LPL Financial Holdings Inc.: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2025

Overview

LPL serves the financial advisor-mediated marketplace as the nation’s largest independent broker-dealer, a leading investment advisory firm, and a top custodian. We support more than 32,000 financial advisors, and the wealth management practices of approximately 1,200 financial institutions, servicing and custodying approximately $2.4 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets. The firm provides a wide range of advisor affiliation models, investment solutions, fintech tools and practice management services, ensuring that advisors and institutions have the flexibility to choose the business model, services, and technology resources they need to run successful businesses.

We are steadfast in our commitment to the advisor-mediated model and the belief that investors deserve access to personalized guidance from a financial advisor. We believe advisors should have the freedom to choose the business model, services and technology they need to manage their client relationships. We believe investors achieve better outcomes when working with a financial advisor, and we strive to make it easy for advisors to do what is best for their clients.

We believe that we are the only company that offers the unique combination of an integrated technology platform, comprehensive self-clearing services and access to a wide range of curated products all delivered in an environment unencumbered by conflicts from product manufacturing, underwriting and market-making.

LPL Financial Holdings Inc., which is the parent company of our business, was incorporated in Delaware in 2005. The Company’s most significant wholly owned subsidiaries are described below:

• LPL Holdings, Inc. is a direct subsidiary of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. and is an intermediate holding company of our business.
• LPL Financial LLC (“LPL Financial”) is a clearing broker-dealer and an investment adviser that clears and settles customer transactions.
• LPL Enterprise, LLC (“LPL Enterprise”) is a limited product shelf introducing broker-dealer and registered investment adviser that supports a portion of the Company’s institutional services’ clients, providing brokerage and investment advisory services.
• LPL Insurance Associates, Inc. (“LPLIA”) operates as an insurance brokerage general agency that offers life and disability insurance products and services.
• Atria Wealth Solutions, Inc. (“Atria”) is a holding company for the previously registered broker-dealers and investment advisers that the Company acquired in connection with the acquisition of Atria. Atria had seven introducing broker-dealer subsidiaries, which cleared transactions through third-party clearing and carrying firms. The Company completed the conversion of assets from these acquired broker-dealers and investment advisers to the Company’s platform and completed the withdrawal of the related registrations of these entities during the fourth quarter of 2025.
• AW Subsidiary, Inc. is a holding company for Blaze Portfolio Systems LLC (“Blaze”), which provides an advisor-facing trading and portfolio rebalancing platform.
• The Private Trust Company, N.A. (“PTC”) provides trust administration, investment management oversight and Individual Retirement Account (“IRA”) custodial services.
• LPL Employee Services, LLC and its subsidiary, Allen & Company of Florida, LLC (“Allen & Company”), provide primary support for the Company’s employee advisor affiliation model.
• CFN Holding Company, LLC is a holding company for Commonwealth Equity Services, LLC (“CES”), which is a registered broker-dealer and investment adviser that does business as Commonwealth Financial Network. CES is an introducing broker-dealer that clears transactions through a third-party clearing and carrying firm. The Company expects to complete the conversion of assets from CES in the fourth quarter of 2026 and withdraw the related registrations of that entity thereafter.

Our Strategy

At LPL, our vision is to be the best firm in wealth management and achieve our purpose of empowering financial advisors to deliver personalized advice to all who need it. In order to achieve this vision, our strategy is to meet advisors and institutions where they are in the evolution of their businesses, expand the addressable market, provide flexible end-to-end solutions to help advisors differentiate and win investors, create an industry-leading service experience that delights advisors and institutions and their clients, and help advisors and institutions run high-performing businesses.

Our Business

Advisor Relationships

Our business is dedicated exclusively to our advisors; we are not a market-maker nor do we offer investment banking services. We offer no proprietary products of our own, and, as a result, we enable the independent financial advisors and institutions that we support to offer their clients lower-conflict advice.

We work alongside advisors to navigate complex market and regulatory environments and strive to empower them to create the best outcomes for investors. In addition, we make meaningful investments in technology and services to support the growth, productivity and efficiency of advisors across a broad spectrum of business models as their practices evolve. Our advisors are a community of diverse financial services professionals who collectively support approximately 11.6 million client accounts. They build long-term relationships with their clients in communities across the United States by guiding them through the complexities of investment decisions, retirement solutions, financial planning and wealth management. Our services are designed to support the evolution of our advisors’ businesses over time and to adapt as our advisors’ needs change.

The majority of our advisors are independent practitioners who are viewed as local providers of independent advice. Many of our advisors operate under their own business name, with LPL offering assistance with their branding, marketing and promotion and regulatory review. We believe we offer a compelling economic value proposition to independent advisors, which is a key factor in our ability to attract and retain advisors and their practices. Generally, advisors in independent channels receive a greater share of advisory fees and brokerage commissions than advisors in captive channels — typically 80-100% compared to 30-50% for captive channels. Most of our independent financial advisors are business owners who, unlike their captive counterparts, also benefit from building equity value in their own businesses. We also support advisors through our independent employee advisor affiliation model, where they benefit from a full-service employee relationship with us while generally retaining ownership of their client relationships in exchange for a slightly lower payout than our traditional independent model. Furthermore, we believe that our technology and service platforms enable our advisors to operate their practices with a greater focus on serving investors at a lower cost than other independent advisors.

Our more than 32,000 advisors are experienced in the industry, which generally 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 flexible business platform allows our advisors to choose the most appropriate business model to support their clients whether they conduct brokerage business, offer fee-based services using one of our registered investment adviser (“RIA”) platforms, or provide fee-based services through their own RIA.

Advisors licensed with LPL Financial as investment adviser representatives conduct fee-based business on our corporate RIA platform, and advisors licensed with LPL Financial as registered representatives conduct commission-based business on our brokerage platform. In order to be licensed with LPL Financial, advisors must be approved through our assessment process, which includes a review of each advisor’s education, experience and compliance history, among other factors. 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 investment advisory representative or registered representative, that the advisor will sell only products that 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.

LPL Financial also supports approximately 600 independent firms that conduct their business through separate registered investment advisors (“Independent RIAs”), with approximately 6,240 advisors who conduct their advisory business through these separate entities. Independent RIAs operate pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), or their respective states’ investment advisory licensing rules. These Independent RIAs engage us for technology, clearing and custody services, as well as access to our investment platforms and business services. Advisors associated with Independent RIAs retain 100% of their advisory fees, and in return, we charge separate fees for custody, trading, administrative and support services. In addition, some financial advisors associated with Independent RIAs are registered representatives of LPL Financial and access our fully-integrated brokerage platform under standard terms.

We believe we are the market leader in the enterprise channel, providing support to over 7,400 financial advisors at approximately 1,200 institutions nationwide. The core capabilities of these institutions may not include investment and financial planning services, or they may find the technology, infrastructure and regulatory requirements of supporting such services to be cost-prohibitive. For these institutions, we provide their financial advisors with the infrastructure and services they need to be successful, allowing the institutions to focus more attention and capital on their core businesses. In addition, through LPL Enterprise, we are able to tailor our offering for the needs of large institutions, insurance companies and product manufacturers that seek support in connection with custom product sets. As an introducing broker-dealer and RIA, LPL Enterprise has the ability to provide key supervisory, compliance and risk, recruiting and middle-office technological support to complex institutional clients that manufacture and distribute their own products. Like advisors who are licensed with LPL Financial, advisors who are licensed with LPL Enterprise must be approved through our assessment process and enter into a representative agreement that establishes the duties and responsibilities of each party.

Finally, we provide support to approximately 4,200 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.

Our Value Proposition

We are dedicated to making it easy for advisors to do what is best for their clients. Our scale and self-clearing platform enable us to provide advisors with the capabilities they need, and the service they expect, at a compelling price. We are dedicated to continuously improving the processes, systems and resources we leverage to meet these needs.

We support our advisors by providing front-, middle- and back-office solutions through our distinct value proposition: integrated technology solutions, comprehensive clearing services, compliance services, consultative practice management programs and training, business services and planning and advice services, along with in-house research. The comprehensive and increasingly 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 services to advisors through an integrated technology platform that is cloud-based and web-accessible. Our technology offerings are designed to permit our advisors to effectively manage all critical aspects of their businesses in an efficient manner while remaining responsive to their clients’ needs. We continue to automate time-consuming processes, such as account opening and management, document imaging, transaction execution, and account rebalancing, in an effort to improve our advisors’ efficiency and accuracy.

Comprehensive Clearing Services

We provide custody and clearing services for the majority of our advisors’ transactions and seek to offer a simplified and streamlined advisor experience with expedited processing capabilities. Our self-clearing platform enables us to 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.

Compliance Services

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 that we establish. As the financial industry and regulatory environment evolve and become more complex, we have made a long-term commitment to enhancing our risk management and compliance structure, as well as our technology-based compliance and risk management tools, in order to support the overall effectiveness and scalability of our control environment.

Our team of risk and compliance employees assists our advisors through:

• training and advising advisors on new products, new regulatory guidelines, compliance and risk management tools, security policies and procedures and best practices;
• advising on sales practice activities and facilitating the supervision of activities by branch managers;
• conducting technology-enabled surveillance of trading activities and sales practices;
• monitoring of registered investment adviser activities for advisors who are investment adviser representatives of LPL Financial or LPL Enterprise; and
• inspecting branch offices and advising on how to strengthen compliance procedures.

Consultative Practice Management Programs and Training

Our practice management programs are designed to help leaders and financial advisors in independent practices and institutions 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, and our scale allows us to dedicate a team of experienced professionals to this effort. Our practice management and training services include:

• personalized business consulting that helps eligible advisors and program leadership enhance the value and operational efficiency of their businesses;
• advisory and brokerage consulting and financial planning to support advisors in growing their businesses through our broad range of products and fee-based offerings and wealth management services;
• marketing strategies, including campaign templates, to enable advisors to build awareness of their services and capitalize on opportunities in their local markets;
• our Liquidity & Succession program, which offers expanded solutions to advisors seeking to monetize their businesses, free themselves from entrepreneurial burdens through the sale of their practices or simplify their businesses through partial book sales;
• an advisor loan program for advisors looking to buy another practice;
• transition services to help advisors establish independent practices and migrate client accounts to us; and
• in-person and virtual training and educational programs on topics including technology, use of advisory platforms and business development.

Business Services and Planning and Advice Services

We provide services to advisors in areas critical to the successful operation of their practices, including both business support services to help them run thriving businesses and comprehensive planning services to support them in delivering advice to their clients. We regularly update our portfolio of services to address new advisor needs while enhancing our existing solutions to deliver an exceptional customer experience.

Our business services may be delivered as professional services or business optimizer offerings. Professional services offerings are delivered through a combination of digital and employee-powered solutions that provide expertise to increase business-level growth and operational efficiency across areas such as marketing, finance, and business operations. Business optimizer offerings are primarily digital solutions that are designed to support risk management, business continuity and succession planning.

Our planning and advice services are digital and employee-powered solutions that help advisors and institutions expand the breadth and depth of their advice in areas such as tax planning, paraplanning and private client support for high-net-worth relationships. The focus of planning and advice services is helping advisors increase marketplace differentiation while limiting additional complexity and risk.

In-House Research

We provide our advisors with integrated access to comprehensive research on a broad range of investments. We share market analysis and commentary on macro-economic events, manager research, capital markets assumptions, strategic and tactical asset allocation advice and individual equity coverage. Our research team provides advice that is designed to empower our advisors to better serve their clients, including the creation of discretionary portfolios for which we serve as a portfolio manager, available through our centrally managed advisory asset management platforms. We are able to provide objective and unbiased investment research to our advisors and their clients without the conflict of proprietary products or investment banking services.

Our Product and Solution Access

We do not manufacture any financial products. Instead, we provide our advisors with curated access to a broad range of fee-based, commission, cash and money market products and services. The sales and administration of these products are facilitated through our technology solutions, which allow our advisors to access client accounts, product information, asset allocation models, investment recommendations and economic insight, as well as to perform trade execution.

Fee-Based Platforms and Support

We have various fee-based platforms that provide centrally managed or customized solutions from which advisors can choose to meet the investment needs of their clients, including wrap-fee programs, mutual fund asset allocation programs, an advisor-enhanced digital advice program, advisory programs offered by third-party investment advisor firms, financial planning services and retirement plan consulting services. The fee structure of our platforms enables our advisors to provide their clients with higher levels of service while establishing a recurring revenue stream for the advisor and for us. Our fee-based platforms provide access to mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, stocks, bonds, certain options strategies, unit investment trusts, institutional money managers and no-load multi-manager variable annuities. As of December 31, 2025, the total advisory assets under custody in these platforms, including our corporate RIA, Independent RIA and LPL Enterprise advisory platforms, were $1,392.7 billion.

Commission-Based Products

Commission-based products include 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, fixed income, alternative investments, retirement and 529 education savings plans and insurance. We regularly review the structure and fees of our commission-based products in the context of retail investor preferences and the changing regulatory environment, as well as the competitive landscape. As of December 31, 2025, the total brokerage assets in commission-based products were $977.9 billion.

Client Cash Programs

Our client cash programs include two Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insured bank sweep vehicles, a client cash account and a money market account, which enable our advisors to manage their clients’ cash balances. As of December 31, 2025, the total assets in our client cash programs, which are held within advisory and brokerage accounts, were $61.0 billion.

Other Services

We provide a number of additional tools and services that enable advisors to maintain and grow their practices. Through our subsidiary PTC, we provide custodial services to trusts for estates and families. Under our model, an advisor may provide a trust with investment management services, while administrative services for the trust are provided by PTC. We also offer retirement solutions for commission- and fee-based services that allow advisors to provide brokerage services, consultation and advice to retirement plan sponsors through LPL Financial and LPL Enterprise. We offer proposal generation, investment analytics and portfolio modeling capabilities, and provide an advisor-facing trading and portfolio rebalancing platform.

Our Financial Model

Our overall financial performance is a function of the following:

• Our revenue stems from diverse sources, including advisor-generated advisory fees and commission revenue, as well as other asset-based fees from product sponsors, recordkeeping, networking services, client cash balances, service and fee revenue, transaction revenue and revenue for other ancillary services that we provide. Revenue is not concentrated by advisor, product or geography. For the year ended December 31, 2025, no single relationship with our independent advisor practices or institutions accounted for more than 2% of our advisory and commission revenue, and no single advisor accounted for more than 1% of our advisory and commission revenue.
• The largest variable component of our expense, advisor payout percentages, is directly linked to revenue generated by our advisors.
• A portion of our revenue is not asset-based or correlated with the equity financial markets. Service and fee revenue is generated from advisor and retail investor services, including insurance, licensing, business services and planning and advice services, IRA custodian and other client account fees. Service and fee revenue from business services is based on recurring subscription fees. We charge separate fees to RIAs for technology, clearing, administrative, oversight and custody services, which may vary. In addition, we host certain advisor conferences that serve as training, education, sales and marketing events for which we charge sponsors a fee.
• Our operating model is scalable and is capable of delivering expanding profit margins over time.
• We have managed our capital allocation framework and expenditures such that we have been able to both invest in our business and return capital to stockholders.

Our Competitive Strengths

Market Leadership Position and Scale

We are an established leader in the independent advisor market, which is our core business focus. We use our scale and position as an industry leader to champion the independent business model. Our scale enables us to benefit from the following dynamics:

• Continual Reinvestment — We actively reinvest in our comprehensive technology platform and practice management support, which further improves the productivity of our advisors and reduces the costs of serving them.
• Economies of Scale — As one of the largest distributors of financial products in the U.S., we have been able to obtain attractive economics from product sponsors. In addition, since some of the costs of supporting advisors are fixed, growth in the number of advisors that we serve reduces the average fixed cost per advisor.
• Payout Rates to Advisors — As one of the largest U.S. broker-dealers by number of advisors, we believe that we offer our advisors the highest average payout rates in our industry.

The combination of our ability to reinvest in our business and maintain highly competitive payout rates 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.

Comprehensive Solutions

We differentiate through the combination of our capabilities across research, technology, risk management and practice management. We make meaningful investments to support the growth, productivity and efficiency of advisors across a broad spectrum of models as their practices evolve. Our focus is working alongside advisors to navigate complex environments in order to create the best outcomes for their clients.

We believe we offer a compelling value proposition to independent financial advisors and 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 business model at the scale at which we offer it. For example, because we do not have any proprietary manufactured financial products of our own, we do not view firms that manufacture asset management products and other financial products as direct competitors.

We provide comprehensive solutions to institutions, such as regional banks, credit unions and insurance companies, that seek to provide a broad array of services for their clients. We believe many institutions find the technology, infrastructure and regulatory requirements associated with delivering financial advice to be cost-prohibitive. The solutions we provide enable financial advisors at these institutions to deliver their services on a cost-effective basis.

Flexibility of Our Business Model

Our business model allows our advisors the freedom to choose how they conduct their business, subject to certain regulatory parameters, which has helped us attract and retain advisors from multiple channels, including wirehouses, regional broker-dealers, banks, other RIAs and other independent broker-dealers. Our platform can accommodate a variety of independent advisor business models, including financial advisors as independent contractors, employee advisors and Independent RIAs. The flexibility of our business model enables our advisors to select their preferred affiliation model and product mix as their business evolves and preferences change within the market or their client base all within an environment that allows for evolution with minimal interruption to their business and their clients.

In addition, our business model provides advisors with a multitude of customizable service and technology offerings that allow them to increase their efficiency, focus on their clients and grow their practice. For example, the LPL Services Group provides business support to advisors in areas critical to the operation of their practices, such as marketing, accounting and transaction support.

Our Sources of Growth

Increasing Productivity of Existing Advisor Base

We believe the productivity of our advisors has the potential to increase over time as we continue to develop solutions designed to enable them to add new clients, manage more of their clients’ investable assets and expand their existing practices with additional advisors. We expect to facilitate these productivity improvements by helping our advisors better manage their practices in an increasingly complex external environment, which we believe has the potential to result in assets per advisor growing over time. Business services and planning and advice services are a source of organic growth as a larger share of advisors adopts these service solutions.

