financial markets have had and could continue to have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

General economic and market factors can affect our commission and fee revenue. For example, a decrease in market levels can:

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 may result in 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.

In addition, because certain of our expenses are fixed, our ability to reduce them over short periods of time is limited, which could negatively impact our profitability.

Significant interest rate changes could affect our profitability and financial condition.

Our revenues are exposed to interest rate risk primarily from changes in fees payable to us from banks participating in our cash sweep programs, which are based on prevailing interest rates. In the current low interest rate environment, our revenue from our cash sweep programs has declined, and our revenue may decline further due to the expiration of contracts with favorable pricing terms, less favorable terms in future contracts with participants in our cash sweep programs, decreases in interest rates or clients moving assets out of our cash sweep programs. We may also be limited in the amount we can reduce interest rates payable to clients in our cash sweep programs and still offer a competitive return. A sustained low interest rate environment may have a negative impact upon our ability to negotiate contracts with new banks or renegotiate existing contracts on comparable terms with banks participating in our cash sweep programs.

Lack of liquidity or access to capital could impair our business and financial condition.

Liquidity, or ready access to funds, is essential to our business. We expend significant resources investing in our business, particularly with respect to our technology and service platforms. In addition, we must maintain certain levels of required capital. As a result, reduced levels of liquidity could have a significant negative effect on us. Some potential conditions that could negatively affect our liquidity include:

The capital and credit markets continue to experience varying degrees of volatility and disruption. In some cases, the markets have exerted downward pressure on availability of liquidity and credit capacity for businesses

similar to ours. Without sufficient liquidity, we could be required to curtail our operations, and our business would suffer.

Notwithstanding the self-funding nature of our operations, we may sometimes be required to fund timing differences arising from the delayed receipt of client funds associated with the settlement of client transactions in securities markets. These timing differences are funded either with internally generated cash flow or, if needed, with funds drawn under our revolving credit facility, or uncommitted lines of credit at our broker-dealer subsidiary LPL Financial.

In the event current resources are insufficient to satisfy our needs, we may need to rely on financing sources such as bank debt. The availability of additional financing will depend on a variety of factors such as

Disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the capital and credit markets may also limit our access to capital required to operate our business. Such market conditions may limit our ability to satisfy statutory capital requirements, generate commission, fee and other market-related revenue to meet liquidity needs and access the capital necessary to grow our business. As such, we may be forced to delay raising capital, issue different types of capital than we would otherwise, less effectively deploy such capital or bear an unattractive cost of capital, which could decrease our profitability and significantly reduce our financial flexibility.

If there is a default under the derivative instruments we use to hedge our foreign currency risk default, we may be exposed to risks we had sought to mitigate.

We, from time to time, use derivative instruments to hedge our foreign currency ris k. In particular, our agreement with a third-party service provider, in connection with our Service Value Commitment, provides for an annual adjustment of the currency exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Indian rupee. We bear the risk of currency movement at each annual reset date, and the reset rate then applies for the subsequent 12-month period. To mitigate foreign currency risk arising from such annual adjustments, we use derivative financial instruments consisting solely of non-deliverable foreign currency contracts. However, if e ither we or our counterparties fail to honor our respective obligations under such derivative instruments, we could be subject to the risk of loss and our hedges of the foreign currency risk will be ineffective. That failure could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows that could be material.

A loss of our marketing relationships with manufacturers of financial products could harm our relationship with our advisors and, in turn, their clients.

We operate on an open-architecture product platform offering no proprietary financial products. To help our advisors meet their clients’ needs with suitable investment options, we have relationships with most of the industry-leading providers of financial and insurance products. We have sponsorship agreements with some manufacturers of fixed and variable annuities and mutual funds that, subject to the survival of certain terms and conditions, may be terminated by the manufacturer upon notice. If we lose our relationships with one or more of these manufacturers, our ability to serve our advisors and, in turn, their clients, and our business may be materially adversely affected. As an example, recently certain variable annuity product sponsors have ceased offering and issuing new variable annuity contracts. If this trend continues, we could experience a loss in the revenue currently generated from the sale of such products. In addition, certain features of such contracts have been eliminated by variable annuity

product sponsors. If this trend continues, the attractiveness of these products would be reduced, potentially reducing the revenue we currently generate from the sale of such products

Our business could be materially adversely affected as a result of the risks associated with acquisitions and investments.