Attracting New Assets to Our Platform

We intend to grow the assets served by our platform across traditional markets and through new affiliation models. Ongoing investments in and enhancements to our platform and support teams have led to an expanded pipeline. We have also experienced momentum from a continued expansion of our advisor affiliation models, which has attracted prospects from new sources. Similarly, we continue to expand our support of the wealth management businesses of financial institutions through our institution services channel, which has resulted in strategic relationships with Prudential Advisors (“Prudential”), M&T Bank Corporation, BMO Financial Advisors, CUNA Brokerage Services, Inc., Wintrust Financial, People’s United Bank, Bancwest Investment Services and Commerce Financial Advisors. Related investments in our institutional platform have generated interest from new clients.

Competition

We compete with a variety of financial firms to attract and retain experienced and productive advisors. These financial firms operate in various channels and markets:

• Within the independent broker-dealer channel, the industry is highly fragmented and consists primarily of regional firms that rely on third-party custodians and technology providers to support their operations.
• Wirehouses and large banks tend to consist of large nationwide firms with multiple lines of business that have a focus on the highly competitive high-net-worth investor market.
• Competition for advisors also includes regional firms that primarily focus on specific client niches or geographic areas.
• Independent RIA firms, which are registered with the SEC or through their respective states’ investment advisory regulator and not through a broker-dealer, may choose from a number of third-party firms to provide custodial services.

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 online financial services and discount brokerage services.

People

We had approximately 10,000 employees at December 31, 2025. Our success depends on our ability to attract, hire, retain and develop highly skilled professionals in a variety of specialties, including finance, technology, compliance, business development, cybersecurity and management.

Talent Management and Culture

Due to the complexity of our business, we compete with other companies for top talent, both inside and outside of our industry, and across multiple geographical areas within the United States. Our People team focuses on advancing a culture of excellence aligned with our mission: Ensure the success of our clients every step of the way. We seek employees who are ambitious and committed to our vision to be the best firm in wealth management. Guided by our values: Pursue Greatness, Do the Right Thing, Drive Our Clients’ Success, Win Together, and Create & Share Joy; our employees work as one team to deliver results that matter.

Compensation and Benefits

To maintain a high-caliber, values-driven workforce that is committed to our culture, we strive to offer total rewards, including compensation, benefits and recognition programs that position our company as an employer of choice. Our compensation is designed to be performance based and competitive in the markets in which we compete. We closely monitor industry trends and practices to ensure we are able to attract and retain the personnel who are critical to our success. We also monitor internal pay equity to help ensure that our compensation practices are fair and equitable across our organization. The Company’s senior leaders have an opportunity to receive a portion of their compensation in Company equity, and, subject to a cap, we match the contributions of all of our employees to our retirement savings plan to help support their long-term financial goals. We also offer an employee stock purchase plan that enables eligible employees to acquire an ownership interest in the Company at a discount to prevailing market prices.

We offer an array of benefits intended to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their eligible dependents. From healthcare to holidays, our aim is to help our employees enjoy happy and healthy lifestyles while maintaining work-life balance. We offer comprehensive benefits to all full-time employees and part-time employees working at least 30 hours per week, which equates to over 99% of our workforce. Our health and welfare benefits include, among other things: medical coverage; dental and vision coverage; healthcare and dependent-care flexible spending accounts; Health Savings Accounts; accident and critical illness coverage; life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance; short-term and long-term disability insurance; and the LPL Live Well employee wellbeing program, which supports employees and their family members in their wellness journeys as well as offering targeted and focused programming for mental health, Type 2 Diabetes care and maternity / family-forming support programs.

Recruiting

As a Fortune 500 company focused on innovation and growth, talent drives the success of our company. Therefore, we are focused on attracting and retaining our employees. To reach a diverse pool of talent, we are continually in the market and take a multi-faceted approach to recruiting in pursuit of diverse, entrepreneurial and dedicated team members. By expanding our reach and sourcing efforts and implementing diverse recruitment methods, we seek to create a workforce representative of the communities and partners we serve.

We continue to invest in talent recruitment channels to introduce emerging talent to the opportunities within wealth management and financial services. As part of our university recruitment strategy, we have expanded partnerships with colleges and universities in the local communities we serve and beyond. We continuously seek ways to collaborate with students, faculty and diverse campus organizations to increase exposure and opportunities for students. LEAP, our Leadership Excellence and Achievement Program, encompasses the Company’s emerging talent initiatives and offers internship, part-time and full-time opportunities to develop the next generation of leaders.

Training and Development

We believe in our employees’ potential and provide training and development opportunities intended to maximize their performance and professional growth. To ensure that new employees integrate into our culture and their daily work, we provide a robust new-hire experience, as well as extensive ongoing training for existing employees to acquaint them with our business. We require all of our employees to complete courses in key regulatory areas, such as insider trading and anti-money laundering compliance, and we offer professional development opportunities through training sessions, on-demand learning and cross-departmental workshops. In addition, we have mentorship programs that pair employees with more experienced professionals, giving mentees access to experience, expertise, and guidance. To help employees determine the next steps in their careers, we continue to provide a Career Growth Portal that provides employees with tools, resources, training courses and assessments as they chart their career paths. We have created skills cards with curated content targeting key skills and desired capabilities to help employees develop. Lastly, we have invested in development and learning courses to strengthen people-leader capabilities and support the growth of our workforce.

Employee Safety

We aim to provide a safe, inclusive environment for our employees where they feel engaged in our business, supported in who they are and empowered to succeed. We are committed to providing a workplace that is free from violence, harassment and other unsafe or disruptive conditions and require our personnel to attend regular training sessions and workshops on those topics.

To promote health and safety in our workplace, we have a cross-functional team to support compliance with applicable workplace health and safety requirements, including members who have been trained to conduct threat assessments to support workplace violence prevention. We provide leaves of absence and workplace accommodations, and we provide employees with flexibility to support their individual circumstances, where possible. In addition, the LPL Financial Charitable Foundation continues to support the LPL Care Fund, an employee-to-employee relief fund created to help employees facing unexpected and unavoidable financial hardships as a result of a natural disaster or epidemic by providing tax-free grants.

Inclusion and Belonging

Our inclusion and belonging efforts are overseen by our chief executive officer (“CEO”), and chief people officer. In 2025, the management committee received quarterly updates on culture-related matters. Our Board of Directors (the “Board”), its compensation and human resources committee and its nominating and governance committee also received multiple updates on our progress in this area.

Continuous improvement remains a pillar of our culture, and we regularly solicit employee feedback on the effectiveness and quality of our programs, including inclusion and belonging initiatives, and on overall engagement. We use this feedback to improve our programs and processes and inform decisions about our business.

At LPL, we believe that well-being extends beyond physical safety and that our employees should feel welcome and supported. We seek to foster a culture of inclusivity that is committed to empowering unique viewpoints within the organization and encourage our team members to participate in Employee Resource Groups to leverage the individual talents and share perspectives and experiences across our workforce.

Finally, our professional development and recruitment efforts include outreach to and collaborations with organizations that serve historically underserved and underrepresented populations. We closely monitor employee turnover across a variety of dimensions to evaluate our effectiveness in retaining personnel. In addition, we maintain relationships with community partners with the goal of broadening the pool of talented applicants so that we can truly reach the best candidates.

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 seek to participate in the development of significant rules and regulations that govern our industry. We have been investing in our compliance functions to monitor our adherence to the numerous legal and regulatory requirements applicable to our business. Compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, only some of which are described below, involves a significant investment in time and resources. Any new laws or regulations applicable to our business, any changes to existing laws or regulations, or any changes to the interpretations or enforcement of those laws or regulations may affect our operations and/or financial condition.

Broker-Dealer Regulation

LPL Financial is a clearing broker-dealer registered with the SEC, a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) 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. 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. LPL Financial is registered as an introducing broker-dealer with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member of the National Futures Association (“NFA”). LPL Financial is regulated by the SEC, FINRA, CFTC and NFA.

LPL Enterprise is an introducing broker-dealer registered with the SEC and a member of FINRA. LPL Enterprise is registered as a broker-dealer in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. LPL Enterprise is regulated by the SEC, FINRA, CFTC and NFA.

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, the conduct of directors, officers and employees, qualification and licensing of supervisory and sales personnel, marketing practices, supervisory and organizational procedures intended to ensure compliance with securities laws and to prevent improper trading on material nonpublic information, limitations on extensions of credit in securities transactions, clearance and settlement procedures, anti-money laundering, cybersecurity, credit risk management and rules designed to promote high standards of commercial honor and just and equitable principles of trade. Broker-dealers are also subject to state securities laws and regulated by state securities administrators in those jurisdictions where they do business. Applicable laws, rules and regulations may be subject to varying interpretations and change from time to time.

Regulators make periodic examinations and inquiries of us and review annual, monthly and other reports on our operations and financial condition. Regulatory actions brought against us alleging violations of applicable laws, rules and regulations could result in censures, penalties and fines, settlements, disgorgement of profits, restitution to customers, remediation or the issuance of cease-and-desist orders. Such actions could also result in the restriction, suspension or expulsion from the securities industry of us or our financial advisors, officers or employees. We also may incur substantial expenses, damage to our reputation or similar adverse consequences in connection with any such actions by the SEC, FINRA, CFTC, NFA, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) or state securities regulators, regardless of the outcome.

LPL Financial’s 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 LPL Financial 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.

Our broker-dealer subsidiaries’ recommendations to retail customers are subject to a standard of conduct specified by the SEC (“Reg BI”). Reg BI requires that, when making recommendations, broker-dealers act in the best interest of retail customers without placing their own financial or other interests ahead of the customer’s and imposes obligations related to disclosure, duty of care, conflicts of interest and compliance. Certain state securities and insurance regulators have also adopted, proposed or are considering adopting similar laws and regulations. In addition, the DOL has finalized a “Retirement Security Rule” that would broaden the definition of fiduciary advice and modify the prohibited transaction exemptions in effect as of the date of this Annual Report that enable investment advice fiduciaries to receive compensation on transactions as a result of fiduciary recommendations to a plan covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), IRA or other accounts covered by Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The Retirement Security Rule was stayed in July 2024 pending litigation. In November 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of

Appeals granted the DOL’s motion to dismiss its own appeal and, as a result, the Retirement Security Rule remains suspended. Compliance with proposed conduct standards could increase the complexity and costs of our compliance or affect our revenue streams, including, in the case of the DOL proposal, our ability to rely on the current prohibited transaction exemptions. Moreover, to the extent new rules or regulations affect 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. As industry compliance practices and regulatory approaches to guidance, examinations and enforcement continue to develop, the ultimate impact that these new rules or regulations will have on us, the financial industry and the economy cannot be known at this time. It is unclear how and whether other regulators, including banking regulators, and state securities and insurance regulators, may respond to or attempt to enforce similar issues addressed by Reg BI and the DOL.

Investment Adviser Regulation

Our subsidiaries that are registered as investment advisers with the SEC, including LPL Financial and LPL Enterprise, are subject to the requirements of 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, maintaining an effective compliance program, 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 and associated regulations. 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, censures, penalties and fines, settlements, disgorgement of profits, restitution to customers, remediation, the issuance of cease-and-desist orders or the termination of an investment adviser’s registration. We also may incur substantial expenses, damage to our reputation or similar adverse consequences in connection with such actions, regardless of the outcome.

Retirement Plan Services Regulation

Certain of our subsidiaries, including LPL Financial, LPL Enterprise, LPL Employee Services, LLC, PTC, Fiduciary Trust Company of New Hampshire and LPLIA, are subject to ERISA, Section 4975 of the Code, and to regulations promulgated under ERISA or the Code, insofar as the subsidiaries provide services with respect to plan clients, or otherwise deal with plan clients, plan participants and retirement, health and educational accounts that are subject to ERISA or Section 4975 of 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 or breaches of these provisions may expose an ERISA fiduciary or other service provider to liability under ERISA, which may include monetary and criminal penalties as well as equitable remedies for the affected plan. Section 4975 of the Code prohibits certain transactions involving “plans” (as defined in Section 4975(e)(1), which include, for example, IRAs and certain Keogh plans) and “disqualified persons” to such plans, such as service providers, including fiduciaries (as defined in Section 4975(e)(3)), to such plans. Section 4975 imposes excise taxes for violations of these prohibitions.

The DOL has a “five-part test” defining fiduciary “investment advice” under ERISA and the Code (the “Five-Part Test”). Under this test, providing non-discretionary investment advice or recommendations with respect to a covered account can cause a person to be a fiduciary under ERISA and/or the Code if the advice is provided for a fee, on a regular basis, and subject to a mutual understanding that the advice will be personalized to the needs of the advice recipient and used as a primary basis for an investment decision. In addition, the DOL has finalized a “Retirement Security Rule” that would modify the Five-Part Test to broaden the definition of fiduciary advice and the prohibited transaction exemptions in effect as of the date of this Annual Report. In November 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the DOL’s motion to dismiss its own appeal and, as a result, the Retirement Security Rule remains suspended.

The DOL’s prohibited transaction exemption 2020-02 (“PTE 2020-02”) provides broad exemptive relief for receiving variable or transaction-based compensation, and certain other “prohibited transactions,” in connection with fiduciary investment advice to investors using covered accounts if certain conditions are met. The preamble to this exemption also included the DOL’s new and expanded interpretation of when providing a rollover recommendation (or potentially other recommendations) could result in fiduciary status under the historic Five-Part Test. This new interpretation, as well as other guidance issued by the DOL in connection with this interpretation, has been the subject of multiple litigations in federal district courts challenging the DOL’s authority to issue it. On February 13, 2023, a federal court issued a decision that invalidated, in part, the DOL’s interpretation of who qualifies as a fiduciary under ERISA in providing a rollover recommendation. We operate our business in compliance with a number of DOL prohibited transaction exemptions, including PTE 2020-02, where applicable. However, as industry compliance practices and regulatory approaches to guidance, examinations and enforcement continue to develop, and the outcomes of litigation remain pending, the ultimate impact that these new rules or regulations will have on us, the financial industry and the economy cannot be known at this time. In addition, it is unclear how and whether the DOL and other regulators, including the SEC, FINRA, banking regulators, and the state securities and insurance regulators may respond to or enforce elements of the Five-Part Test and PTE 2020-02 rules or interpretations.

The effect of any future DOL regulations and changes on our retirement plan business cannot be anticipated or planned for but may have further impacts on our products and services and results of operations.

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 of 1978, 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 LPLFH. 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, PTC Holdings, Inc., LPLFH or their stockholders.

Regulatory Capital Requirements

The SEC, FINRA, CFTC and NFA have stringent rules and regulations with respect to the maintenance of specific levels of net capital by regulated entities. The net capital rule under Rule 15c3-1 of the Exchange Act (the “Uniform Net Capital Rule”) requires a broker-dealer to maintain a minimum net capital and applies certain haircuts to the value of its assets based on the liquidity of such assets. Certain of our broker-dealer subsidiaries are also subject to the NFA’s financial requirements and are required to maintain net capital that is in excess of or equal to the greatest of the NFA’s minimum financial requirements. Under these requirements, our broker-dealer subsidiaries are currently required to maintain minimum net capital that is in excess of or equal to the minimum net capital calculated and required pursuant to the 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, then certain notice requirements to the regulators are required, and the broker-dealer 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 Uniform 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 require prior notice to the SEC and FINRA for certain capital withdrawals.

Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions Compliance

The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, which amended the Bank Secrecy Act, contains anti-money laundering and financial transparency laws and mandates the implementation of various regulations applicable to broker-dealers, futures commission merchants and other financial services companies. Financial institutions subject to these requirements generally must have an anti-money laundering program in place, which includes monitoring for and reporting suspicious activity, implementing specialized employee training programs, designating an anti-money laundering compliance officer and annually conducting an independent test of the effectiveness of its program. In addition, sanctions administered by the United States Office of Foreign Asset Control prohibit U.S. persons from doing business with blocked persons and entities or certain sanctioned countries. We have established policies, procedures and systems designed to comply with these regulations and work continuously to improve and strengthen our regulatory compliance mechanisms.

Security and 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 and general concerns about the security of that information. To the extent they are applicable to us, we must comply with federal and state information-related laws and regulations in the United States, including the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999, SEC Regulation S-P, the Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, and Regulation S-ID, the Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) Data Security Program, as well as the California Consumer Privacy Act and further potential federal and state requirements.

Trademarks

CLIENTWORKS®, COMMONWEALTH (& Design)®, LPL®, and LPL Financial (& Design)® are among our registered trademarks, and ALLEN & COMPANY OF FLORIDA, LLC, THE PRIVATE TRUST COMPANY, N.A. (& Design), and WHAT IF YOU COULD? are among our service marks.

Risk Factor Summary

Our business, operations and financial results are subject to varying degrees of risk and uncertainty. We are providing the following summary of risk factors to enhance readability of our risk factor disclosure. Material risks that may adversely affect our business, operations and financial results include, but are not limited to, the following:

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

• We depend on our ability to attract and retain experienced and productive advisors, and we are subject to competition in all aspects of our business.
• Our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by market fluctuations and other economic factors.
• Significant interest rate changes could affect our profitability and financial condition.
• Any damage to our reputation could harm our business and lead to a loss of revenue and net income.
• Our business is subject to risks related to litigation, arbitration claims and regulatory actions.
• There are risks inherent in the independent broker-dealer business model.
• We rely on third-party service providers, including off-shore providers, to perform technology, processing and support functions, and our operations are dependent on financial intermediaries that we do not control.
• Lack of liquidity or access to capital could impair our business and financial condition.
• Our business could be materially adversely affected as a result of the risks associated with acquisitions, investments, and strategic relationships.
• Our risk management policies and procedures may not be effective in fully mitigating our risk exposure in all environments or against all types of risks.
• We face competition in attracting and retaining key talent.
• The securities settlement process exposes us to risks related to adverse movements in price.
• Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition and may limit our ability to use debt to fund future capital needs.
• Restrictions under our Credit Agreement may prevent us from taking actions that we believe would be in the best interest of our business.
• Provisions of our Credit Agreement and certain of the Indentures could discourage an acquisition of us by a third-party.
• Our insurance coverage may be expensive, and losses we incur may exceed the limits of our insurance coverage, or may not be covered at all.
• 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.
• A loss of our marketing relationships with manufacturers of financial products could harm our relationship with our advisors and, in turn, their clients.
• Changes in U.S. federal income tax law could make some of the products distributed by our advisors less attractive to clients.