 

We have made acquisitions and investments in the past and may pursue further acquisitions and investments in the future. These transactions are accompanied by risks. For instance, an acquisition could have a negative effect on our financial and strategic position and reputation or the acquired business could fail to further our strategic goals. Moreover, we may not be able to successfully integrate acquired businesses into ours, and therefore we may not be able to realize the intended benefits from an acquisition. We may have a lack of experience in new markets, products or technologies brought on by the acquisition and we may have an initial dependence on unfamiliar supply or distribution partners. An acquisition may create an impairment of relationships with customers or suppliers of the acquired business or our advisors or suppliers. For example, we acquired Fortigent in 2012, and we cannot guarantee that we will be successful in integrating the high net worth business into our existing offerings. All of these and other potential risks may serve as a diversion of our management's attention from other business concerns, and any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Risks Related to Our Regulatory Environment

Regulatory developments and our failure to comply with regulations could adversely affect our business by increasing our costs and exposure to litigation, affecting our reputation and making our business less profitable.

Our business is subject to extensive U.S. regulation and supervision, including securities and investment advisory services. The securities industry in the United States is subject to extensive regulation under both federal and state laws. Our broker-dealer subsidiary, LPL Financial, is:

Much of the regulation of broker-dealers has been delegated to self-regulatory organizations (“SROs”). The primary regulators of LPL Financial are FINRA, and for municipal securities, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (“MSRB”). The CFTC has designated the National Futures Association ("NFA") as LPL Financial’s primary regulator for futures and commodities trading activities.

The SEC, FINRA, CFTC, OCC, various securities and futures exchanges and other U.S. governmental or regulatory authorities continuously review legislative and regulatory initiatives and may adopt new or revised laws and regulations. There can also be no assurance that other federal or state agencies will not attempt to further regulate our business. These legislative and regulatory initiatives may affect the way in which we conduct our business and may make our business model less profitable.

Our ability to conduct business in the jurisdictions in which we currently operate depends on our compliance with the laws, rules and regulations promulgated by federal regulatory bodies and the regulatory authorities in each of the states and other jurisdictions in which we do business. Our ability to comply with all applicable 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 policies and procedures reasonably designed to comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations, these systems and procedures may not be fully effective, and there can be no assurance that

regulators or third parties will not raise material issues with respect to our past or future compliance with applicable regulations.

Our profitability could also be affected by rules and regulations that impact the business and financial communities generally and, in particular, our advisors’ and their clients, including changes to the interpretation or enforcement of laws governing taxation (including the classification of independent contractor status of our advisors), electronic commerce, privacy and data protection. For instance, failure to comply with new rules and regulations, including in particular, rules and regulations that may arise pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act, could subject us to regulatory actions or litigation and it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition. Provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act that may impact our business include, but are not limited to, the potential implementation of a more stringent fiduciary standard for broker-dealers and the potential establishment of a new self-regulatory organization for investment advisors. Compliance with these provisions would likely result in increased costs. Moreover, to the extent the Dodd-Frank Act impacts the operations, financial condition, liquidity and capital requirements of financial institutions with which we do business, those institutions may seek to pass on increased costs, reduce their capacity to transact, or otherwise present inefficiencies in their interactions with us. The ultimate impact that the Dodd-Frank Act will have on us, the financial industry and the economy cannot be known until all such applicable and regulations called for under the Dodd-Frank Act have been finalized and implemented.

In addition to Dodd-Frank Act rule promulgation, other proposals are currently under consideration by federal banking regulators that may have an impact upon our profitability. Global regulators are engaged in ongoing efforts to build upon the Basel capital accords, which set new capital and liquidity standards for global banking institutions (“Basel III”). Basel III is designed to strengthen bank capital requirements and introduce new regulatory requirements on bank liquidity. In October 2013, U.S. banking regulators issued a final rule implementing Basel III in the U.S. In November 2013, U.S. banking regulators issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to implement Basel III liquidity standards in the U.S. These new rules and proposals could negatively impact the attractiveness of cash deposits to banks who participate in our cash sweep programs, making it more difficult for us to renew existing contracts and negotiate new arrangements.

In addition, new rules and regulations could result in limitations on the lines of business we conduct, modifications to our business practices, increased capital requirements or additional costs. For example, the U.S. Department of Labor has stated that it plans to re-propose a rule that, if re-proposed and adopted as previously proposed, would broaden the circumstances under which we may be considered a “fiduciary” under Section 3(21) of ERISA and would impact the compensation we receive for retirement accounts.

We are subject to various regulatory requirements, which, if not complied with, could result in the restriction of the ongoing conduct or growth, or even liquidation of, parts of our business.

The business activities that we may conduct are limited by various regulatory agencies. Our membership agreement with FINRA may be amended by application to include additional business activities. This application process is time-consuming and may not be successful. As a result, we may be prevented from entering new potentially profitable businesses in a timely manner, or at all. In addition, as a member of FINRA, we are subject to certain regulations regarding changes in control of our ownership. Rule 1017 of the National Association of Securities Dealers generally provides, among other things, that FINRA approval must be obtained in connection with any transaction resulting in a change in our equity ownership that results in one person or entity directly or indirectly owning or controlling 25% or more of our equity capital. Similarly, the OCC imposes advance approval requirements for a change of control, and control is presumed to exist if a person acquires 10% or more of our common stock. These regulatory approval processes can result in delay, increased costs or impose additional transaction terms in connection with a proposed change of control, such as capital contributions to the regulated entity. As a result of these regulations, our future efforts to sell shares or raise additional capital may be delayed or prohibited.

In addition, the SEC, FINRA, CFTC, OCC and NFA have extensive rules and regulations with respect to capital requirements. As a registered broker-dealer, LPL Financial is subject to Rule 15c3-1 (“Uniform Net Capital Rule”) under the Exchange Act, and related SRO requirements. The CFTC and NFA also impose net capital requirements. The Uniform Net Capital Rule specifies minimum capital requirements that are intended to ensure the general soundness and liquidity of broker-dealers. Because our holding companies are not registered broker-dealers, they are not subject to the Uniform Net Capital Rule. However, the ability of our holding companies to withdraw capital from our broker-dealer subsidiary could be restricted, which in turn could limit our ability to repay

debt, redeem or purchase shares of our outstanding stock or pay dividends. A large operating loss or charge against net capital could adversely affect our ability to expand or even maintain our present levels of business.

Failure to comply with ERISA regulations could result in penalties against us.

We are subject to ERISA and Sections 4975(c)(1)(A), (B), (C) and (D) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), and to regulations promulgated thereunder, insofar as we act as a “fiduciary” under ERISA with respect to benefit plan clients or otherwise deal with benefit plan clients. ERISA and applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code impose duties on persons who are fiduciaries under ERISA, prohibit specified transactions involving ERISA plan clients (including, without limitation, employee benefit plans (as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA), individual retirement accounts and Keogh plans) and impose monetary penalties for violations of these prohibitions. Our failure to comply with these requirements could result in significant penalties against us that could have a material adverse effect on our business (or, in a worst case, severely limit the extent to which we could act as fiduciaries for any plans under ERISA).

Risks Related to Our Competition

We operate in an intensely competitive industry, which could cause us to lose advisors and their assets, thereby reducing our revenues and net income.

We are subject to competition in all aspects of our business, including competition for our advisors and their clients, from:

Many of our competitors have substantially greater resources than we do and may offer a broader range of services, including financial products, across more markets. Some operate in a different regulatory environment than we do, which may give them certain competitive advantages in the services they offer. For example, certain of our competitors only provide clearing services and consequently would not have any supervision or oversight liability relating to actions of their financial advisors. We believe that competition within our industry will intensify as a result of consolidation and acquisition activity and because new competitors face few barriers to entry, which could adversely affect our ability to recruit new advisors and retain existing advisors.

If we fail to continue to attract highly qualified advisors or advisors licensed with us leave us to pursue other opportunities, or if current or potential clients of our advisors decide to use one of our competitors, we could face a significant decline in market share, commission and fee revenues and net income. If we are required to increase our payout of commissions and fees to our advisors in order to remain competitive, our net income could be significantly reduced.

Poor service or performance of the financial products that we offer or competitive pressures on pricing of such services or products may cause clients of our advisors to withdraw their assets on short notice.

Clients of our advisors control their assets under management with us. Poor service or performance of the financial products that we offer or competitive pressures on pricing of such services or products may result in the loss of accounts. In addition, we must monitor the pricing of our services and financial products in relation to competitors and periodically may need to adjust commission and fee rates, interest rates on deposits and margin loans and other fee structures to remain competitive. Competition from other financial services firms, such as reduced commissions to attract clients or trading volume or higher deposit rates to attract client cash balances, could adversely impact our business. The decrease in revenue that could result from such an event could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We face competition in attracting and retaining key talent.