Risks Related to Our Regulatory Environment

• Any failure to comply with applicable federal or state laws or regulations, or self-regulatory organization rules, exposes us to litigation and regulatory actions, which could increase our costs or negatively affect our reputation.
• Regulatory developments could adversely affect our business by increasing our costs or making our business less profitable.
• We are subject to various regulatory requirements, which, if not complied with, could result in the restriction of the conduct or growth of our business.
• Failure to comply with ERISA regulations and certain tax-qualified plan laws and regulations could result in penalties against us.

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 information technology systems may be vulnerable to security risks.
• A cyber-attack or other security breach of our technology systems or those of our advisors or third-party vendors could negatively impact our normal operations and, as a result, subject us to significant liability and harm our reputation.
• Failure to comply with the complex privacy and data protection laws and regulations to which we are subject could result in adverse action from regulators and adversely affect our business, reputation, results of operations and financial condition.
• 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.
• Inadequacy or disruption of our business continuity and disaster recovery plans and procedures in the event of a catastrophe could adversely affect our business.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

• The price of our common stock may be volatile and fluctuate substantially, which could result in substantial losses for our investors.
• 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.
• Our future ability to pay regular dividends to holders of our common stock or repurchase shares are subject to the discretion of our Board and will be limited by our ability to generate sufficient earnings and cash flows.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We depend on our ability to attract and retain experienced and productive advisors, and we are subject to competition in all aspects of our business.

We derive a large portion of our revenue 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 and the assets they serve. 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 other advisors on our platform, or if advisor migration away from wirehouses to independent channels slows, our business may suffer.

The market for experienced and productive advisors is highly competitive, and we devote significant resources to attracting and retaining well-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, other independent broker-dealers and RIA firms. 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.

More broadly, we are subject to competition in all aspects of our business from:

• brokerage and investment advisory firms, including national and regional firms, as well as Independent RIAs;
• asset management firms;
• commercial banks and thrift institutions;
• insurance companies;
• other clearing/custodial technology companies; and
• investment firms offering so-called “robo” advice solutions.

Many of our competitors have substantially greater resources than we do and may offer a broader range of services and financial products across more markets. Some of our competitors 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. Additionally, we expect our current and future competitors to continue to invest in, develop and integrate new technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions, to reduce costs associated with providing wealth management services. If we are unable to achieve similar cost reductions our business may become less competitive, which could make it more challenging to retain advisors on our platform or attract new advisors, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, while we believe that our business is well-positioned to take advantage of technological development, the perception that novel applications of technology could disrupt our business could cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially and result in losses for our investors.

If we fail to continue to attract highly qualified advisors, or if advisors licensed with us leave us to pursue other opportunities, we could face a significant decline in market share, commission and fee revenue or net income. We could face similar consequences if current or potential clients of ours, including current clients that use our outsourced customized clearing, advisory platforms or technology solutions, decide to use one of our competitors rather than us. 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.

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 or market volatility can:

• reduce new investments by advisors’ new and existing clients in financial products that are linked to the equity markets, such as variable life insurance, variable annuities, mutual funds and managed accounts;
• reduce trading activity, thereby affecting our brokerage commission revenue and our transaction revenue;
• reduce the value of advisory and brokerage assets, thereby reducing advisory fee revenue, trailing commission revenue and asset-based fee revenue; and
• motivate clients to withdraw funds from their accounts, thereby reducing advisory and brokerage assets, advisory fee revenue and asset-based fee revenue.

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 revenue 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 in response to market factors 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 revenue is exposed to interest rate risk primarily from changes in fees payable to us from banks participating in our client cash programs and changes in interest income earned on deposits in third-party bank accounts and short-term U.S. treasury bills, which are generally based on prevailing interest rates.

Our client cash programs generate a significant portion of our revenue. Our revenue from our client cash programs has declined in the past as a result of a low interest rate environment and may decline in the future due to decreases in interest rates, decreases in client cash balances or mix shifts among the current or future deposit sweep vehicles, client cash account or money market accounts that we offer. While the Federal Reserve steadily increased its target federal funds rate in 2022 and 2023 to combat rising inflation, in 2024 and 2025, the Federal Reserve reduced its target federal funds rate, with further reductions possible. If the Federal Reserve continues to reduce its target federal funds rate from current levels, our revenue will be impacted.

Our revenue from our client cash programs also depends on our success in placing deposits and negotiating favorable terms in agreements with third-party banks and money market fund providers participating in our programs, as well as our success in offering competitive products, program fees and interest rates payable to clients. The expiration of contracts with favorable pricing terms, less favorable terms in future contracts, the inability to place deposits with third-party sweep banks, changes to regulatory rules or interpretations governing the fees we earn on cash sweep balances, or changes in client cash or money market accounts that we offer could result in declines in our revenue.

A sustained low interest rate environment may also 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 client cash programs. Even in a rising interest rate environment, if balances or yields in our client cash programs decrease, future revenue from our client cash programs may be lower than expected.

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

We have spent many years developing our reputation for integrity and client service, which is built upon our support for our advisors through: enabling technology, comprehensive clearing and compliance services, practice management programs and training and in-house 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:

• litigation or regulatory actions;
• failing to deliver acceptable standards of service and quality, including technology or cybersecurity failures;
• compliance failures; and
• unethical behavior and the misconduct of employees, advisors or counterparties.

Negative perceptions or publicity regarding these matters could damage our reputation among existing and potential advisors and employees, and could lead advisors to terminate their agreements with us, which they generally have the right to do unilaterally upon short notice. 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 lower net income.

Our business is subject to risks related to litigation, arbitration claims and regulatory actions.

As is common in our industry, we have been subjected to and are currently subject to legal and regulatory proceedings arising out of our business operations, including lawsuits, arbitration claims, governmental subpoenas and regulatory, governmental and self-regulatory organization (“SRO”) inquiries, investigations and enforcement proceedings, as well as other actions and claims. Many of these legal claims are initiated by clients of our advisors and involve the purchase or sale of investment securities, but other claims and proceedings may be, and have been, initiated by state-level and federal regulatory authorities and SROs, including the SEC, FINRA and state securities regulators, as well as clients of Independent RIAs.

The outcomes of any such legal or regulatory proceedings, including litigations, arbitrations, inquiries, investigations and enforcement proceedings by the SEC, FINRA, DOL and state securities regulators or attorneys general, are difficult to predict. A negative outcome in such a matter could result in substantial legal liability, censures, penalties and fines, disgorgement of profits, restitution to customers, remediation, the issuance of cease-and-desist orders, or injunctive or other equitable relief against us. Further, such negative outcomes individually or in the aggregate may cause us significant reputational harm and could have a material adverse effect on our ability to recruit or retain financial advisors or institutions, or our results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.

We may face liabilities for deficiencies or failures in our supervisory and regulatory compliance systems and programs. We may also face liabilities for actual or alleged breaches of legal duties to clients of our advisors or Independent RIAs, including in respect of issues related to the financial products we make available or the investment advice or securities recommendations our advisors or Independent RIAs provide to their clients.

In addition, the administration of client accounts involves operational processes such as recordkeeping and accounting, security pricing, corporate actions and account reconciliations that are complex and rely on various tools and resources. Failure to properly perform operational tasks or errors in the design or function of these tools could subject us to regulatory sanctions, penalties or litigation and result in reputational damage and liability to clients.

We are subject to various standards of care, including in some cases fiduciary obligations. Moreover, new and developing state and federal regulatory requirements with respect to standards of care and other obligations, as discussed under “Risks Related to Our Regulatory Environment” below, may introduce new grounds for legal claims or enforcement actions against us in the future, in particular with respect to our brokerage services. We may also become subject to claims, allegations and legal proceedings related to employment matters, including wage and hour, discrimination or harassment claims, or matters involving others’ intellectual property or other proprietary rights, including infringement or misappropriation claims.

There are risks inherent in the independent broker-dealer business model.

Compared to wirehouses and other employee model broker-dealers, we generally offer advisors wider choice in operating their businesses with regard to product offerings, outside business activities, office technology and supervisory models. Our approach may make it more challenging for us to comply with our supervisory and regulatory compliance obligations, particularly in light of our limited on-site supervision and the complexity of certain advisor business models.

Misconduct and errors by our employees, advisors or Independent RIAs could be difficult for us to detect and could result in actual or alleged violations of law by us, investigations, litigation, regulatory sanctions, or serious reputational or financial harm. Although we have designed policies and procedures to comply with applicable laws, rules, regulations and interpretations, we cannot always prevent or detect misconduct and errors by our employees, advisors or Independent RIAs, 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 typically not our direct employees and some of whom tend to be located in small, decentralized offices, present additional challenges, particularly in the case of complex products or supervision of outside business activities, including those conducted through Independent RIAs. In addition, although we provide our advisors with requirements and recommendations for their office technology, we cannot fully control or monitor the extent of their implementation of our requirements and recommendations. Accordingly, we cannot assure that our advisors’ technology meets our standards, including with regard to information security and cybersecurity. We also cannot assure that misconduct or errors by our employees, advisors or Independent RIAs will not lead to a material adverse effect on our business, or that our insurance will be available or sufficient to cover the cost to our business of such misconduct or errors.

We rely on third-party service providers, including off-shore providers, to perform technology, processing and support functions, and our operations are dependent on financial intermediaries that we do not control.

We rely on outsourced service providers to perform certain technology, processing and support functions. For example, we have an agreement with Refinitiv US LLC (“BETAHost”), under which it provides us key 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 BETAHost or our other service providers could cause us to sustain serious operational disruptions and incur losses and could harm our reputation. These third-party service providers are also susceptible to operational and technology vulnerabilities, including cyber-attacks, security breaches, ransomware, fraud, phishing attacks and computer viruses, which could result in unauthorized access, misuse, loss or destruction of data, an interruption in service or other similar events that may impact our business.

We cannot assure that our third-party service providers will be able to continue to provide their services in an efficient, cost-effective manner, if at all, or that they will be able to adequately expand their services to meet our needs and those of our advisors. An interruption in or the cessation of service by a third-party service provider and our inability to make alternative arrangements in a timely manner could cause a disruption to our business and could have a material impact on our ability to serve our advisors and their clients. In addition, we cannot predict the costs or time that would be required to find an alternative service provider.

2 certain business and technology processes off-shore, which has increased the related risks described above. For example, we rely on several off-shore service providers, operating in multiple locations, for functions related to cash management, account transfers, information technology infrastructure and support and document indexing, among others. In addition, we have limited international operations in Hyderabad, India. To the extent we or our third-party service providers operate in foreign jurisdictions, we are exposed to risks inherent in conducting business outside of the United States, including international economic and political conditions as well as natural disasters, and the additional costs associated with complying with foreign laws and fluctuations in currency values.

We expect that our regulators would hold us responsible for any deficiencies in our oversight and control of our third-party relationships and for the performance of such third parties. If there were deficiencies in the oversight and control of our third-party relationships, and if our regulators held us responsible for those deficiencies, our business, reputation and results of operations could be adversely affected.

In addition, certain aspects of our operations are dependent on third-party financial institutions that we do not control, such as clearing agents, securities exchanges, clearing houses and other financial intermediaries. Any failure of these intermediaries, or any interruption in their operations, either on a widespread or individual basis, could adversely affect our ability to execute transactions, service our clients and manage our exposure to risk. In the event of such failure or interruption, there is no guarantee that we would be able to find adequate and cost-effective replacements on a timely basis, if at all.

Like us, these intermediaries are exposed to risks related to fluctuations and volatility in the financial markets and broader economy, as well as specific operational risks related to their business, such as those related to technology, security and the prevailing regulatory environment. Because we rely on these intermediaries, we share indirect exposure to these risks. If these risks were to materialize, or if there was a widespread perception that they could materialize, our business, reputation and results of operations could be adversely affected.

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:

• illiquid or volatile markets;
• diminished access to debt or capital markets;
• unforeseen cash or capital requirements;
• actual or alleged events of default under our Credit Agreement, Broker-Dealer Revolving Credit Facility, Indentures or other agreements governing our indebtedness;
• regulatory penalties or fines, settlements, customer restitution or other remediation costs; or
• adverse legal settlements or judgments.

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 limit or curtail our operations or growth plans, and our business would suffer.

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, Broker-Dealer Revolving Credit Facility or uncommitted lines of credit. We may also need access to capital in connection with the growth of our business, through acquisitions or otherwise.

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:

• market conditions;
• the general availability of credit;
• the volume of trading activities;
• the overall availability of credit to the financial services industry;
• our credit ratings and credit capacity; and
• the possibility that current or future lenders could develop a negative perception of our long- or short-term financial prospects as a result of industry- or company-specific considerations. Similarly, our access to funds may be impaired if regulatory authorities or rating organizations take negative actions against us.

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.

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

We have made acquisitions and investments and entered into strategic relationships in the past and plan to pursue further acquisitions, investments and strategic relationships in the future, including in connection with our institutional services offering and Liquidity & Succession solution. These transactions are accompanied by risks. For instance, an acquisition could have a negative effect on our financial and strategic position and reputation, the synergies expected to result from a business combination could fail to materialize, or the acquired business could fail to further our strategic or financial goals.

We can provide no assurances that advisors or institutions that join LPL Financial through acquisitions, investments in advisor practices or strategic relationships will remain at LPL Financial. As a general matter, when such advisors and institutions join LPL Financial, their assets under management will transition to our platform, supporting our growth. If such advisors or institutions then separate from LPL Financial, their assets will transition away from our platform, and our business will lose their benefit. Depending on the size and number of the practices or institutions that separate, the offboarding of assets from our platform could be significant, and our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

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. For example, we may have a lack of experience in new markets, products or technologies brought on by the acquisition, we may have an initial dependence on unfamiliar supply or distribution partners, or the resources necessary to integrate an acquired business may exceed our expectations or the resources we have available. An acquisition may create an impairment of relationships with customers or suppliers of the acquired business or our advisors or suppliers. All of these and other potential risks could disrupt our existing business, as well as the businesses we seek to acquire, and could serve as a diversion of our management’s attention or other resources from other business concerns, and any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business. For more information about risks relating to updating our technology in connection with our business development opportunities, see “We rely on technology in our business, and technology and execution failures could subject us to losses, litigation and regulatory actions” below.

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

We have adopted policies, procedures and an overarching policy management framework to identify, monitor and manage our risks. These policies and procedures, however, may not be fully effective nor be adapted quickly enough to effectively respond to changing circumstances in our evolving business and regulatory environment. Various Company risk and compliance functions rely on information technology systems, information provided by third parties and publicly available information about markets, clients or other matters relevant to our business and operations. In some cases, however, that information may not be available, accurate, complete or up-to-date. Also, because many of our advisors work in decentralized or branch offices, additional risk management challenges exist, including advisor office technology, vendors and third-party-providers, supervision and oversight, business continuity, information security practices, and training and awareness. In addition, our existing systems, policies and procedures, and staffing levels may be insufficient to support a significant increase in our advisor population. Any such increase could require us to increase our costs, in order to maintain our risk management and compliance obligations, or strain our existing policies and procedures as we evolve to support a larger advisor population. If our systems, policies and procedures are not effective, or if we are not successful in identifying, monitoring, and managing the 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.

We face competition in attracting and retaining key talent.

Our success depends upon the continued services of our key senior management personnel, including our executive officers and senior managers. Each of our executive officers is an employee at will, and none has an employment agreement. 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.

Moreover, our success and future growth depends upon our ability to attract and retain qualified employees. There is significant competition for qualified employees in the financial services industry, and 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.

The securities settlement process exposes us to risks related to adverse movements in price.

LPL Financial provides clearing services and trade processing for our advisors and their clients and certain 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 liabilities 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 losses resulting from adverse movements in the prices of such securities.

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

At December 31, 2025, we had total indebtedness of $7.3 billion, of which $1.1 billion is subject to floating interest rates. 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. With interest rate increases, our interest expense has increased because borrowings under our Credit Agreement are based on variable interest rates.

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 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 Credit Agreement, our Broker-Dealer Revolving Credit Facility or other future indebtedness, we could lose access to these sources of liquidity and our creditors could, among other things, accelerate the maturity of our indebtedness.

Our Credit Agreement and the Indentures governing our senior unsecured notes (the “Notes”) permit us to incur additional indebtedness. Under our Credit Agreement we have the right to request additional commitments for new term loans, new revolving credit commitments and increases to then-existing term loans and revolving credit commitments subject to certain limitations. Although the 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. In addition, other obligations that do not qualify as “indebtedness” under the terms of our Credit Agreement are not restricted by that 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 the Credit Agreement or the Indentures. However, our credit rating does impact the interest rate of our revolving credit facility and Term Loan A. Further, a credit rating downgrade to a below investment grade rating could cause currently suspended restrictive covenants and guarantees under certain of our Indentures to automatically be reinstated. 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. In addition, if such downgrade were to occur, or if ratings agencies indicated that a downgrade may occur, perceptions of our financial strength could be damaged, which could affect our client relationships and decrease the number of investors, clients and counterparties that do business with us.

Restrictions under our Credit Agreement may prevent us from taking actions that we believe would be in the best interest of our business.

Our Credit Agreement contains customary restrictions on our activities, including covenants that may restrict us from:

• creating liens;
• selling assets;
• engaging in certain transactions with affiliates; and
• consolidating, merging or transferring all or substantially all of our assets.

In addition, our Credit Agreement contains covenants that are currently suspended but become effective if we or our subsidiaries incur or guarantee secured indebtedness in an aggregate principal amount in excess of $350 million. Such covenants would restrict us from:

• incurring additional indebtedness or issuing disqualified stock or preferred stock;
• declaring dividends or other distributions to stockholders;
• repurchasing equity interests;
• redeeming indebtedness that is subordinated in right of payment to certain debt instruments;
• making investments or acquisitions;
• guaranteeing indebtedness; and
• entering into agreements that restrict dividends or other payments from subsidiaries.