Our success and future growth depends upon our ability to attract and retain qualified employees. There is significant competition for qualified employees in the broker-dealer industry. We may not be able to retain our existing employees or fill new positions or vacancies created by expansion or turnover. The loss or unavailability of these individuals could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Moreover, our success depends upon the continued services of our key senior management personnel, including our executive officers and senior managers. The loss of one or more of our key senior management personnel, and the failure to recruit a suitable replacement or replacements, could have a material adverse effect on our business. Certain members of our executive team have the contractual ability to terminate their employment within the thirty day period immediately following the twelve month anniversary of a change in control and receive severance payments.

Risks Related to Our Debt

Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial health and may limit our ability to use debt to fund future capital needs.

At December 31, 2013 , we had total indebtedness of $1.5 billion . Our level of indebtedness could increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions. It could also require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes. In addition, our level of indebtedness may limit our flexibility in planning for changes in our business and the industry in which we operate, and limit our ability to borrow additional funds.

Our senior secured credit agreement entered into on March 29, 2012, and amended on May 13, 2013, requires quarterly repayments of one of our term loans. These payments equal approximately $2.7 million per quarter through March 31, 2019. In addition, we have a revolving credit facility under our senior secured credit agreement of $250.0 million. This facility matures on March 29, 2017, and we will be obligated to repay any outstanding balance under this facility at that time. Our ability to make scheduled payments on or to refinance indebtedness obligations depends on our financial condition and operating performance, which are subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business and other factors beyond our control.

We may not be able to maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness. In addition, as discussed above, we are limited in the amount of capital that we can draw from our broker-dealer subsidiary. If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we could face substantial liquidity problems and could be forced to sell assets, seek additional capital or seek to restructure or refinance our indebtedness. These alternative measures may not be successful or feasible. Our senior secured credit agreement restricts our ability to sell assets. Even if we could consummate those sales, the proceeds that we realize from them may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due. Furthermore, if an event of default were to occur with respect to our senior secured credit agreement or other future indebtedness, our creditors could, among other things, accelerate the maturity of our indebtedness.

Our senior secured credit agreement permits us to incur additional indebtedness. Although our senior secured credit agreement contains restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness, these restrictions are subject to a number of significant qualifications and exceptions, and the indebtedness incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. Also, these restrictions do not prevent us from incurring obligations that do not constitute “indebtedness” as defined in our senior secured credit agreement. To the extent new debt or other obligations are added to our currently anticipated debt levels, the substantial indebtedness risks described above would increase.

A credit rating downgrade would not impact the terms of our repayment obligations under our senior secured credit agreement. However, any such downgrade would negatively impact our ability to obtain comparable rates and terms on any future refinancing of our debt and could restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness.

Restrictions under our senior secured credit agreement may prevent us from taking actions that we believe would be in the best interest of our business.

Our senior secured credit agreement contains customary restrictions on our activities, including covenants that may restrict us from:

We are also required to meet specified leverage ratio and interest coverage ratio tests. These restrictions may prevent us from taking actions that we believe would be in the best interest of our business. Our ability to comply with these restrictive covenants will depend on our future performance, which may be affected by events beyond our control. If we violate any of these covenants and are unable to obtain waivers, we would be in default under our senior secured credit agreement and payment of the indebtedness could be accelerated. The acceleration of our indebtedness under our senior secured credit agreement may permit acceleration of indebtedness under other agreements that contain cross-default or cross-acceleration provisions. If our indebtedness is accelerated, we may not be able to repay that indebtedness or borrow sufficient funds to refinance it. Even if we are able to obtain new financing, it may not be on commercially reasonable terms or on terms that are acceptable to us. If our indebtedness is in default for any reason, our business could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, complying with these covenants may also cause us to take actions that are not favorable to holders of our common stock and may make it more difficult for us to successfully execute our business strategy and compete against companies that are not subject to such restrictions.

Provisions of our senior secured credit agreement could discourage an acquisition of us by a third party.

Certain provisions of our senior secured credit agreement could make it more difficult or more expensive for a third party to acquire us, and any of our future debt agreements may contain similar provisions. Upon the occurrence of certain transactions constituting a change of control, all indebtedness under our senior secured credit agreement may be accelerated and become due and payable. A potential acquirer may not have sufficient financial resources to purchase our outstanding indebtedness in connection with a change of control.

Risks Related to Our Technology

We rely on technology in our business, and technology and execution failures could subject us to losses, litigation and regulatory actions.

Our business relies extensively on electronic data processing and communications systems. In addition to better serving our advisors and their clients, the effective use of technology increases efficiency and enables firms like ours to reduce costs and support our regulatory compliance and reporting functions. Our continued success will depend, in part, upon:

Extraordinary trading volumes, beyond reasonably foreseeable spikes in volumes, could cause our computer systems to operate at an unacceptably slow speed or even fail. Failure of our systems, which could result from these or other events beyond our control, or an inability to effectively upgrade those systems or implement new technology-driven products or services, could result in financial losses, unanticipated disruptions in service to clients, liability to our advisors' clients, regulatory sanctions and damage to our reputation.

Our operations rely on the secure processing, storage and transmission of confidential and other information in our computer systems and networks. Although we take protective measures and endeavor to modify them as circumstances warrant, the computer systems, software and networks may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, human error, computer viruses, denial-of-service attacks, or other malicious code and other events that could impact the security, reliability, and availability of our systems. If one or more of these events occur, this could jeopardize our own, our advisors’ or their clients’ or counterparties’ confidential and other information processed, stored in and transmitted through our computer systems and networks, or otherwise cause interruptions or malfunctions in our own, our advisors’ or their clients’, our counterparties’ or third parties’ operations. We may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify our protective measures, to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures or to make required notifications, and we may be subject to litigation, regulatory sanctions and financial losses that are either not insured or are not fully covered through any insurance we maintain.

The securities settlement process exposes us to risks that may expose our advisors and us to adverse movements in price.

LPL Financial, one of our subsidiaries, provides clearing services and trade processing for our advisors and their clients and certain financial institutions. Broker-dealers that clear their own trades are subject to substantially more regulatory requirements than brokers that outsource these functions to third-party providers. Errors in performing clearing functions, including clerical, technological and other errors related to the handling of funds and securities held by us on behalf of our advisors' clients, could lead to censures, fines or other sanctions imposed by applicable regulatory authorities as well as losses and liability in related lawsuits and proceedings brought by our advisors’ clients and others. Any unsettled securities transactions or wrongly executed transactions may expose our advisors and us to adverse movements in the prices of such securities.

Our networks may be vulnerable to security risks.

The secure transmission of confidential information over public networks is a critical element of our operations. As part of our normal operations, we maintain and transmit confidential information about clients of our advisors as well as proprietary information relating to our business operations. Our application service provider systems maintain and process confidential data on behalf of advisors and their clients, some of which is critical to our advisors’ business operations. If our application service provider systems are disrupted or fail for any reason, or if our systems or facilities are infiltrated or damaged by unauthorized persons, our advisors could experience data loss, financial loss, harm to reputation and significant business interruption. In addition, vulnerabilities of our external service providers could pose security risks to client information. If any such disruption or failure occurs, we may be exposed to unexpected liability, advisors' clients may withdraw their assets, our reputation may be tarnished and there could be a material adverse effect on our business.

Our networks may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer viruses and other security problems in the future. We rely on our advisors and employees to comply with our policies and procedures to safeguard confidential data. The failure of our advisors and employees to comply with such policies and procedures could result in the loss or wrongful use of their clients’ confidential information or other sensitive information. In addition, even if we and our advisors comply with our policies and procedures, persons who circumvent security measures could wrongfully use our confidential information or clients’ confidential information or cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations. Such loss or use could, among other things:

Failure to maintain technological capabilities, flaws in existing technology, difficulties in upgrading our technology platform or the introduction of a competitive platform could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We depend on highly specialized and, in many cases, proprietary technology to support our business functions, including among others:

In addition, our continued success depends on our ability to effectively adopt new or adapt existing technologies to meet client, industry and regulatory demands. We might be required to make significant capital expenditures to maintain competitive technology. For example, we believe that our technology platform, particularly our BranchNet system, is one of our competitive strengths, and our future success will depend in part on our ability to anticipate and adapt to technological advancements required to meet the changing demands of our advisors. The emergence of new industry standards and practices could render our existing systems obsolete or uncompetitive. Any upgrades or expansions may require significant expenditures of funds and may also cause us to suffer system degradations, outages and failures. There cannot be any assurance that we will have sufficient funds to adequately update and expand our networks, nor can there be any assurance that any upgrade or expansion attempts will be successful and accepted by our current and prospective advisors. If our technology systems were to fail and we were unable to recover in a timely way, we would be unable to fulfill critical business functions, which could lead to a loss of advisors and could harm our reputation. A technological breakdown could also interfere with our ability to comply with financial reporting and other regulatory requirements, exposing us to disciplinary action and to liability to our advisors and their clients. There cannot be any assurance that another company will not design a similar platform that affects our competitive advantage.