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 or covenants under our Broker-Dealer Revolving Credit Facility and are unable to obtain waivers, we would be in default under our Credit Agreement or the Broker-Dealer Revolving Credit Facility, as applicable. As a result, payment of the indebtedness could be accelerated, which may permit acceleration of indebtedness under the Indentures and 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 Credit Agreement and certain of the Indentures could discourage an acquisition of us by a third-party.

Certain provisions of our Credit Agreement and the Indentures 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 Credit Agreement may be accelerated and become due and payable and, under certain of the Indentures, noteholders will have the right to require us to repurchase the Notes issued under such Indentures at a purchase price equal to 101% of the principal amount of such Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to but not including the purchase date. A potential acquirer may not have sufficient financial resources to purchase our outstanding indebtedness in connection with a change of control.

Our insurance coverage may be expensive, and losses we incur may exceed the limits of our insurance coverage, or may not be covered at all.

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 Securities Investor Protection Corporation, business interruption, cyber and data breach, error and omission and fidelity bond insurance. We have self-insurance for certain potential liabilities through a wholly-owned captive insurance subsidiary. While we endeavor to self-insure and purchase coverage that is appropriate based on our assessment of our risk, we are unable to predict with certainty the frequency, nature or magnitude of claims for direct or consequential damages. Assessing the probability of a loss occurring and the timing and amount of any loss related to a regulatory matter or a legal proceeding is inherently difficult, and there are particular uncertainties and complexities involved when assessing the adequacy of loss reserves for potential liabilities that are self-insured by our captive insurance subsidiary. The availability of coverage depends on the nature of the claim and the adequacy of reserves, which in turn depends in part on historical claims experience, including the actual timing and costs of resolving matters that begin in one policy period and are resolved in a subsequent period. Further to the difficulties noted above regarding assessing the probability of a loss occurring and the timing and amount of any loss related to a regulatory matter or a legal proceeding, such assessment requires complex judgments, which may include the procedural status of the matter and any recent developments; prior experience and the experience of others in similar matters; the size and nature of potential exposures; available defenses; the progress of fact discovery; the opinions of counsel and experts; potential opportunities for settlement and the status of any settlement discussions; as well as the potential for insurance coverage and indemnification, if available. In addition, certain types of potential claims for damages cannot be insured. Our business may be negatively affected if in the future unforeseen circumstances cause us to exceed the limits of our insurance coverage or some or all of our insurance proves to be unavailable to cover our liabilities related to legal or regulatory matters. Such negative consequences could include additional expense and financial loss, which could be significant in amount. In addition, insurance claims may harm our reputation or divert management resources away from operating our business.

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 have control over their assets that are served under our platforms. Poor service or performance of the financial products that we offer, the emergence of new financial products or services from others, harm to our reputation or competitive pressures on pricing of such services or products may result in the loss of clients. 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 or zero commissions to attract clients or trading volume, direct-to-investor online financial services, including so-called “robo” advice, wealth management services augmented by artificial intelligence,

or higher deposit rates to attract client cash balances, could result in pricing pressure or otherwise adversely impact our business. The decrease in revenue that could result from such an event could have a material adverse effect on our business.

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

Our curated product platform offers no proprietary financial products. To help our advisors meet their clients’ needs with suitable investment options, we have relationships with many of the industry-leading providers of financial and insurance products. We have sponsorship agreements with manufacturers of fixed and variable annuities, mutual funds and exchange-traded 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, 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.

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.

Risks Related to Our Regulatory Environment

Any failure to comply with applicable federal or state laws or regulations, or SRO rules, exposes us to litigation and regulatory actions, which could increase our costs or negatively affect our reputation.

Our business, including securities and investment advisory services, is subject to extensive regulation under both federal and state laws, rules and regulations, as well as SRO rules. Our subsidiary LPL Financial is:

• registered as a clearing broker-dealer with the SEC, each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands;
• registered as an investment adviser with the SEC;
• registered as an introducing broker-dealer with the CFTC;
• a member of FINRA and various other SROs, and a participant in various clearing organizations, including the Depository Trust Company, the National Securities Clearing Corporation and the Options Clearing Corporation; and
• subject to oversight by the DOL relative to its servicing of retirement plan accounts subject to ERISA and the Code.

Another subsidiary, LPL Enterprise, is an introducing broker-dealer to LPL Financial. LPL Enterprise was created as part of our new business model that supports insurance companies and asset managers’ ability to provide financial services and expand their respective service capabilities.

In March 2025, LPL Holdings, Inc. entered into a definitive purchase agreement to acquire Commonwealth. The transaction closed on August 1, 2025, and, as a result, Commonwealth’s broker-dealer subsidiary, CES, became an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of LPL Holdings, Inc. and an affiliate of LPL Financial and LPL Enterprise. Following receipt of FINRA regulatory approval for integration, LPL Holdings, Inc. will convert assets and transfer registered representative licenses from CES to LPL Financial, which is expected to occur in the fourth quarter of 2026. Following conversion, the broker-dealer and RIA operations of Commonwealth will be wound down. Both CES and LPL Enterprise are:

• registered as introducing broker-dealers with the SEC, each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands;
• registered as investment advisers with the SEC;
• members of FINRA; and
• subject to oversight by the DOL relative to their servicing of retirement plan accounts subject to ERISA and the Code.

The primary SRO of LPL Financial’s, LPL Enterprise’s and Commonwealth’s broker-dealer activity is FINRA, and the primary regulator of LPL Financial’s, LPL Enterprise’s and Commonwealth’s investment advisory activity is the SEC. LPL Financial, LPL Enterprise and Commonwealth are also subject to state laws, including state “blue sky” laws, and the rules of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board for its municipal securities activities. The CFTC has designated the NFA as LPL Financial’s primary regulator for futures and commodities trading activities.

The SEC, FINRA, DOL, CFTC, NFA, OCC, various securities and futures exchanges and other United States and state-level governmental or regulatory authorities continuously review legislative and regulatory initiatives and may adopt new or revised laws, regulations or interpretations. There can be no assurance that other federal or state agencies will not attempt to further regulate our business or that specific interactions with foreign countries or foreign nationals will not trigger regulation in non-U.S. law in particular circumstances. 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 and interpretations 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, supervisory and risk management personnel. We cannot assure you that our systems and procedures are, or have been, effective in complying with all applicable laws, rules and regulations and interpretations. In particular, the diversity of information security regulatory environments in which our services are offered makes it difficult to ensure a uniformly robust level of compliance. Regulators have in the past raised, and may in the future raise, concerns with respect to the quality, consistency or oversight of certain aspects of our compliance systems and programs and our past or future compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations.

As of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we have a number of pending regulatory matters. For more information, see Note 14 - Commitments and Contingencies within the notes to the consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In August 2024, the Company received a request for information from the SEC regarding certain elements of the Company’s cash management program for corporate advisory accounts. On January 23, 2026, the SEC informed us that it had concluded its investigation and did not intend to recommend an enforcement action.

Violations of laws, rules or regulations and settlements in respect of alleged violations have in the past resulted in, and could in the future result in, legal liability, censures, penalties and fines, disgorgement of profits, restitution to customers, remediation, the issuance of cease-and-desist orders or injunctive or other equitable relief against us, which individually or in the aggregate could negatively impact our financial results or adversely affect our ability to attract or retain financial advisors and institutions. Depending on the nature of the violation, we may be required to offer restitution or remediation to customers, and the costs of doing so could exceed our loss reserves.

We have established a captive insurance subsidiary that underwrites insurance for various regulatory and legal risks, although self-insurance coverage is not available for all matters, and may not be sufficient to protect us from losses we may incur. For more information about the potential limits of our insurance coverage, including our self-insurance coverage, see “Our insurance coverage may be expensive, and losses we incur may exceed the limits of our coverage, or may not be covered at all” above.

Regulatory developments could adversely affect our business by increasing our costs or making our business less profitable.

Our profitability could 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 standards of care applicable to investment advice and recommendations, taxation, the classification of our independent advisors as independent contractors rather than our employees, trading, electronic communication, privacy, data protection and anti-money laundering. Failure to comply with these rules and regulations 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.

New laws, rules and regulations, or changes to the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws, rules or regulations, could also result in limitations on the lines of business we conduct or plan to conduct, modifications to our current or future business practices, compressed margins, increased capital requirements and additional costs. The regulatory environment continues to evolve, with the potential to increase the complexity of operating our business. This includes overlapping state and federal rules and guidance that impose requirements on varying segments of our business, such as interpretations regarding standards of care. These developments could negatively impact our results, including by increasing our expenditures related to legal, compliance, and information technology and could result in other costs, including greater risks of client lawsuits and enforcement activity by regulators. These changes may also affect the array of products and services we offer to clients and the compensation that we and our advisors receive in connection with such products and services.

It is unclear how and whether other regulators, including the SEC, FINRA, DOL, banking regulators and other state securities and insurance regulators may respond to, or enforce elements of, these new regulations, or develop their own similar laws and regulations. The impacts, degree and timing of the effect of these laws and future regulations on our business cannot now be anticipated or planned for, and may have further impacts on our products and services and the results of operations. Consult the “Retirement Plan Services Regulation” section within Part I, “Item 1. Business” for specific information about risks associated with DOL regulations and related exemptions and their potential impact on our operations.

In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act enacted wide-ranging changes in the supervision and regulation of the financial industry designed to provide for greater oversight of financial industry participants, reduce risk in banking practices and in securities and derivatives trading, enhance public company corporate governance practices and executive compensation disclosures and provide for greater protections to individual consumers and investors. Certain elements of the Dodd-Frank Act remain subject to implementing regulations that are yet to be adopted by the applicable regulatory agencies. Compliance with these provisions could require us to review our product and service offerings for potential changes and would likely result in increased compliance costs. Moreover, to the extent the Dodd-Frank Act, or other existing or new laws and regulations affect 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. It is not possible to determine the extent of the impact of any new laws, regulations or initiatives that may be imposed, or whether any existing proposals will become law. New laws or regulations could make compliance more difficult and expensive and affect the manner in which we conduct business.

Likewise, federal and state standards prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability in public accommodations and employment, including those related to the Americans with Disabilities Act, are evolving to require an increasing number of public spaces, including web-based applications, to be made accessible to the disabled. As a result, we could be required to make modifications to our internet-based applications or to our other client- or advisor-facing technologies, including our website, to provide enhanced or accessible service to, or make reasonable accommodations for, disabled persons. This adaptation of our websites and web-based applications and materials could result in increased costs and may affect the products and services we provide. Failure to comply with federal or state standards could result in litigation, including class action lawsuits.

In sum, our profitability may be adversely affected by current and future rulemaking and enforcement activity by the various federal, state and self-regulatory organizations to which we are subject. The effect of these regulatory developments on our business cannot now be anticipated or planned for, but may have further impacts on our products and services and results of operations.

We are subject to various regulatory requirements, which, if not complied with, could result in the restriction of the conduct or growth 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 or a material change in business operations, as it was in 2024. This application process is time-consuming and may not be successful. As a result, we may be prevented from entering into or acquiring 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. FINRA Rule 1017 generally provides, among other things, that FINRA approval must be obtained in connection with any transaction resulting in a 25% or more change in the ownership of a FINRA member that results in one person or entity directly or indirectly owning or controlling 25% or more of such member. 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 or material change in business operations of us or a FINRA member that we seek to acquire. As a result of these regulations, our future efforts to sell shares, raise additional capital or participate in acquisition activity may be delayed, prohibited or limited.

In addition, the SEC, FINRA, CFTC, OCC and NFA have extensive rules and regulations with respect to capital requirements. Our registered broker-dealer subsidiaries, including LPL Financial, are subject to the Uniform Net Capital Rule under the Exchange Act, and related requirements of SROs. 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 subsidiaries, including LPL Financial, could be restricted in the event they experience a net capital shortfall, which in turn could limit our ability to repay debt, redeem or repurchase shares of our outstanding stock or pay dividends. A large operating loss or charge against net capital could also adversely affect our ability to expand or maintain our present levels of business.

Failure to comply with ERISA regulations and certain tax-qualified plan laws and regulations could result in penalties against us.

As discussed above, we are subject to ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code, and to regulations promulgated thereunder, insofar as we provide services with respect to plan clients, or otherwise deal with plans, participants and certain types of investment/savings accounts 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 the related rules or interpretations) and prohibits certain transactions involving plans subject to ERISA and fiduciaries or other service providers to such plans. Non-compliance with or breaches of these provisions may expose an ERISA fiduciary or other service provider to liability under ERISA, which may include monetary and criminal penalties as well as equitable remedies for the affected plan. Section 4975 of the Code prohibits certain transactions involving “plans” (as defined in Section 4975(e)(1)), which include, for example, IRAs and certain Keogh plans and other qualified savings accounts, and service providers, including fiduciaries (as defined in Section 4975(e)(3)), to such plans. Section 4975 also imposes excise taxes for violations of these prohibitions. Our failure to comply with ERISA and the Code could result in significant penalties against us that could have a material adverse effect on our business or severely limit the extent to which we could act as fiduciaries for or provide services to these plans.

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, storage 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, support our regulatory compliance and reporting functions, and better serve advisors and their clients. Our continued success will depend, in part, upon our ability to continue to invest significant resources on our technology systems in order to:

• successfully maintain and upgrade the capabilities and resiliency of our systems;
• address the needs of our advisors and their clients by using technology to provide products and services that satisfy their demands while ensuring the security of the data involving those products and services;
• use technology effectively and securely to support our regulatory compliance and reporting functions;
• comply with the changing landscape of laws and regulations that govern protection of personally identifiable information; and
• retain skilled information technology employees.

Extraordinary trading volumes, malware, ransomware or attempts by hackers to introduce large volumes of fraudulent transactions into our systems, 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 or failure to effectively upgrade those systems, implement new technology-driven products or services, or implement adequate disaster recovery capabilities, could result in financial losses, unanticipated disruptions in our service, liability to our advisors or advisors’ clients, compliance failures, regulatory sanctions and damage to our reputation.

We continually update our technology platform with the goal of improving its reliability, resiliency, security and functionality, including in connection with regulatory requirements, acquisitions and strategic relationships. While we seek to implement these updates with no or limited interruption to our operations or the availability of our systems, we may not be successful and resulting interruptions could be widespread, lengthy, or both. Even if no interruption occurs, these updates may not result in the benefits to our systems that we contemplate. For example, we are upgrading our technology systems in connection with our current and future business development opportunities, acquisitions, investments and strategic relationships. These efforts involve a significant investment of financial and personnel resources and we cannot guarantee that these upgrades or the investments that support them will be completed successfully, on time or at all, or that they will not result in interruptions to the availability of our technology systems or business operations. More generally, our failure to upgrade our systems successfully could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as our ability to achieve our growth objectives. For more information about risks related to upgrading our technology platform, see “Failure to maintain technological capabilities, flaws in existing technology, difficulties in upgrading our technology platform or the introduction of a competitive platform could have material adverse effect on our business” below.

Our operations rely on the secure processing, storage and transmission of confidential and other proprietary information in our computer systems and networks, including personally identifiable information of advisors and their clients, as well as our employees. Although we take protective measures and endeavor to strengthen the security and resiliency of these systems, our computer systems, software and networks are vulnerable to information breaches, unauthorized access, human error, computer viruses, denial-of-service attacks, malicious code, spam attacks, phishing, ransomware or other forms of social engineering and other events that could impact the security, reliability, confidentiality, integrity and availability of our systems (collectively, “Security Events”). To the extent third parties, such as product sponsors and financial institutions, also retain similarly sensitive information about our advisors, their clients or our employees, their systems may face similar vulnerabilities that could result in Security Events for us. We are not able to protect against these Security Events completely given the rapid evolution of new vulnerabilities, the complex and distributed nature of our systems, our interdependence on the systems of other companies and the increased sophistication of potential attack vectors and methods against our systems. In particular, advisors work in a wide variety of environments, and although we require our advisors to maintain certain minimum security levels and adopt certain security procedures by policy, we cannot ensure the universal or consistent compliance with these policies across all of our advisors, or that our policy will be adequate to address the evolving threat environment. If one or more of these Security Events occur, they could jeopardize our own, our advisors’ or their clients’, or our counterparties’ confidential and other proprietary 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. As a result, we could be subject to litigation, client loss, reputational harm, regulatory sanctions and financial losses that are either not insured or are not fully covered through any insurance we maintain. If any person, including any of our employees or advisors, negligently disregards or intentionally breaches our established controls with respect to confidential client data or other confidential information or non-public personal information, or otherwise mismanages or misappropriates that data or information, we could also be subject to significant monetary damages, regulatory enforcement actions, fines and/or criminal prosecution in one or more jurisdictions.

We currently, and may in the future use, develop and incorporate systems and tools that leverage artificial intelligence and other machine learning and large language models, including generative artificial intelligence (collectively, “AI”), within our technology platform and services. The use of AI could exacerbate existing risks or create new and unpredictable risks to our business, which could impact the markets in which we operate or subject us to increased competition and regulation. The development, adoption and application of AI technologies are still in their early stages, and ineffective or inadequate AI governance, development or deployment practices by us or by third-party developers or vendors could result in unintended consequences, and may not yield the benefits, insights and efficiencies that we or others anticipate. For example, AI algorithms that we use may be flawed or may be based on datasets that are biased or insufficient and could produce inaccurate, incomplete, or ineffective results, any of which could result in operational and reputational harm. While we aim to develop and use AI responsibly and attempt to identify and mitigate technological, ethical and legal issues presented by its use, we may be unsuccessful in identifying or resolving such issues before they arise. Any latency, disruption, or failure in our AI and related systems or infrastructure could result in delays or errors in our products and services that rely on AI. Developing, testing, and deploying resource-intensive AI systems may require additional investment and increase our costs. There also may be real or perceived social harm, unfairness, or other outcomes that undermine public confidence in the use and deployment of AI. Further, our external third-party service providers may fail to use AI appropriately. Although we conduct diligence on our external service providers and, when appropriate, seek contractual protections from them to mitigate AI-related risks, we are not able to control how our advisors or external service providers develop, maintain or use their AI systems, nor do we have control over their use or disclosure of data with such AI systems, which can include material non-public information or personal identifiable information. Any of the foregoing may result in harm to our business, results of operations, or reputation.