Inadequacy or disruption of our disaster recovery plans and procedures in the event of a catastrophe could adversely affect our business.

We have made a significant investment in our infrastructure, and our operations are dependent on our ability to protect the continuity of our infrastructure against damage from catastrophe or natural disaster, breach of security, loss of power, telecommunications failure or other natural or man-made events. A catastrophic event could have a direct negative impact on us by adversely affecting our advisors, employees or facilities, or an indirect impact on us by adversely affecting the financial markets or the overall economy. While we have implemented business continuity and disaster recovery plans and maintain business interruption insurance, it is impossible to fully anticipate and protect against all potential catastrophes. If our business continuity and disaster recovery plans and procedures were disrupted or unsuccessful in the event of a catastrophe, we could experience a material adverse interruption of our operations.

We rely on outsourced service providers to perform key functions.

We rely on outsourced service providers to perform certain key technology, processing and support functions. For example, we have an agreement with Thomson Reuters BETA Systems, a division of Thomson Reuters, under which they provide us operational support, including data processing services for securities transactions and back office processing support. Our use of third party service providers may decrease our ability to control operating risks and information technology systems risks. Any significant failures by our service providers could cause us to incur losses and could harm our reputation. If we had to change these service providers, we would experience a disruption to our business. Although we believe we have the resources to make such transitions with minimal disruption, we cannot predict the costs and time for such conversions. We cannot provide any assurance that the disruption caused by a change in our service providers would not have a material adverse effect on our business. We have begun transitioning additional business processes to third party service providers in connection with the Service Value Commitment, which increases our reliance on outsourced providers and the related risks described above. To the extent third party service providers are located in foreign jurisdictions, we are exposed to risks inherent in conducting business outside of the United States, including international economic and political conditions, and the additional costs associated with complying with foreign laws and fluctuations in currency values.

Risks Related to Our Business Generally

Any damage to our reputation could harm our business and lead to a loss of revenues and net income.

We have spent many years developing our reputation for integrity and superior client service, which is built upon our four pillars of support for our advisors: enabling technology, comprehensive clearing and compliance services, practice management programs and training, and independent research. Our ability to attract and retain advisors and employees is highly dependent upon external perceptions of our level of service, business practices and financial condition. Damage to our reputation could cause significant harm to our business and prospects and may arise from numerous sources, including:

Negative perceptions or publicity regarding these matters could damage our reputation among existing and potential advisors and employees. Adverse developments with respect to our industry may also, by association, negatively impact our reputation or result in greater regulatory or legislative scrutiny or litigation against us. These occurrences could lead to loss of revenue and net income.

Our business is subject to risks related to litigation, arbitration actions, and governmental and SRO investigations.

We are subject to legal proceedings arising out of our business operations, including lawsuits, arbitration claims, regulatory, governmental or SRO subpoenas, investigations and actions and other claims. Many of our legal

claims are initiated by clients of our advisors and involve the purchase or sale of investment securities, but other claims may be asserted by regulatory authorities.

In our investment advisory programs, we have fiduciary obligations that require us and our advisors to act in the best interests of our advisors ' clients. We may face liabilities for actual or alleged breaches of legal duties to our advisors ' clients, in respect of issues related to the suitability of the financial products we make available in our open architecture product platform or the investment advice of our advisors based on their clients ' investment objectives (including, for example, alternative investments or exchange traded funds). We may also become subject to claims, allegations and legal proceedings that we infringe or misappropriate intellectual property or other proprietary rights of others. In addition, we may be subject to legal proceedings related to employment matters, including wage and hour, discrimination or harassment claims. The outcome of any such actions, including regulatory proceedings, cannot be predicted, and a negative outcome in such a matter could result in substantial legal liability, regulatory fines or monetary penalties, censure, loss of intellectual property rights and injunctive or other equitable relief against us. Further, such outcome may cause us significant reputational harm and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.

Our risk management policies and procedures may not be fully effective in mitigating our risk exposure in all market environments or against all types of risks.

We have adopted policies and procedures to identify, monitor and manage our operational risk. These policies and procedures, however, may not be fully effective. Some of our risk evaluation methods depend upon information provided by others and public information regarding markets, clients or other matters that are otherwise accessible by us. In some cases, however, that information may not be accurate, complete or up-to-date. Also, because our advisors work in decentralized offices, additional risk management challenges may exist. In addition, our existing policies and procedures and staffing levels may be insufficient to support a significant increase in our advisor population; such an increase may require us to increase our costs in order to maintain our compliance obligations and/or put a strain our existing policies and procedures as we evolve to support a larger advisor population. If our policies and procedures are not fully effective or we are not always successful in capturing all risks to which we are or may be exposed, we may suffer harm to our reputation or be subject to litigation or regulatory actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

Misconduct and errors by our employees and our advisors, who operate in a decentralized environment, could harm our business.

Misconduct and errors by our employees and our advisors could result in violations of law by us, regulatory sanctions or serious reputational or financial harm. We cannot always prevent misconduct and errors by our employees and our advisors, and the precautions we take to prevent and detect these activities may not be effective in all cases. Prevention and detection among our advisors, who are not our direct employees and some of whom tend to be located in small, decentralized offices, present additional challenges. There cannot be any assurance that misconduct and errors by our employees and advisors will not lead to a material adverse effect on our business.

Our insurance coverage may be inadequate or expensive.

We are subject to claims in the ordinary course of business. These claims may involve substantial amounts of money and involve significant defense costs. It is not always possible to prevent or detect activities giving rise to claims, and the precautions we take may not be effective in all cases.

We maintain voluntary and required insurance coverage, including, among others, general liability, property, director and officer, excess-SIPC, business interruption, errors and omissions, excess entity errors and omissions and fidelity bond insurance. Recently, premium and deductible costs associated with certain insurance coverages have increased, coverage terms have become more restrictive and the number of insurers has decreased. While we endeavor to purchase coverage that is appropriate to our assessment of our risk, we are unable to predict with certainty the frequency, nature or magnitude of claims for direct or consequential damages. Our business may be negatively affected if in the future our insurance proves to be inadequate or unavailable. In addition, insurance claims may harm our reputation or divert management resources away from operating our business.

Changes in U.S. federal income tax law could make some of the products distributed by our advisors less attractive to clients.

Some of the financial products distributed by our advisors, such as variable annuities, enjoy favorable treatment under current U.S. federal income tax law. Changes in U.S. federal income tax law, in particular with respect to variable annuity products or with respect to tax rates on capital gains or dividends, could make some of these products less attractive to clients and, as a result, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.

We may not realize the benefits we expect from our Service Value Commitment .

On February 5, 2013, we committed to an expansion of our Service Value Commitment, an ongoing effort to position us for sustainable long-term growth by improving the service experience of our financial advisors and delivering efficiencies in our operating model. In connection with our Service Value Commitment, we expected to reposition our labor force, allowing us to focus on our core strengths, and transition select non-advisor-facing functions to a leading global services provider. Our ability to realize the service improvements and efficiencies expected to result from the Service Value Commitment is subject to many risks, and no assurances can be given that we will achieve the expected results.

We may be unable to execute our plans related to the Service Value Commitment, including plans to transform information technology systems and transition business processes to third party service providers, or achieve our projected savings. Our ability to effectively implement our plans within expected costs and realize the expected benefits will depend upon a number of factors, including the finalization of our transition plans; our success in negotiating and developing commercial arrangements with third party service providers that will enable us to realize the service improvements and efficiencies expected to result from the Service Value Commitment; the performance of third party service providers to which we transition business processes; our ability to control operating risks, information technology systems risks and sourcing risks; our success in reinvesting the savings arising from labor repositioning in our service and technology enhancements; time required to complete planned actions; absence of material issues associated with workforce reductions; avoidance of unexpected disruptions in service; and the retention of key employees involved in implementing the initiative. In addition, we may have to incur higher costs than currently anticipated to implement our Service Value Commitment, and the near-term goals of this strategic initiative might not be completed on the current timetable. Finally, our business is dynamic, and we may elect to incur incremental expenses from time to time to grow and better support our business that could partially offset the benefits of this strategic initiative. A failure to implement our plans could have an adverse effect on our financial condition that could be material.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

TPG Capital may have the ability to influence the outcome of matters submitted for stockholder approval and may have interests that differ from those of our other stockholders.