The legal and regulatory landscape surrounding AI is rapidly evolving and remains uncertain, including in the areas of intellectual property, cybersecurity, privacy and data protection, as well as consumer protection, competition and equal opportunity laws. For example, there is uncertainty around the validity and enforceability of intellectual property rights related to use, development and deployment of AI. Compliance with new or changing laws, regulations or industry standards relating to AI may impose significant operational costs and may limit our ability to use, develop, or deploy AI. Failure to appropriately respond to this evolving landscape may result in legal liability, regulatory action or brand and reputational harm.

Our information technology systems may be vulnerable to security risks.

The secure and reliable transmission of confidential information, including financial account information and personally identifiable 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, our advisors and our employees, as well as proprietary information relating to our business operations. The risks related to transmitting data and using service providers outside of and storing or processing data within our network are increasing based on escalating and complex malicious cyber activity, including activity that originates outside of the United States from criminal elements and foreign state actors.

Cybersecurity requires ongoing investment and diligence against evolving threats and is subject to federal and state regulation relating to the protection of confidential information. We may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify our protective measures, to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures, to make required notifications, to restore our systems and fully recover from a Security Event, or to update our technologies, websites and web-based applications to comply with industry and regulatory standards, but we may not have adequate personnel, financial or other resources to fully meet these threats and evolving standards. We will also be required to effectively and efficiently govern, manage and ensure timely enhancements to our systems, including in their design, architecture and interconnections as well as their organizational and technical protections. The SEC has adopted new cybersecurity regulations for broker-dealers and investment advisers, and other new regulations may be promulgated by relevant federal and state authorities at any time. In addition, compliance with regulatory expectations may become increasingly complex as more state regulatory authorities issue or amend regulations, which sometimes conflict, governing handling of confidential information by companies within their jurisdiction. Several states have promulgated cybersecurity requirements that impact our compliance obligations. Compliance with these regulations also could be costly and disruptive to our operations, and we cannot provide assurance that the impact of these regulations would not, either individually or collectively, be material to our business.

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 or malicious computer code, we or our advisors could experience data loss, operational disruptions, financial loss, harm to reputation, regulatory violations, class action and commercial litigation and significant business interruption or loss. In addition, vulnerabilities of our external service providers or within our software supply chain could pose security risks to the confidential information of advisors and their clients. If any such disruption or failure occurs, or is perceived to have occurred, we or our advisors may be exposed to unexpected liability, advisors or their clients may withdraw assets, our reputation may be harmed and there could be a material adverse effect on our business. Further, any actual or perceived data breach or cybersecurity attack directed at other financial institutions or financial services companies, whether or not we are targeted, could lead to a general loss of customer confidence in the use of technology to conduct financial transactions, which could negatively impact us, including the market perception of the effectiveness of our security measures and technology infrastructure. The occurrence of any of these events may have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations.

Even though we monitor and seek to improve the security of our information technology systems, they remain vulnerable to security risks, and there can be no guarantee that they will not be subject to unauthorized access. We rely on our advisors and employees to comply with our policies and procedures and to implement controls to safeguard confidential data, but we remain exposed to the risk of malicious or negligent acts by insiders. The failure of our advisors and employees to comply with such policies and procedures, either intentionally or unintentionally, could result in the loss or wrongful use of their clients’ confidential information or other sensitive information, as well as infiltration of our systems, system failures or outages or loss of confidential or proprietary information. In addition, even if we and our advisors comply with our policies and procedures, persons who circumvent security measures or bypass authentication controls could infiltrate or damage our systems or facilities and wrongfully use our confidential information or clients’ confidential information or cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations. Cyber-attacks can be designed to collect information, manipulate, destroy or corrupt data, applications, accounts, or to disable the functioning or use of applications or technology assets. Such activity could, among other things:

• damage our reputation;
• allow competitors or hackers access to our proprietary business information;
• disrupt the normal operations of our services and technology;
• subject us to liability for a failure to safeguard client data;
• result in the termination of relationships with our advisors;
• subject us to regulatory sanctions or obligations, based on state law or the authority of the SEC and FINRA to enforce regulations regarding business continuity planning or cybersecurity;
• subject us to litigation by consumers, advisors or other business partners that may suffer damages as a result of such activity;
• result in inaccurate financial data reporting; and
• require significant capital and operating expenditures to investigate and remediate a breach.

As malicious cyber activity becomes more complex and escalates, including activity that originates outside of the United States, the risks we face relating to transmission of data and our use of service providers outside of our network, as well as the storing or processing of data within our network, intensify. While we maintain cyber liability insurance, this insurance does not cover certain types of potential losses and, for covered losses, may not be sufficient in amount to protect us against all such losses.

A cyber-attack or other security breach of our technology systems or those of our advisors or third-party vendors could negatively impact our normal operations, and as a result, subject us to significant liability and harm our reputation.

We cannot be certain that our systems and networks will not be subject to successful attacks, despite the measures we have taken and may take in the future to address and mitigate cybersecurity, privacy and technology risks. Additionally, in the course of operations, we rely upon the technology systems of, and share sensitive proprietary information and personal data with, vendors, third parties and other financial institutions, and our off-shore subsidiary, some of which may store and process data off-shore. Storing data off-shore can lead to increased cybersecurity risks, as international jurisdictions have varying cybersecurity laws, regulations and practices which can result in lower security standards. Additionally, data being stored off-shore can mean that we and the third parties have reduced visibility and control over the security of the data. Transfers of personal data internationally can also trigger certain data protection legal requirements, including to ensure that safeguards are in place in relation to such transfers. We also rely upon software and data feeds from various third parties. Although we have a third-party risk management program and conduct due diligence regarding cybersecurity and data protection practices before integrating our systems or sharing sensitive data with third-party vendors, this due diligence may not uncover administrative, technical or electronic gaps or flaws in their processes or systems. In the past, we and third parties on whose systems we rely have experienced Security Events that have resulted in the temporary interruption of our operations, breach notification costs and reputational harm with regulators, current and potential advisors, and advisors’ clients, and we may experience similar or more significant events in the future. Future Security Events involving individual and regulatory notifications could lead to litigation involving other financial institutions, class actions, regulatory investigations or other harm, both financial and reputational.

Security Events within the financial services industry are increasing, and threat actors continue to find novel ways to attack technology platforms and services, including our information systems and those of our advisors and third-party vendors. The use of AI by malicious third parties may also increase the sophistication and effectiveness of cybersecurity attacks that we experience in the future. In light of the diversity of our advisors’ security environments and the increasing sophistication of malicious actors, a Security Event could occur and persist for an extended period of time without detection. We expect that any investigation of a Security Event could take substantial amounts of time, and that there may be extensive delays before we obtain full and reliable information and otherwise resume normal operations. In some cases, circumstances of a Security Event may be such that complete and reliable information about its cause, scope and nature may not be available as we attempt to respond to it. During such time we would not necessarily know the extent of the harm or how best to remediate it, and certain errors or actions could be repeated or compounded before they are discovered and remediated, all of which would further increase the costs and consequences of such a Security Event.

These Security Events could involve operational disruptions, notification costs, ransom payments and reputational harm, investigations, litigation and fines with regulators, and increases in insurance premiums as well as litigation, financial disputes and reputational harm with current and potential advisors and advisors’ clients.

Failure to comply with the complex privacy and data protection laws and regulations to which we are subject could result in adverse action from regulators and adversely affect our business, reputation, results of operations and financial condition.

Many aspects of our business are subject to comprehensive legal requirements concerning the collection, use and sharing of personal information, including advisor, client and employee information. This includes rules adopted pursuant to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and an ever-increasing number of state laws and regulations, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act and NYSDFS Part 500. Similar laws are in force in several other states, and other such laws are expected to go into force over the next few years. This also includes the DOJ’s Data Security program that restricts, and in some cases prohibits, access by certain countries of concern or foreign entities to certain data, even if those data are de-identified, anonymized, or encrypted. We continue our efforts to safeguard the personal information entrusted to us in accordance with applicable law and our internal data protection policies, including taking steps to reduce the potential for the improper use or disclosure of personal information. We continue to monitor regulations related to data privacy and protection on both a domestic and international level to assess requirements and impacts on our business operations. The evolving patchwork of differing state and federal privacy and data security laws increases the cost and complexity of operating our business and our exposure to regulatory investigations, enforcement, fines, and penalties, any of which could negatively impact our business and operations. Failure to comply with these obligations could result in damage to our reputation and legal liability, censures, penalties and fines, disgorgement of profits, restitution to customers, remediation, the issuance of cease-and-desist orders, or injunctive or other equitable relief against us, as well as the need to continually invest significant management time and expense to improve compliance, which individually or in the aggregate could negatively impact our financial results or adversely affect our ability to attract or retain financial advisors and institutions. Depending on the nature of the violation, we may be required to offer restitution or remediation to customers, and the costs of doing so could exceed our loss reserves.

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

• securities trading and custody;
• portfolio management;
• performance reporting;
• customer service;
• accounting and internal financial processes and controls; and
• regulatory compliance and reporting.

Our continued success depends on our ability to effectively adopt new or adapt existing technologies to meet changing client, industry and regulatory demands. The emergence of new industry standards and practices could render our existing systems obsolete or uncompetitive. There cannot be any assurance that another company will not design a similar or better platform that renders our technology less competitive.

Maintaining competitive technology requires us to make significant capital investments, both in the near term and longer-term. There cannot be any assurance that we will have sufficient resources to adequately update and expand our information technology systems or capabilities, or offer our services on the personal and mobile computing devices that may be preferred by our advisors and/or their clients, nor can there be any assurance that any upgrade or expansion efforts will be sufficiently timely, successful, secure and accepted by our current and prospective advisors or their clients. The process of upgrading and expanding our systems has at times caused, and may in the future cause, us to suffer system degradations, outages and failures. 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 breakdown in advisors’ systems could have similar effects. 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. Security, stability and regulatory risks also exist because parts of our infrastructure and software are beyond their manufacturer’s stated end of life. We are working to mitigate such risks through additional controls and increased modernization spending, although we cannot provide assurance that our risk mitigation efforts will be effective, in whole or in part. For more information about risks related to upgrading our technology, see “We rely on technology in our business, and technology and execution failures could subject us to losses, litigation and regulatory actions” above.

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

We have made significant investments 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, ransomware attack, human error, loss of power, computer and/or 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. In addition, we depend on the adequacy of the business continuity and disaster recovery plans of our third-party service providers, including off-shore service providers, in order to prevent or mitigate service interruptions. If our business continuity and disaster recovery plans and procedures, or those of our third-party service providers, were disrupted or unsuccessful in the event of a catastrophe, we could experience a material adverse interruption of our operations.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

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 may fluctuate substantially due to the following factors (in addition to the other risk factors described in this Item 1A):

• actual or anticipated fluctuations in our results of operations, including with regard to interest rates or revenue associated with our client cash programs;
• variance in our financial performance from the expectations of equity research analysts;
• conditions and trends in the markets we serve;
• announcements of significant new services or products by us or our competitors;
• additions or changes to key personnel;
• the commencement or outcome of litigation or arbitration proceedings;
• the commencement or outcome of regulatory actions, including settlements with the SEC, FINRA, DOL or state securities regulators;
• changes in market valuation or earnings of our competitors;
• the trading volume of our common stock;
• future sales of our equity securities;
• changes in the estimation of the future size and growth rate of our markets;
• legislation or regulatory policies, practices or actions, including developments related to the “best interest” and “fiduciary” standards of care;
• political developments, including elections and appointments; and
• general economic conditions.

In addition, the equity 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 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.

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has no direct operations and derives all of its cash flow from its direct and indirect 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 LPL Financial Holdings Inc. 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 subsidiaries. For more information about potential limits on our ability to receive dividends from our broker-dealer subsidiaries, see “We are subject to various regulatory requirements, which, if not complied with, could result in the restriction of the conduct or growth of our business” above.

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

Our Board declared quarterly cash dividends on our outstanding common stock in 2025 and has authorized us to repurchase shares of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares of common stock; however, the Company paused share repurchases in early 2025 as a result of the Commonwealth acquisition. The declaration and payment of any future quarterly cash dividend or any additional repurchase authorizations will be subject to the Board’s 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 our Credit Agreement, the Indentures and applicable law. Such determinations will depend upon a number of factors that the Board deems relevant, including future earnings, the success of our business activities, capital requirements, alternative uses of capital, general economic, financial and business conditions, and the future prospects of our business.

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 and repurchase shares is dependent on the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends, including compliance with limitations under our Credit Agreement and the Indentures. Our broker-dealer subsidiaries, including LPL Financial, are subject to requirements of the SEC, FINRA, CFTC, NFA 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.

Cybersecurity Risk Management and Strategy

We maintain an information security program (the “Program”) to help manage material risks and cybersecurity threats to our business, operations and assets. As part of our Program, we maintain policies, procedures and standards that outline the Company’s expectations, guidelines and structured approach to managing cybersecurity risks. We leverage established security frameworks, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework, as guides to organize, assess and improve our Program. In addition, our employees are required to complete a cybersecurity and privacy training program each year, which is supplemented with additional awareness efforts, including phishing campaigns and informational articles.

We operate a security operation center to ingest threat intelligence, monitor for cybersecurity threats and coordinate incident response resources. In the event of a cybersecurity incident, the Company has developed a security incident response plan that establishes a structured approach for the Company’s response. The security incident response plan includes processes through which cybersecurity incidents are escalated based on a defined incident risk rating to business stakeholders and a security incident response team, as well as to the Company’s executive officers, which may result in engagement with management’s risk oversight committee (the “ROC”), the Board and the Audit and Risk Committee of the Board (“ARC”), as needed. To improve preparedness for a cybersecurity incident, we conduct tabletop exercises at least annually. These exercises are conducted by internal personnel and with assistance from third-party experts, as needed.

Cybersecurity Governance

The Program is situated within the Company’s information security department, which is composed of multiple teams, including security operations, security architecture and engineering, technology governance, mergers and acquisitions information security, and advisor security. The information security department is led by the chief information security officer, who has primary responsibility for managing the Program. The current chief information security officer has over 20 years of experience in information security.

The Board, which includes a director with cybersecurity expertise, has delegated responsibility for primary oversight of the Program to the ARC, including oversight of the Company’s cyber- and technology-related risks and the steps management has taken to identify, assess, monitor, and manage those risks. In addition, the Board has established a reporting structure and cadence related to oversight of the Program, which includes respective oversight responsibilities for the Board, the ARC and management risk committees, including the Technology Risk Committee, the Operational Risk Oversight Committee and the Risk Oversight Committee. Each of the Board and the ARC receive periodic reports on the Program’s effectiveness and progress on at least an annual basis.

The assessment, identification and management of cybersecurity-related risks are integrated into the Company’s overall Enterprise Risk Management (“ERM”) process. Technology risk, which includes cybersecurity risk, is included among the significant residual risks identified during the Company’s assessment of business risk. This risk assessment process is used to inform the Company’s strategic planning process, and to develop action plans to appropriately address and manage risk. It is also used to focus our Board and its committees on the most significant risks to the Company. In addition, the enterprise risk function has established foundational frameworks for assessing, monitoring and overseeing the Company’s risks, including risks from cybersecurity threats. This includes reporting on issues, risk events or incidents and emerging risks to applicable risk committees to provide monitoring of key risk exposures.

Engagement of Third Parties

We engage third-party subject matter experts and consultants to conduct evaluations of our security controls, including, but not limited to, penetration testing, maturity assessments or consulting on our response to emerging threats. Results of these evaluations are used to help determine priorities and initiatives to improve the overall Program. As necessary, we also engage third-party experts and consultants to assist with the incident response process to augment our internal security operation center team.

We use a third-party risk performance management program to evaluate cybersecurity risk for third-party service providers. Vendor cybersecurity controls are then assessed to determine if the vendor’s control environment meets the Company’s standards. Vendors are also assessed on a periodic ongoing basis according to their risk classification.

We have not identified any cybersecurity incidents that individually, or in the aggregate, have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect the Company. Regardless, we recognize cybersecurity threats are ongoing and evolving, and there can be no guarantee that we will not be subject to a cybersecurity incident that has a material effect on our business. Please consult the “Risks Related to Our Technology” section within Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” for more information about the risks associated with cybersecurity.

A summary of our significant locations at December 31, 2025 is shown in the following table:

We also lease smaller administrative and operational offices in various locations throughout the United States. 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.

From time to time, we have been subjected to and are currently subject to legal and regulatory proceedings arising out of our business operations, including lawsuits, arbitration claims and inquiries, investigations and enforcement proceedings initiated by the SEC, FINRA and state securities regulators, as well as other actions and claims.

For a discussion of legal proceedings, see Note 14 - Commitments and Contingencies within the notes to the consolidated financial statements and Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the notes to those consolidated financial statements included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve significant risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, such as those set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Please also refer to the section under heading “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Business Overview

We are a leader in the advisor-mediated marketplace as the nation’s largest independent broker-dealer, a leading investment advisory firm, and a top custodian. We serve independent financial advisors and institutions, providing them with the technology solutions, brokerage and advisory platforms, clearing services, compliance services, consultative practice management programs and training, business services and planning and advice services, and in-house research they need to run successful businesses. We enable them to provide personalized financial guidance to millions of American families seeking wealth management, retirement planning, financial planning and asset management solutions. Please consult Part I, “Item 1. Business” for information related to our business activities.

Our Sources of Revenue

Our revenue is derived primarily from fees and commissions from products and advisory services offered by our advisors to their clients, a substantial portion of which we pay out to our advisors, as well as fees we receive from our advisors for the use of our technology, custody, clearing, trust and reporting platforms. We also generate asset-based revenue through our insured bank sweep vehicles, money market account balances and the access we provide to a variety of product providers with the following product lines:

Under our self-clearing platform, we custody the majority of client assets invested in these financial products, for which we provide statements, transaction processing and ongoing account management. In return for these services, mutual funds, insurance companies, banks and other financial product sponsors pay us fees based on asset levels or number of accounts managed. We also earn interest from margin loans made to our advisors’ clients, cash and equivalents segregated under federal or other regulations, advisor repayable loans and operating cash, which is included in interest income, net in the consolidated statements of income. A portion of our revenue is not asset-based or correlated with the equity financial markets.

We regularly review various aspects of our operations and service offerings, including our policies, procedures and platforms, in response to marketplace developments. We seek to continuously improve and enhance aspects of our operations and service offerings in order to position our advisors for long-term growth and to align with competitive and regulatory developments. For example, we regularly review the structure and fees of our products and services, including related disclosures, in the context of the changing regulatory environment and competitive landscape for advisory and brokerage accounts.

Significant Events

Closed on the acquisition of Commonwealth Financial Network

On August 1, 2025, the Company closed on the acquisition of Commonwealth, a privately-held independent wealth management firm headquartered in Massachusetts, for a cash payment of approximately $2.7 billion. As part of the transaction, Commonwealth will transition its advisory and brokerage assets to the Company’s platform. The Company expects to complete the conversion in the fourth quarter of 2026. Commonwealth's results were included in the Company's consolidated statements of income from August 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025 and consolidated statements of financial condition as of December 31, 2025. See Note 4 - Acquisitions within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.

Completed offerings of $2.75 billion of debt and $1.7 billion of equity

On February 26, 2025, the Company completed the issuance and sale of $750.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.200% senior unsecured notes due 2030 and $500.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.650% senior unsecured notes due 2035. On April 3, 2025, the Company completed the issuance and sale of $500.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 4.900% senior unsecured notes due 2028, $500.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.150% senior unsecured notes due 2030 and $500.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.750% senior unsecured notes due 2035. See Note 11 - Corporate Debt and Other Borrowings, Net within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.

On April 2, 2025, the Company completed a public offering of approximately 5.4 million shares of the Company’s common stock at an offering price of $320.00 per share. See Note 15 - Stockholders’ Equity within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.

Executive Summary

Financial Highlights

Results for the year ended December 31, 2025 included net income of $0.9 billion, or $10.92 per diluted share, which compares to $1.1 billion, or $14.03 per diluted share, for the year ended December 31, 2024.

Asset Trends

Total advisory and brokerage assets served were $2.4 trillion at December 31, 2025, compared to $1.7 trillion at December 31, 2024. Total net new assets were $431.5 billion for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $235.6 billion for the same period in 2024.

Net new advisory assets were $317.4 billion for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $137.8 billion in 2024. Advisory assets were $1,392.7 billion, or 58.8% of total advisory and brokerage assets served, at December 31, 2025, up 46% from $957.0 billion at December 31, 2024.

Net new brokerage assets were $114.1 billion for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $97.8 billion in 2024. Brokerage assets were $977.9 billion at December 31, 2025, up 25% from $783.7 billion at December 31, 2024.

Gross Profit Trend

Gross profit, a non-GAAP financial measure, was $5.6 billion for the year ended December 31, 2025, an increase of 24% from $4.5 billion for the year ended December 31, 2024. See the “Key Performance Metrics” section for additional information on gross profit.

Common Stock Dividends and Share Repurchases

During the year ended December 31, 2025, we paid stockholders cash dividends of $94.4 million and repurchased 289,371 of our outstanding shares for a total of $100.0 million.

Key Performance Metrics

We focus on several key metrics in evaluating the success of our business relationships and our resulting financial position and operating performance. Our key operating, business and financial metrics are as follows:

41

(1) Totals may not foot due to rounding.

(2) Consists of total advisory and brokerage assets under custody at the Company’s primary broker-dealer subsidiary, LPL Financial, as well as assets under custody of a third-party custodian related to CES and Atria’s introducing broker-dealer subsidiaries. Please consult the “Results of Operations” section for a tabular presentation of advisory and brokerage assets.

(3) Consists of total client deposits into advisory or brokerage accounts less total client withdrawals from advisory or brokerage accounts, plus dividends, plus interest, minus advisory fees. We consider conversions from and to brokerage or advisory accounts as deposits and withdrawals, respectively.

(4) Calculated as annualized current period organic net new assets divided by preceding period assets in their respective categories of advisory assets or total advisory and brokerage assets.

(5) Represents the amount of securities purchased less the amount of securities sold in client accounts custodied with LPL Financial.

(6) Calculated based on the end of period total advisory and brokerage assets divided by the end of period advisor count.

(7) The leverage ratio is a financial metric from our Credit Agreement and is calculated by dividing Credit Agreement net debt, which equals consolidated total debt less Corporate Cash, by Credit Agreement EBITDA. Credit Agreement EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, is defined in the Credit Agreement as “Consolidated EBITDA,” which is Consolidated Net Income (as defined in the Credit Agreement) plus interest expense on borrowings, provision for income taxes, depreciation and amortization, and amortization of other intangibles, and is further adjusted to exclude certain non-cash charges and other adjustments, and to include future expected cost savings, operating expense reductions or other synergies from certain transactions. Please consult the “Debt and Related Covenants” section for more information. Below are reconciliations of corporate debt and other borrowings to Credit Agreement net debt as of the dates below and net income to EBITDA and Credit Agreement EBITDA for the periods presented (in millions):

(8) Adjusted EPS is a non-GAAP financial measure defined as adjusted net income, a non-GAAP financial measure defined as net income plus the after-tax impact of amortization of other intangibles, acquisition costs, certain regulatory charges, losses on extinguishment of debt and amounts related to the departure of the Company’s former CEO, divided by the weighted average number of diluted shares outstanding for the applicable period. The Company presents adjusted net income and adjusted EPS because management believes that these metrics can provide investors with useful insight into the Company’s core operating performance by excluding non-cash items, acquisition costs and certain other charges that management does not believe impact the Company’s ongoing operations. Adjusted net income and adjusted EPS are not measures of the Company's financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as alternatives to net income, earnings per diluted share or any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP. Below is a reconciliation of net income and earnings per diluted share to adjusted net income and adjusted EPS for the periods presented (in millions, except per share data):

(9) Gross profit is a non-GAAP financial measure defined as total revenue less advisory and commission expense; brokerage, clearing and exchange expense; and market fluctuations on employee deferred compensation. All other expense categories, including depreciation and amortization of property and equipment and amortization of other intangibles, are considered by management to be general and administrative in nature. Because our gross profit amounts do not include any depreciation and amortization expense, we consider our gross profit amounts to be non-GAAP financial measures that may not be comparable to those of others in our industry. We believe that gross profit amounts can provide investors with useful insight into our core operating performance before indirect costs that are general and administrative in nature. Below is a calculation of gross profit for the periods presented (in millions):

(10) EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures. EBITDA is defined as net income plus interest expense on borrowings, provision for income taxes, depreciation and amortization, and amortization of other intangibles. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as EBITDA plus acquisition costs excluding interest, certain regulatory charges, losses on extinguishment of debt, and amounts related to the departure of the Company’s former CEO. The Company presents EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA because management believes that they can be useful financial metrics in understanding the Company’s earnings from operations. EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are not measures of the Company's financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as alternatives to net income or any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP. Below is a reconciliation of net income to EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented (in millions):

(11) Core G&A is a non-GAAP financial measure defined as total expense less the following expenses: advisory and commission; depreciation and amortization; interest expense on borrowings; amortization of other intangibles; brokerage, clearing and exchange; market fluctuations on employee deferred compensation; losses on extinguishment of debt; promotional (ongoing); regulatory charges; employee share-based compensation; acquisition costs excluding interest and transition assistance loan amortization. Management presents core G&A because it believes core G&A reflects the corporate expense categories over which management can generally exercise a measure of control, compared with expense items over which management either cannot exercise control, such as advisory and commission expense, or which management views as promotional expense necessary to support advisor growth and retention, including conferences and transition assistance. Core G&A is not a measure of the Company’s total expense as calculated in accordance with GAAP. Below is a reconciliation of the Company’s total expense to core G&A for the periods presented (in millions):

(12) See the “Liquidity and Capital Resources” section for additional information about Corporate Cash.

(13) Acquisition costs and other for the twelve months ending December 31, 2025 and 2024 primarily include costs related to acquisitions and the integration of the strategic relationship with Prudential. Acquisition costs and other for the twelve months ending December 31, 2024 also includes a $26.4 million reduction related to the departure of the Company’s former Chief Executive Officer and an $18.0 million regulatory charge related to a penalty proposed by the SEC as part of its civil investigation of the Company’s compliance with certain elements of the Company’s anti-money laundering compliance program.

(14) The Company recorded an $18.0 million regulatory charge for the year ended December 31, 2024 related to a penalty proposed by the SEC as part of its civil investigation of the Company’s compliance with certain elements of the Company’s anti-money laundering compliance program.

(15) M&A accretion is an adjustment to reflect the annualized expected run rate EBITDA of an acquisition as permitted by the Credit Agreement for up to eight fiscal quarters following the close of such acquisition.

(16) Acquisition costs include the costs to setup, onboard and integrate acquired entities and other costs that were incurred as a result of acquisitions. The below table summarizes the primary components of acquisition costs for the periods presented (in millions):

(17) The departure of the Company’s former CEO resulted in other income of $26.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 related to the clawback of share-based compensation awards, which was offset by share-based compensation expense of $12.0 million related to the modification of certain stock options that were retained as part of the settlement agreement that the Company reached with the former CEO. See Note 16 - Share-Based Compensation, Employee Incentives and Benefit Plans within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.

(18) During the fourth quarter of 2025, the Company updated its definition of Promotional (ongoing) to exclude transition assistance loan amortization. As a result, transition assistance loan amortization is now disclosed as a separate line in Core G&A. Prior period disclosures have been updated to reflect these changes as applicable.

(19) Promotional (ongoing) for the years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024 includes $74.7 million and $46.6 million, respectively, of support costs related to full-time employees that are classified within compensation and benefits expense in the consolidated statements of income. Promotional (ongoing) for the years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024 excludes $86.0 million and $7.0 million, respectively, of expenses incurred as a result of acquisitions, which are included in the Acquisition costs line item.

(20) The Company incurred $419.0 million of acquisition costs at the Commonwealth closing. This primarily includes $228.4 million of costs related to transaction bonuses and the acceleration of unvested equity awards which were classified as Compensation and benefits and $190.1 million of costs related to certain contract termination fees which were classified as Occupancy and equipment.

Economic Overview and Impact of Financial Market Events

Our business is directly and indirectly sensitive to several macroeconomic factors and the state of the financial markets in the United States. The equity markets rose during the year ended December 31, 2025, reaching new heights, with the S&P 500 and Russell 2000 small cap index rising 17.9% and 11.3%, respectively.

Our business is also sensitive to current and expected short-term interest rates, which are largely driven by Federal Reserve (“Fed”) policy. During the fourth quarter of 2025, Fed policymakers lowered the target federal funds rate to a range of 3.50% to 3.75%. To the extent they pursue faster easing in monetary policy, the Federal Open Market Committee members will continue to take into account the evolving economic outlook and balance of risks.

Please consult the “Risks Related to Our Business and Industry” section within Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” for more information about the risks associated with significant interest rate changes and the potential related effects on our profitability and financial condition.

Results of Operations

A discussion of changes in our results of operations during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023 has been omitted from this Annual Report on Form 10-K, but may be found in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on February 20, 2025.

The following discussion presents an analysis of our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 (in thousands):

47

Revenue

Advisory

Advisory revenue represents fees charged to advisors’ clients’ advisory accounts on our corporate RIA advisory platform and is based on a percentage of the market value of the eligible assets in the clients’ advisory accounts. We provide ongoing investment advice and act as a custodian, providing brokerage and execution services on transactions, and perform administrative services for these accounts. Advisory fees are primarily billed to clients on a quarterly basis in advance, and are recognized as revenue ratably during the quarter. The performance obligation for advisory fees is considered a series of distinct services that are substantially the same and are satisfied daily. As the value of the eligible assets in an advisory account is susceptible to changes due to customer activity, this revenue includes variable consideration and is constrained until the date that the fees are determinable. The majority of these client accounts are on a calendar quarter and are billed using values as of the last business day of the preceding quarter. The value of the eligible assets in an advisory account on the billing date is adjusted for contributions and withdrawals during the period to determine the amount of revenue earned in the period. Advisory revenue collected on our corporate RIA advisory platform is proposed by the advisor and agreed to by the client and was approximately 1% of the underlying assets for the year ended December 31, 2025.

We also support independent RIA firms that conduct their business through our Independent RIA advisory platform, which allows advisors to engage us for technology, clearing and custody services, as well as access the capabilities of our investment platforms. The assets held under an Independent RIA’s investment advisory accounts custodied with LPL Financial are included in total advisory assets and net new advisory assets. However, the advisory revenue generated by an Independent RIA is not included in our advisory revenue. We charge separate fees to Independent RIAs for technology, clearing, administrative, oversight and custody services, which may vary and are included in our service and fee revenue in our consolidated statements of income.

The following table summarizes the composition of advisory assets for the periods presented (in billions):

Net new advisory assets are generated throughout the quarter, therefore, the full impact of net new advisory assets to advisory revenue is not realized in the same period. The following table summarizes activity impacting advisory assets for the periods presented (in billions):

(1) Net new advisory assets consist of total client deposits into custodied advisory accounts less total client withdrawals from custodied advisory accounts, plus dividends, plus interest, minus advisory fees. We consider conversions from and to brokerage accounts as deposits and withdrawals, respectively.

(2) Market impact is the difference between the beginning and ending asset balance less the net new asset amounts, representing the implied growth or decline in asset balances due to market changes over the same period of time.

Advisory revenue increased during the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to the same period in 2024, primarily due to assets and related revenue from the acquisition of Commonwealth, an increase in advisory asset balances and related market impacts.

Commission

We generate two types of commission revenue: (1) sales-based commissions that are recognized at the point of sale on the trade date and are based on a percentage of an investment product’s current market value at the time of purchase and (2) trailing commissions that are recognized over time as earned and are generally based on the market value of investment holdings in trail-eligible assets. Sales-based commission revenue, which occurs when clients trade securities or purchase various types of investment products, primarily represents gross commissions generated by our advisors and can vary from period to period based on the overall economic environment, number of trading days in the reporting period and investment activity of our advisors’ clients. We earn trailing commission revenue primarily on mutual funds and variable annuities held by clients of our advisors. See Note 3 - Revenue, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for further detail regarding our commission revenue by product category.

The following table sets forth the components of our commission revenue for the periods presented (in thousands):

The increase in sales-based commission revenue in 2025 compared to 2024 was primarily driven by an increase in sales of annuities due to increased activity with Prudential. The increase in trailing commission revenue in 2025 compared to 2024 was primarily due to continued growth in trail earning assets held by customers.

The following table summarizes activity impacting brokerage assets for the periods presented (in billions):

(1) Net new brokerage assets consist of total client deposits into brokerage accounts less total client withdrawals from brokerage accounts, plus dividends, plus interest. We consider conversions from and to advisory accounts as deposits and withdrawals, respectively.

(2) Market impact is the difference between the beginning and ending asset balance less the net new asset amounts, representing the implied growth or decline in asset balances due to market changes over the same period of time.

Asset-Based

Asset-based revenue consists of fees from our client cash programs, fees from our sponsorship programs with financial product manufacturers and fees from omnibus processing and networking services (collectively referred to as “recordkeeping”). Client cash revenue is generated on advisors’ clients’ cash balances in insured bank sweep accounts and money market accounts. We also receive fees from certain financial product manufacturers in connection with sponsorship programs that support our marketing and sales force education and training efforts. Compensation for these performance obligations is either a fixed fee, a percentage of the average annual amount of product sponsor assets held in advisors’ clients’ accounts, a percentage of new sales or a combination. Omnibus processing revenue is paid to us by mutual fund product sponsors or their affiliates and is based on the value of mutual fund assets in accounts for which the Company provides omnibus processing services and the number of accounts in which the related mutual fund positions are held. Networking revenue on brokerage assets is correlated to the number of positions we administer and is paid to us by mutual fund product sponsors and annuity product manufacturers.

Asset-based revenue for the year ended December 31, 2025 increased by $498.2 million compared to 2024, primarily due to an increase in other asset-based revenue. Other asset-based revenue increased by $267.0 million compared to 2024 primarily due to increases in recordkeeping and sponsorship program revenue. Client cash revenue for the year ended December 31, 2025 increased $231.3 million compared to 2024 primarily due to higher average client cash balances. For the year ended December 31, 2025, our average client cash balances increased to $50.9 billion compared to $44.5 billion for the year ended December 31, 2024.

Service and Fee

Service and fee revenue is generated from advisor and retail investor services, including technology, insurance, conferences, licensing, business services and planning and advice services, IRA custodian and other client account fees. We charge separate fees to RIAs on our Independent RIA advisory platform for technology, clearing, administrative, oversight and custody services, which may vary. We also host certain advisor conferences that serve as training, education, sales and marketing events for which we charge sponsors a fee. Service and fee revenue for the year ended December 31, 2025 increased by $100.4 million compared to 2024, primarily due to increases in custodian fees, trading, licensing, conference services and registration fees.

Transaction

Transaction revenue includes transaction charges generated in both advisory and brokerage accounts from mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and fixed income products. Transaction revenue for the year ended December 31, 2025 increased by $34.5 million compared to 2024, primarily due to increases in the number of transactions and transaction charges for managed assets.

Interest Income, net

Interest income is primarily generated from bank deposits, client margin loans, client cash account (“CCA”) balances segregated under federal or other regulations and advisor repayable loans. Interest income, net for the year ended December 31, 2025 increased by $44.0 million compared to 2024, primarily due to interest earned on overnight investment accounts driven by an increase in average daily balances.

Other

Other revenue primarily includes unrealized gains and losses on assets held by us in our advisor non-qualified deferred compensation plan and model research portfolios and other miscellaneous revenue, which is not generated from contracts with customers. Other revenue for the year ended December 31, 2025 increased by $28.2 million compared to 2024, primarily due to increases in dividend income on assets held in our advisor non-qualified deferred compensation plan.

Expense

Advisory and Commission

Advisory and commission expense consists of the following: payout amounts that are earned by and paid out to advisors and institutions based on advisory and commission revenue earned on each client’s account, production-based bonuses earned by advisors and institutions based on the levels of advisory and commission revenue they produce, compensation and benefits paid to employee advisors, share-based compensation expense from equity awards granted to advisors and institutions based on the fair value of the awards at grant date and the deferred advisory and commission fee expense associated with mark-to-market gains or losses on the non-qualified deferred compensation plan offered to our advisors.