On August 15, 2013, investment funds affiliated with Hellman & Friedman LLC ("H&F") and TPG Global, LLC ("TPG Capital") effected distributions of shares of our common stock to their respective partners. Prior to the distributions these investment funds owned approximately 31% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. Following the distributions, H&F no longer owns shares of our common stock and TPG Capital owned approximately 17% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. Following the February 2014 repurchase of shares by us from TPG Capital, and TPG Capital’s simultaneous sale of shares to a private investor, TPG Capital owned approximately 13% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. So long as investment funds associated with or designated by TPG Capital continue to own a significant amount of the outstanding shares of our common stock, TPG Capital will continue to be able to influence our decisions, regardless of whether or not other stockholders believe that the transaction is in their own best interests.

In addition, TPG Capital and its affiliates are in the business of making investments in companies and may, from time to time in the future, acquire interests in businesses that directly or indirectly compete with certain portions of our business. To the extent TPG Capital invests in such other businesses, TPG Capital may have differing interests than our other stockholders. TPG Capital may also pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us.

The price of our common stock may be volatile and fluctuate substantially, which could result in substantial losses for our investors.

The market price of our common stock is likely to be highly volatile and may fluctuate substantially due to the following factors (in addition to the other risk factors described in this section):

In addition, the stock markets in general have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of the particular companies affected. These broad market and industry factors may materially harm the market price of our common stock irrespective of our operating performance. In addition, in the past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against the affected company. This type of litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources.

We are a holding company and rely on dividends, distributions and other payments, advances and transfers of funds from our subsidiaries to meet our debt service and other obligations.

We have no direct operations and derive all of our cash flow from our subsidiaries. Because we conduct our operations through our subsidiaries, we depend on those entities for dividends and other payments or distributions to meet any existing or future debt service and other obligations. The deterioration of the earnings from, or other available assets of, our subsidiaries for any reason could limit or impair their ability to pay dividends or other distributions to us. In addition, FINRA regulations restrict dividends in excess of 10% of a member firm’s excess net capital without FINRA’s prior approval. Compliance with this regulation may impede our ability to receive dividends from our broker-dealer subsidiary.

Our future abilities to pay regular dividends to holders of our common stock or repurchase shares are subject to the discretion of our board of directors and will be limited by our ability to generate sufficient earnings and cash flows.

On February 10, 2014 , our board of directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.24 per share on our outstanding common stock, payable on March 10, 2014 . In addition, our board of directors from time to time authorizes us to repurchase shares of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares of common stock. The declaration and payment of any future quarterly cash dividend or any additional repurchase authorizations will be subject to the board of directors' continuing determination that the declaration of future dividends or repurchase of

our shares are in the best interests of our stockholders and are in compliance with applicable law. Such determinations will depend upon a number of factors that the board of directors deems relevant, including future earnings, the success of our business activities, capital requirements, the general financial condition and future prospects of our business and general business conditions.

The future payment of dividends or repurchases of shares will also depend on our ability to generate earnings and cash flows. If we are unable to generate sufficient earnings and cash flows from our business, we may not be able to pay dividends on our common stock or repurchase additional shares. In addition, our ability to pay cash dividends on our common stock is dependent on the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends, including compliance with limitations under our senior secured credit agreement. Our broker-dealer subsidiary is subject to requirements of the SEC, FINRA, the CFTC and other regulators relating to liquidity, capital standards and the use of client funds and securities, which may limit funds available for the payment of dividends to us.

Anti-takeover provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could prevent or delay a change in control of our company.

Our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws contain certain provisions that may discourage, delay or prevent a change in our management or control over us that stockholders may consider favorable, including the following:

The existence of the foregoing provisions and anti-takeover measures could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. They could also deter potential acquirers of our company, thereby reducing the likelihood that you could receive a premium for your common stock in the acquisition.

Item 1B.   Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

Item 2.   Properties

Our corporate offices are located in Boston, Massachusetts where we lease approximately 69,000 square feet of space under a lease agreement that expires on June 30, 2023, with two five-year extensions at our option; in San Diego, California where we lease approximately 407,000 square feet of space across seven separate facilities under lease agreements that expire starting on May 31, 2014; in Charlotte, North Carolina where we lease a total of approximately 238,000 square feet of space in two facilities under lease agreements expiring on October 31, 2016 and February 28, 2017.

We entered into a new lease agreement on December 16, 2011, for approximately 420,000 square feet of space in San Diego, California and plan to move our San Diego offices to this location during 2014. We own approximately 4.4 acres of land in San Diego.

We also lease smaller administrative and operational offices in various locations throughout the U.S. We believe that our existing properties are adequate for the current operating requirements of our business and that additional space will be available as needed.

Item 3.   Legal Proceedings

For a discussion of legal proceedings, see Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies, within the notes to consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 4.   Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.