The following table sets forth our payout rate, which is a statistical or operating measure, for the periods presented:

Our payout rate increased for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to 2024, primarily due to higher payouts resulting from our acquisition of Commonwealth and strategic relationship with Prudential.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation and benefits expense includes salaries, wages, benefits, share-based compensation and related taxes for our employees, as well as compensation for temporary workers and contractors. The following table sets forth our number of employees for the periods presented:

Compensation and benefits expense for the year ended December 31, 2025 increased by $449.3 million, compared to 2024, primarily due to acquisition related expenses incurred in conjunction with the Commonwealth transaction as well as an increase in headcount. See Note 4 - Acquisitions, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.

Promotional

Promotional expense includes business development costs related to advisor recruitment and retention, costs related to hosting certain advisory conferences that serve as training, sales and marketing events, and other costs that support advisor business growth. Promotional expense for the year ended December 31, 2025 increased by

$147.9 million compared to 2024, primarily due to increases in recruited assets and advisors that led to higher costs to support transition assistance and retention, partially offset by decreases in large institutional onboarding costs.

Occupancy and Equipment

Occupancy and equipment expense includes the costs of leasing and maintaining our office spaces, software licensing and maintenance costs, and maintenance expense on computer hardware and other equipment. Occupancy and equipment expense for the year ended December 31, 2025 increased by $296.0 million compared to 2024, primarily due to acquisition-related expenses incurred in conjunction with the Commonwealth transaction. See Note 4 - Acquisitions, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.

Interest Expense on Borrowings

Interest expense on borrowings includes the interest associated with the Company’s Notes, Term Loan A , and revolving credit facilities; amortization of debt issuance costs; and fees associated with the Company’s revolving lines of credit. Interest expense on borrowings for the year ended December 31, 2025 increased by $129.2 million compared to 2024, primarily due to the issuance of $1.0 billion senior unsecured notes in May 2024, $1.25 billion senior unsecured notes in February 2025 and $1.5 billion senior unsecured notes in April 2025. See Note 11 - Corporate Debt and Other Borrowings, Net, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for further detail.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expense relates to the use of property and equipment, which includes internally developed software, hardware, leasehold improvements and other equipment. Depreciation and amortization expense for the year ended December 31, 2025 increased by $84.9 million compared to 2024, primarily due to our continued investment in technology to support integrations, enhance our advisor platform and experience, and support onboarding of institutions.

Amortization of Other Intangibles

Amortization of other intangibles represents the benefits received for the use of long-lived intangible assets established through our acquisitions. Amortization of other intangibles for the year ended December 31, 2025 increased by $101.3 million compared to 2024, primarily due to additional intangible assets acquired during the period. See Note 4 - Acquisitions and Note 9 - Goodwill and Other Intangibles, Net, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for further detail.

Professional Services

Professional services includes costs paid to outside firms for assistance with legal, accounting, technology, regulatory, marketing, and general corporate matters, as well as non-capitalized costs related to service and technology enhancements. Professional services increased by $125.0 million compared to 2024, primarily due to technology enhancement projects and acquisition-related support.

Brokerage, Clearing and Exchange

Brokerage, clearing and exchange expense includes expenses originating from trading or clearing operations as well as any exchange membership fees. These fees fluctuate largely in line with the volume of sales and trading activity. Brokerage, clearing and exchange expense for the year ended December 31, 2025 increased by $50.2 million compared to 2024, primarily due to an increase in the volume of trades and expenses for quote services.

Provision for Income Taxes

Our effective income tax rate was 24.9% and 24.0% for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The increase in our effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2025 was primarily due to a decrease in tax benefits for share-based compensation and an increase in reserves for uncertain tax positions. See Note 13 - Income Taxes, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for further detail.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We have established liquidity and capital policies intended to support the execution of strategic initiatives, while meeting regulatory capital requirements and maintaining ongoing and sufficient liquidity. We believe liquidity is of critical importance to the Company and, in particular, to LPL Financial, our primary broker-dealer subsidiary. The objective of our policies is to ensure that we can meet our strategic, operational and regulatory liquidity and capital requirements under both normal operating conditions and under periods of stress in the financial markets.

Liquidity

Our liquidity needs are primarily driven by capital requirements at LPL Financial, interest due on our corporate debt and other capital returns to stockholders. Our liquidity needs at LPL Financial are driven primarily by the level and volatility of our client activity. Management maintains a set of liquidity sources and monitors certain business trends and market metrics closely in an effort to ensure we have sufficient liquidity. We believe that based on current levels of cash flows from operations and anticipated growth, together with available cash balances and external liquidity sources, we have adequate liquidity to satisfy our short-term and long-term working capital needs, the payment of all of our obligations and the funding of anticipated capital expenditures.

Parent Company Liquidity

LPL Holdings, Inc. (the “Parent”), the direct holding company of our operating subsidiaries, considers its primary sources of liquidity to be dividends from and excess capital generated by LPL Financial, as well as capacity for additional borrowing under its $2.25 billion unsecured revolving credit facility, which it has the ability to borrow against for working capital and general corporate purposes.

Dividends from and excess capital generated by LPL Financial are primarily generated through our cash flow from operations. Subject to regulatory approval or notification, capital generated by regulated subsidiaries can be distributed to the Parent to the extent the capital levels exceed regulatory requirements, Credit Agreement requirements, and internal capital thresholds. During the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, LPL Financial paid dividends of $1.2 billion and $460.0 million to the Parent, respectively.

We believe Corporate Cash, a component of cash and equivalents, is a useful measure of the Parent’s liquidity as it represents the capital available for use in excess of the amount we are required to maintain pursuant to the Credit Agreement. Corporate Cash is the sum of cash and equivalents from the following: (1) cash and equivalents held at the Parent, (2) cash and equivalents held at regulated subsidiaries as defined by the Credit Agreement, which include LPL Financial, LPL Enterprise, PTC, CES, and certain of Atria’s introducing broker-dealer subsidiaries, in excess of the capital requirements of the Credit Agreement and (3) cash and equivalents held at non-regulated subsidiaries.

The following table presents the components of Corporate Cash (in thousands):

Corporate Cash is monitored as part of our liquidity risk management strategy, and we target maintaining approximately $200 million of Corporate Cash to meet our near-term corporate debt obligations. During the year ended December 31, 2024, Corporate Cash also included cash held at certain of Atria’s introducing broker-dealer subsidiaries. See Note 4 - Acquisitions , Note 11 - Corporate Debt and Other Borrowings, Net, and Note 15 - Stockholders’ Equity within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.

We actively monitor changes to our liquidity needs caused by general business volumes and price volatility, including higher margin requirements of clearing corporations and exchanges, and stress scenarios involving a sustained market downturn and the persistence of current interest rates. We believe that based on current levels of operations and anticipated growth, our cash flow from operations, together with other available sources of funds, which include five uncommitted lines of credit, the revolving credit facility established through our Credit Agreement and the committed revolving credit facility of LPL Financial, will provide us with adequate liquidity to satisfy our short-term and long-term working capital needs, the payment of all of our obligations and the funding of anticipated capital expenditures.

We regularly evaluate our existing indebtedness, including potential issuances and refinancing opportunities, based on a number of factors, including our capital requirements, future prospects, contractual restrictions, the availability of refinancing on attractive terms and general market conditions. As of December 31, 2025, the earliest principal maturity date for our corporate debt with outstanding balances is in 2027 and our revolving credit facilities and uncommitted lines of credit mature between 2026 and 2029.

Share Repurchases

We engage in a share repurchase program that was approved by our Board, pursuant to which we may repurchase our issued and outstanding shares of common stock from time to time. Purchases may be effected in open market or privately negotiated transactions. Our current capital deployment framework remains focused on investing in organic growth first, pursuing acquisitions where appropriate and returning excess capital to stockholders. The Company repurchased 289,371 shares for a total of $100.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2025. As of December 31, 2025, we had $630.0 million remaining under our existing repurchase program. We paused share repurchases in anticipation of the Commonwealth acquisition. Given the closing of the transaction, we expect to evaluate resuming share repurchases, consistent with our existing capital management strategy. The timing and amount of share repurchases, if any, is determined at our discretion within the constraints of our Credit Agreement, applicable laws and consideration of our general liquidity needs. See Note 15 - Stockholders’ Equity, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for additional information regarding our share repurchases.

Common Stock Dividends

The payment, timing and amount of any dividends are subject to approval by LPLFH’s Board, as well as certain limits under our Credit Agreement. See Note 15 - Stockholders’ Equity, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for additional information regarding our dividends.

LPL Financial Liquidity

LPL Financial relies primarily on client payables to fund margin lending. LPL Financial maintains additional liquidity through external lines of credit totaling $1.2 billion at December 31, 2025. LPL Financial also maintains a line of credit with the Parent.

External Liquidity Sources

The following table presents amounts outstanding and available under our external lines of credit at December 31, 2025 (in millions):

Capital Resources

The Company seeks to manage capital levels in support of its business strategy of generating and effectively deploying capital for the benefit of our stockholders.

Our primary requirement for working capital relates to funds we loan to our advisors’ clients for trading conducted on margin and funds we are required to maintain for regulatory capital and reserves based on the requirements of our regulators and clearing organizations, which also consider client balances and trading activities. We have several sources of funds that enable us to meet increases in working capital requirements that relate to increases in client margin activities and balances. These sources include cash and equivalents on hand, the committed revolving credit facility of LPL Financial and proceeds from repledging or selling client securities in margin accounts. When an advisor’s client purchases securities on margin or uses securities as collateral to borrow from us on margin, we are permitted, pursuant to the applicable securities industry regulations, to repledge, loan or sell securities, up to 140% of the client’s margin loan balance, that collateralize those margin accounts.

Our other working capital needs are primarily related to loans we are making to advisors and timing associated with receivables and payables, which we have satisfied in the past from internally generated cash flows.

We may sometimes be required to fund capital requirements necessary to effect client transactions in securities markets and cash sweep balances held at third-party banks that arise from the delayed receipt of client funds. These capital requirements are funded either with internally generated cash flows or, if needed, with funds drawn on our uncommitted lines of credit at LPL Financial or one of our revolving credit facilities.

Our broker-dealer subsidiaries are subject to the SEC’s Uniform Net Capital Rule (Rule 15c3-1 under the Exchange Act), which requires the maintenance of minimum net capital. LPL Financial, our primary broker-dealer subsidiary, computes net capital requirements under the alternative method, which requires firms to maintain minimum net capital equal to the greater of $250,000 or 2% of aggregate debit balances arising from client transactions.

The following table presents the net capital position of the Company’s primary broker-dealer subsidiary (in thousands):

Payment by our broker-dealer subsidiaries of dividends greater than 10% of their respective excess net capital during any 35-day rolling period requires approval from FINRA. In addition, each broker-dealer subsidiary’s ability to pay dividends would be restricted if its net capital would be less than 5% of aggregate customer debit balances.

LPL Financial also acts as an introducing broker-dealer for commodities and futures. Accordingly, its trading activities are subject to the NFA’s financial requirements and it is required to maintain net capital that is in excess of or equal to the greatest of NFA’s minimum financial requirements. The NFA was designated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as LPL Financial’s primary regulator for such activities. Currently, the highest NFA requirement is the minimum net capital calculated and required pursuant to the SEC’s Uniform Net Capital Rule.

Our other regulated subsidiaries, including LPL Enterprise, CES, and PTC, are also subject to various regulatory capital requirements. Failure to meet the respective minimum capital requirements can result in certain mandatory and discretionary actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have substantial monetary and non-monetary impacts on these subsidiaries’ operations. As of December 31, 2025, the Company’s other regulated subsidiaries met all capital adequacy requirements to which they were subject.

Supplemental Guarantor Financial Information

The Company has an outstanding registration statement to issue, among other things, non-convertible debt securities that may be offered by LPL Holdings, Inc. (the “Issuer”), a wholly owned subsidiary of LPLFH (together with the Issuer, the “Obligor Group”), and full and unconditional guarantees by LPLFH of such debt securities. The debt securities issued by the Issuer pursuant to such registration statement are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by LPLFH. LPLFH is a Delaware holding corporation that manages substantially all of its operations through investments in subsidiaries. See Note 1 - Organization and Description of the Company and Note 11*- Corporate Debt and Other Borrowings, Net*, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.

Pursuant to Rule 3-10 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the following tables present summarized financial information for the Obligor Group on a combined basis. Balances and transactions between the Obligor Group have been eliminated. Financial information for non-guarantor subsidiaries, which includes all other subsidiaries of the Issuer, has been excluded and intercompany balances and transactions between the Obligor Group and non-guarantor subsidiaries are presented on separate lines. The summarized financial information below should be read in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated financial statements contained herein as the summarized financial information for the Obligor Group may not be indicative of results of operations or financial position of the Issuer or LPLFH had they operated as independent entities.

The following tables present the summarized financial information for the periods presented (in thousands):

(1) Revenues primarily include unrealized gains and losses on assets held in the non-qualified deferred compensation plan offered to advisors and employees, while advisory and commission expense includes the deferred advisory and commission fee expense associated with mark-to-market gains or losses on the non-qualified deferred compensation plan offered to advisors.

Debt and Related Covenants

The Credit Agreement contains a number of covenants that, among other things, restrict, subject to certain exceptions, our ability to:

• create liens;
• sell assets;
• engage in certain transactions with affiliates; and
• consolidate, merge or transfer all or substantially all of our assets.

In addition, our revolving credit facility requires us to be in compliance with certain financial covenants as of the last day of each fiscal quarter. The financial covenants require the calculation of Credit Agreement EBITDA, as defined in, and calculated by management in accordance with, the Credit Agreement. The Credit Agreement defines Credit Agreement EBITDA as “Consolidated EBITDA,” which is Consolidated Net Income (as defined in the Credit Agreement) plus interest expense on borrowings, provision for income taxes, depreciation and amortization and amortization of other intangibles, and is further adjusted to exclude certain non-cash charges and other adjustments, and to include future expected cost savings, operating expense reductions or other synergies from certain transactions.

As of December 31, 2025, we were in compliance with our Credit Agreement financial covenants, which include a maximum Consolidated Total Debt to Consolidated EBITDA Ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement) or “Leverage Ratio” and a minimum Consolidated EBITDA to Consolidated Interest Expense Ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement) or “Interest Coverage.” The breach of these financial covenants would be subject to certain equity cure rights. The required ratios under our financial covenants and actual ratios were as follows:

55

Certain restrictive covenants under certain of our Indentures are currently suspended. However, a credit rating downgrade to a below investment grade rating could cause currently suspended restrictive covenants under certain of our Indentures to be automatically reinstated.

See Note 11 - Corporate Debt and Other Borrowings, Net, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for additional information regarding the Credit Agreement.

Contractual Obligations

The following table provides information with respect to our commitments and obligations as of December 31, 2025 (in thousands):

(1) Represents future payments under operating leases or financing obligations liabilities, respectively. See Note 12 - Leases, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for further detail.

(2) Includes future minimum payments under service, development and agency contracts and other contractual obligations. See Note 14 - Commitments and Contingencies, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for further detail on obligations under non-cancelable service contracts.

(3) Represents principal payments on our corporate debt and other borrowings. See Note 11 - Corporate Debt and Other Borrowings, Net, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for further detail.

(4) Represents interest payments under our Credit Agreement, which include a variable interest payment for our senior unsecured credit facilities and a fixed interest payment for our senior unsecured notes. Variable interest payments assume the applicable interest rates at December 31, 2025 remain unchanged. See Note 11 - Corporate Debt and Other Borrowings, Net, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for further detail.

(5) Represents commitment fees for unused borrowings on the revolving credit facility under our Credit Agreement. See Note 11 - Corporate Debt and Other Borrowings, Net, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for further detail.

As of December 31, 2025, we have a liability for unrecognized tax benefits of $52.8 million, which we have included in other liabilities in the consolidated statements of financial condition. This amount has been excluded from the contractual obligations table because we are unable to reasonably predict the ultimate amount or timing of future tax payments.

Risk Management

Risk is an inherent part of our business activities. To manage risk, we have implemented an ERM framework that supports a resilient and adaptive risk-focused organization, designed to enable us to navigate uncertainties, make informed and consistent decisions, and seize growth opportunities. This framework defines our risk appetite, facilitates the incorporation of risk assessment into decision-making processes, enables execution of our business strategy, and protects the Company and our franchise.

Our Company-wide risk appetite statement is a crucial component of our risk governance framework. It defines the overall level and types of risk we are prepared to accept in order to achieve our strategic objectives and business plan. This statement categorizes risks into strategic, technology, regulatory compliance, operational, liquidity, reputational, credit, interest rate, and market risks.

Additionally, this framework aims to ensure policies and procedures are in place and appropriately designed to identify and manage risk at appropriate levels throughout the Company and within various departments. We have established advisor-facing and internal written policies and procedures that govern the conduct of our advisors and employees. Our advisor-facing policies are specifically designed to provide guidelines and procedures that ensure advisors adhere to regulatory requirements and maintain ethical standards in their professional conduct while our internal policies cover a wide range of topics designed to promote compliance, consistency, risk management, and culture and values across the Company.

Our framework is designed to promote clear lines of risk management ownership and accountability while providing a structured escalation process for key risk information and events. Additionally, risk is managed and monitored within business units by embedded risk groups providing guidance on governance, controls, policies and other risk management activities.

We operate a three lines of defense model, an industry-standard framework that clarifies roles and responsibilities, and that supports a comprehensive risk management and governance framework. The three lines and associated responsibilities are as follows:

• First Line of Defense: This consists of business management, which owns and operates processes and manages day-to-day risks. Responsibilities include identifying and assessing risks, implementing controls, monitoring compliance, and escalating issues or breaches.
• Second Line of Defense: This includes the risk management and compliance functions. They provide guidance and oversight, and monitor the effectiveness of controls implemented by the first line.
• Third Line of Defense: This is the internal audit function, which provides independent assurance. They assess the effectiveness of our risk management and internal controls.

Internal Audit Department

As the third line of defense, the Internal Audit department provides independent and objective assurance of the effectiveness of the Company’s governance, risk management, and internal controls by conducting risk assessments and audits designed to identify and cover important risk categories. Internal Audit reports directly to the ARC, which provides oversight of Internal Audit’s activities and approves its annual plan. The Internal Audit department reports to the ARC at least quarterly.

Risk Governance Committee Structure

Risk management at the Company requires independent Company-level oversight, accountability of our business areas, and effective communication of risk matters to senior management and, ultimately, the Board. This risk management approach encompasses the Board and its committees, the ROC and its subcommittees, and our three lines of defense model. We regularly reevaluate and, when necessary, modify our processes to enhance the identification and escalation of risks and events.

Audit and Risk Committee of the Board

The ARC oversees and monitors, among other things, the Company’s enterprise risk management (except for risks assigned to other committees of the Board or retained by the Board) and is responsible for reviewing and assessing our processes to manage and control risk. In this capacity, the ARC reviews reports from risk-focused management committees; reviews emerging risks and regulatory matters; and reviews Internal Audit reports on the assessment of the Company’s control environment. The ARC reports to the Board on a regular basis and coordinates with the

Board and other Board committees with respect to the oversight of risk management and risk assessment guidelines.

Compensation and Human Resources Committee of the Board

In addition to its other responsibilities, the Compensation and Human Resources Committee of the Board assesses whether our compensation arrangements encourage inappropriate risk-taking, and whether risks arising from our compensation arrangements are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company.

Risk Oversight Committee of LPL Financial

The ROC, a management committee chaired by the chief risk officer, oversees our risk management activities, including those of our subsidiaries. The ROC generally meets once every two months, with additional ad hoc meetings as necessary. The members of the ROC include certain Group Managing Directors of LPL Financial, as well as other members of LPL Financial’s senior management team who serve as ex-officio/non-voting members and represent key control areas of the Company. Participation in the ROC by senior officers is intended to ensure that the ROC covers the key risk areas of the Company, including its subsidiaries. The ROC thoroughly reviews significant matters relating to risk priorities, policies, control procedures and related exceptions. It also examines certain new and complex products and business arrangements, transactions with significant risk elements and identified emerging risks.

The chief risk officer provides updates on pertinent ROC discussions to the ARC on a regular basis and, if necessary or requested, to the Board.

Subcommittees of the Risk Oversight Committee

The ROC has established multiple subcommittees to support effective supervision of our risk exposures and processes. The subcommittees meet regularly and are responsible for keeping the ROC informed and escalating issues in accordance with the Company’s escalation protocols. The responsibilities of such subcommittees include, for example, oversight of operational risk; oversight of the approval of new and complex investment products offered to advisors’ clients; oversight of our technology; and issues and trends related to advisor compliance.

Regulatory and Compliance Risk

The regulatory environment in which we operate is discussed in detail within Part I, “Item 1. Business” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In recent years, and during the period presented in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we have observed the SEC, FINRA, DOL and state regulators broaden the scope, frequency and depth of their examinations and inquiries to include greater emphasis on the quality, consistency and oversight of our compliance systems and programs. Please consult the “Risks Related to Our Regulatory Environment” and the “Risks Related to Our Business and Industry” sections within Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” for more information about the risks associated with operating within our regulatory environment, pending regulatory matters and the potential related effects on our operations.

Operational Risk

Operational risk refers to the risk of loss resulting from inadequate or failed processes and/or systems as a result of external events and is inherent in all Company activities. Instances where operational risk exposure can manifest across our business include, but are not limited to: process or control failures; external or internal fraud resulting from unethical behavior or misconduct of employees and advisors; external events such as a pandemic, theft, or fraud; risks introduced by third-party vendors and/or counterparties; risks introduced by third-party financial institutions that we do not control, such as clearing agents, securities exchanges, clearing houses and other financial intermediaries, including any interruption in their operations; issues stemming from the use of AI, including misuse by advisors or third-party vendors or the use of AI by malicious third parties; and inadequate data governance, which could result in data breaches, loss, lack of compliance, or unauthorized access.

As a Company, we manage operational risk exposure through sound processes, tracking performance across key risk appetite metrics, making key investments that account for the complexity inherent in our operations, and proactively identifying risks, while ensuring the appropriate steps are taken to manage exceeding risk tolerance level. Operational risk is reviewed, monitored and challenged by the Operational Risk Oversight Committee, which is a subcommittee of the ROC.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP, which requires management to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. We consider the following critical accounting policies to be most significant because they involve a higher degree of judgment and complexity and require management to make estimates regarding matters that are uncertain and susceptible to change where such change may result in a material adverse impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue is recognized when control of the promised service is transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those services. Management exercises judgment to estimate revenue accruals. In particular, our trailing commission revenue, included in commission revenue on the consolidated statements of income, is generally received in arrears and therefore requires management to estimate accrued amounts based on revenue received in prior periods, market performance and payment frequency of each product type or sponsor. See Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Note 3 - Revenue, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for further detail.

Commitments and Contingencies

Liabilities related to loss contingencies are recognized when we believe it is probable a liability has occurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated by management. We have established an accrual for those legal proceedings and regulatory matters for which a loss is both probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated.

We also accrue for losses at our captive insurance subsidiary for those matters covered by self-insurance. Our captive insurance subsidiary records losses and loss reserve liabilities based on actuarially determined estimates of losses incurred, as well as specific reserves for proceedings and matters that are probable and estimable. Assessing the probability of a loss occurring and the timing and amount of any loss related to a legal proceeding or regulatory matter is inherently difficult and requires management to make significant judgments. For additional information, see Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Note 14 - Commitments and Contingencies - “Legal and Regulatory Matters,” within the notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Acquisitions

Acquisitions, including those accounted for under the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations or as asset acquisitions, require management to allocate purchase consideration, including contingent consideration, to the fair value of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, as applicable. This allocation requires management to apply judgment and make assumptions about future earnings and performance and may be based on preliminary valuations. Estimates and assumptions used in the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations are subject to change during the respective measurement period, which is not to exceed one year from the acquisition date, as valuations are finalized. Any changes in estimates or assumptions will change the purchase price allocations, including any amounts allocated to other intangible assets, liabilities for contingent consideration, other assets acquired or liabilities assumed, or goodwill, as applicable. Goodwill is recognized as the excess of the purchase consideration over the fair value of net assets acquired.

Contingent Consideration

Certain of the Company’s acquisitions include contingent consideration, which may result in the transfer of additional cash consideration to the sellers if certain milestones are achieved in the years following an acquisition. Contingent payments are estimated by applying forecasted growth or conversion rates to project future revenue or asset growth and discount rates which are based on the cost of capital. For acquisitions accounted for under the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations, any such contingent consideration is recognized at its estimated fair value on the date of acquisition within other liabilities in the consolidated statements of financial condition. This contingent consideration is remeasured at its fair value at each subsequent reporting date until the contingency is resolved. Any changes in fair value are recognized in other expense in the consolidated statements of income. The Company does not recognize a liability for contingent payments in acquisitions that are accounted for as asset acquisitions as the amounts to be paid will be uncertain until a future measurement date. For additional information, see Note 4 - Acquisitions and Note 9 - Goodwill and Other Intangibles, Net within the notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Goodwill and Other Intangibles, Net

Management also applies judgment when testing for impairment of goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets, including estimating fair values. Goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets are evaluated annually for impairment in the fourth fiscal quarter and between annual tests if certain events occur indicating that the carrying amounts may be impaired.

Intangible assets that are deemed to have definite lives are amortized over their useful lives or the estimated period the intangible asset will provide economic benefit. Definite-lived intangible assets are reviewed for impairment when there is evidence that events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. For additional information, see Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Note 9 - Goodwill and Other Intangibles, Net within the notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Income Taxes

In preparing the consolidated financial statements, we estimate the provision for income taxes based on various jurisdictions where we conduct business. This requires management to estimate current tax obligations and to assess temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax basis of assets and liabilities. These temporary differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which we must then assess the likelihood that the deferred tax assets will be realized. A valuation allowance is established to the extent that it is more likely than not that such deferred tax assets will not be realized. Changes in the estimate of tax assets and liabilities occur periodically due to changes in the tax rates, changes in the business operations, implementation of tax planning strategies, resolution with taxing authorities of issues where we had previously taken certain tax positions and newly enacted statutory, judicial and regulatory guidance. For more information, see Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Note 13 - Income Taxes, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements or changes in accounting pronouncements that are of significance, or potential significance, to us.

Liquidity Risk

Liquidity risk refers to the potential inability to meet, in a timely and cost-effective manner, contractual and contingent financial obligations, either on or off-balance sheet, as they come due. Our primary liquidity needs are driven by transaction settlement, custody requirements, interest on corporate debt, strategic acquisitions, and capital returned to shareholders, among other liquidity needs. We meet our liquidity needs primarily from working capital and cash generated by client activity as well as external financing. A reduction in our liquidity position could reduce client confidence in us, which could result in the loss of client assets and accounts. In addition, if our broker-dealer subsidiaries fail to meet regulatory capital guidelines or are unable to obtain regulatory approval, when required, to declare a dividend, regulators could limit the subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends or limit their operations, which could reduce our liquidity and adversely affect our ability to repay debt, pay dividends on our common stock, or repurchase shares. In addition, we may need to provide additional funding to such subsidiaries. Potential conditions that could negatively impact our liquidity position include, but are not limited to, illiquid or volatile markets, diminished access to debt or capital markets, unforeseen cash or capital requirements, regulatory penalties or fines, settlements, customer restitution or other remediation costs, or adverse legal settlements or judgments.

Each liquidity risk is assessed individually, considering its potential impact on the business, stakeholders, and reputation to establish appropriate risk mitigation measures. We have monitoring programs and controls to monitor, review, challenge, and discuss key liquidity issues that may impact the Company.

Credit Risk

Credit risk is the risk of loss due to adverse changes in a borrower’s, issuer’s or counterparty’s ability to meet its financial obligations under contractual or agreed upon terms. We are subject to credit risk from certain loans extended to advisors and institutions when we extend loans with repayment terms to facilitate advisors’ and institutions’ transition to our platform or to fund business development activities. We are also subject to credit risk when a forgivable loan to an advisor or institution converts to repayable upon advisor or institution termination or change in agreed upon terms.

Credit risk also arises when collateral posted with LPL Financial by clients to support margin lending or derivative trading is insufficient to meet clients’ contractual obligations to LPL Financial. Our credit exposure in these transactions consists primarily of margin accounts, through which we extend credit to advisors’ clients collateralized by securities in the clients’ accounts. Under many of these agreements, we are permitted to sell, repledge or loan these securities held as collateral and use these securities to enter into securities lending arrangements or to deliver to counterparties to cover short positions.

As our advisors execute margin transactions on behalf of their clients, we may incur losses if clients do not fulfill their obligations, the collateral in the clients’ accounts is insufficient to fully cover losses from such investments and our advisors fail to reimburse us for such losses. Our losses on margin accounts were not material during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024. We monitor exposure to industry sectors and individual securities and perform analyses on a regular basis in connection with our margin lending activities. We adjust our margin requirements if we believe our risk exposure is not appropriate based on market conditions.

We are subject to concentration risk if we extend large loans to or have large commitments with a single counterparty, borrower or group of similar counterparties or borrowers, or if we accept a concentrated position as collateral for a margin loan. Receivables from and payables to clients and stock borrowing and lending activities are conducted with a large number of clients and counterparties and potential concentration is monitored. We seek to limit this risk through review of the underlying business and the use of our risk appetite limits established by senior management taking into consideration factors including current market conditions, the financial strength of the counterparty, the size of the position or commitment, the expected duration of the position or commitment and other positions or commitments outstanding.

Market Risk

We maintain trading securities and securities sold, but not yet purchased in order to facilitate client transactions, to meet a portion of our clearing deposit requirements at various clearing organizations, to track the performance of our research models and in connection with our dividend reinvestment program. Trading securities are included in investment securities while securities sold, but not yet purchased are included in other liabilities on the consolidated statements of financial condition and can include mutual funds, money market funds, debt securities and equity securities. We enter into market risk sensitive instruments for purposes other than trading, which are included in other assets on the consolidated statements of financial condition and can include deferred compensation plan assets invested in life insurance, money market and other mutual funds, investments in fractional shares held by customers, and other non-traded real estate investment trusts. Changes in the value of our market risk sensitive instruments may result from fluctuations in interest rates, credit ratings of the issuer, equity prices or a combination of these factors.

In facilitating client transactions, our trading securities and securities sold, but not yet purchased generally involve mutual funds, including dividend reinvestments. Our positions held are based upon the settlement of client transactions, which are monitored by our Trading and Operations department.

Positions held to meet clearing deposit requirements consist of U.S. government securities and equity securities. The amount of securities deposited depends upon the requirements of the clearing organization. The level of securities deposited is monitored by the settlements group within our Trading and Operations department.

Our Research department develops model portfolios that are used by advisors in developing client portfolios. We maintain securities owned in internal accounts based on these model portfolios to track the performance of our Research department. At the time a portfolio is developed, we purchase the securities in that model portfolio in an amount equal to the account minimum, which varies by product.

In addition, we are subject to market risk resulting from operational risk events, which can require customer trade corrections. We also bear market risk on the fees we earn that are based on the market value of advisory and brokerage assets, as well as assets on which trailing commissions are paid and assets eligible for sponsor payments.

As of December 31, 2025, the fair value of our trading securities was $76.1 million, and securities sold, but not yet purchased were not material. The fair value of market risk sensitive instruments entered into for other than trading purposes included within other assets was $1.5 billion as of December 31, 2025. See Note 5 - Fair Value

Measurements within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for information regarding the fair value of trading securities, securities sold, but not yet purchased and other assets associated with our client facilitation activities.

Interest Rate Risk

We are exposed to risk associated with changes in interest rates. As of December 31, 2025, $1.1 billion of our outstanding debt was subject to floating interest rate risk. While our term loan is subject to increases in interest rates, we do not believe that a short-term change in interest rates would have a material impact on our net income given revenue generated by our client cash balances, which is generally subject to the same, but off-setting, interest rate risk.

The following table summarizes the impact of increasing interest rates on our interest expense from the variable portion of our debt outstanding, calculated using the projected average outstanding balance over the subsequent twelve-month period (in thousands):

(†)Our interest rate for our Term Loan A is locked in for one, two, three, six or twelve months as allowed under the Credit Agreement. At the end of the selected periods the rates will be locked in at the then-current rate. The effect of these interest rate locks are not included in the table above.

See Note 11 - Corporate Debt and Other Borrowings, Net, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.

We offer our advisors and their clients two FDIC insured bank sweep vehicles and a CCA that are interest rate sensitive. Our FDIC insured sweep vehicles include an (1) insured cash account (“ICA”) for individuals, trusts, sole proprietorships and entities organized or operated to make a profit, such as corporations, partnerships, associations, business trusts and other organizations and (2) an insured deposit cash account (“DCA”) for individual retirement accounts and retirement plan accounts that are enrolled in certain LPL advisory programs. Clients earn interest on deposits in the ICA and the DCA while we earn a fee. The fees we earn from cash held in the ICA are based primarily on prevailing interest rates in the current interest rate environment, and are therefore subject to interest rate risk. The fees we earn from the DCA are calculated as a per account fee, and such fees increase as the federal funds target rate increases, subject to a cap.

The Company places ICA sweep overflow into the CCA. These deposits are either used to fund client margin lending or placed in third-party bank or investment accounts, both of which are segregated under federal or other regulations, where they are held as cash or invested in short-term U.S. treasury bills. We earn interest income on these bank deposits and investments in short-term U.S. treasury bills and pay interest to clients on these CCA balances, which are sensitive to prevailing interest rates. This interest income and expense is included in interest income, net in the consolidated statements of income. Changes in interest rates and fees for the deposit sweep vehicles are monitored by our Rate Setting Committee (the “RSC”), which governs and approves any changes to our fees. By meeting promptly around the time of Federal Open Market Committee meetings, or for other market or non-market reasons, the RSC considers financial risk of the deposit sweep vehicles relative to other products into which clients may move cash balances.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Management, with the participation of our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, the chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report were effective.

Change in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Other than the integration of Commonwealth discussed below, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2025, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over our financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act as the process designed by, or under the supervision of, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, and effected by our board of directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting process and the preparation of our consolidated financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Our internal control over financial reporting includes policies and procedures that pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect transactions and dispositions of assets; provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of the consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, and that receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and the directors of the Company; and provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

As of December 31, 2025, management conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this assessment, management has determined that our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2025 was effective.

On August 1, 2025, we completed the acquisition of Commonwealth, a privately-held independent wealth management firm headquartered in Massachusetts. See Note 4 – Acquisitions, within the notes to the consolidated financial statements for additional information. Based on the recent completion of this acquisition and, pursuant to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s guidance that a recently acquired business may be omitted from the scope of an assessment of Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting (“ICFR”) for a period not to exceed one year from the date of acquisition, the scope of our assessment of the effectiveness of ICFR as of the balance sheet date does not include Commonwealth. Total assets and total revenues of the acquired entity that were excluded from our assessment of ICFR constitute approximately 14% and 7% of the consolidated total assets and total revenues, respectively, as of and for the year ended December 31, 2025. The Company expects to transition Commonwealth’s underlying operations to the Company’s platform and existing control environment in 2026.

Deloitte & Touche LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, has issued an audit report appearing on the following page on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2025.

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the stockholders and the Board of Directors of LPL Financial Holdings Inc.

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2025, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2025, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by COSO.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2025, of the Company and our report dated February 23, 2026, expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.

As described in management’s annual report on internal control over financial reporting, management excluded from its assessment the internal control over financial reporting at Commonwealth Financial Network (“Commonwealth”), which was acquired on August 1, 2025, and whose financial statements constitute approximately 14% and 7% of the consolidated total assets and total revenues, respectively, of the consolidated financial statement amounts as of and for the year ended December 31, 2025. Accordingly, our audit did not include the internal control over financial reporting at Commonwealth.

Basis for Opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying management's annual report on internal control over financial reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

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

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

San Diego, California

February 23, 2026