The Company and its Significant Accounting Policies | The Company and its Significant Accounting Policies Organization— NerdWallet, Inc., a Delaware corporation, was formed on December 29, 2011. NerdWallet, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, the Company) provide consumer-driven advice about personal finance through its platform by connecting individuals and small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) with providers of financial products. Basis of Consolidation and Presentation— The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. Certain comparative amounts for the prior fiscal year have been reclassified to conform to the financial statement presentation as of and for the year ended December 31, 2022. Segments— Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise for which discrete financial information is available that is reviewed regularly by the Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM) in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. The Company’s CODM is its Chief Executive Officer, who reviews financial information presented on a consolidated basis for purposes of allocating resources and evaluating financial performance. As a result, the Company has concluded that it has one operating segment. Significantly all of the Company’s revenue in 2022, 2021 and 2020 was from customers located in the United States. Significantly all of the Company’s long-lived assets as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 were located in the United States. Use of Estimates— The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Significant estimates and assumptions made by management include determination of stock-based compensation, valuation of embedded derivative, capitalization of software development costs, valuation of contingent consideration, valuation of goodwill and intangible assets, determination of associated useful lives of intangible assets and valuation of deferred tax assets. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and also on assumptions that it believes are reasonable. Concentrations of Credit Risk— Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents and accounts receivable. The Company deposits cash with high credit quality financial institutions. All noninterest-bearing accounts are fully insured regardless of the balance of the account. This coverage is available at all FDIC member institutions. The Company uses Silicon Valley Bank, which is an FDIC insured institution. Based on these facts, collectability of bank balances appears to be adequately assured. The Company had two customers which accounted for 15% and 12% of total accounts receivable as of December 31, 2022, and two customers which each accounted for 11% of total accounts receivable as of December 31, 2021. The Company had one customer which accounted for 12% of revenue in 2022, and no customer which accounted for more than 10% of revenue in 2021 or 2020. Under Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASC 606), the Company’s customers are considered to be financial services providers (e.g., banks, credit card issuers, lenders, investment brokers and other entities) that seek to reach and receive leads, matches and referrals to the Company’s substantial audience of consumers (including SMBs) in exchange for agreed-upon fees. Foreign Currency Transactions— The functional currency of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries is the respective local currency. All assets and liabilities accounts of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars using the exchange rate on the balance sheet date. Equity transactions are translated using historical exchange rates. Revenues and expenses are translated at average rates prevailing throughout the period. Translation adjustments are included as a separate component on the consolidated statement of comprehensive income (loss), and in “Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents” on the consolidated statement of cash flows. Transaction gains and losses including intercompany transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of the entity involved are included in “Other gains (losses), net” on our consolidated statement of operations and were immaterial for all periods presented. Cash and Cash Equivalents— Cash and cash equivalents include on demand deposits and money market funds with banks that have remaining maturities at the date of purchase of less than 90 days. Fair Value Measurements— The Company determines fair value based upon the exit price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants, as determined by either the principal market or the most advantageous market. Inputs used in the valuation techniques to derive fair values are classified based on a three-level hierarchy. These levels are: Level 1 —Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical assets or liabilities. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to Level 1 inputs. Level 2 —Observable inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1, including quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active; and inputs other than quoted prices that are observable or are derived principally from, or corroborated by, observable market data by correlation or other means. Level 3 —Unobservable inputs are used when little or no market data is available. The fair value hierarchy gives the lowest priority to Level 3 inputs. Trade Accounts Receivable —Trade accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount or amounts due from customers via affiliate relationships at the end of each month. Invoiced amounts do not bear interest. The Company generally does not require collateral or other security in support of accounts receivable. Accounts receivable are past due when they are outstanding longer than the contractual payment terms. The Company determines an allowance for credit losses by considering available information, including the length of time accounts receivable are past due, previous loss history, and reasonable and supportable expectations regarding the specific customer’s ability to pay its financial obligations. If the Company becomes aware of changes in circumstances that are indicative of a customer’s inability to meet its financial obligations, such as in the case of bankruptcy, deterioration in operating results or changes in financial position, estimates of the allowance for credit losses are further adjusted. The allowance for doubtful accounts was $1.4 million and immaterial as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The Company does not have any off-balance-sheet credit exposure related to its customers. Property, Equipment, and Software, Net —Property, equipment, and software are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets, which are generally three years for computers and equipment, three years for software, and five years for furniture and fixtures. Leasehold improvements are amortized using the straight-line method over the shorter of the estimated useful lives of the assets or the term of the related lease. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as incurred. Upon disposition or retirement, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and the resulting gain or loss, if any, is reflected as operating expenses in the consolidated statement of operations. Capitalized Software Development Costs —The costs incurred in the preliminary stages of website and software development are expensed as incurred. Once an application has reached the development stage, internal and external costs, if direct and incremental and deemed by management to be significant, are capitalized in property and equipment and amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. Maintenance, training and enhancement costs, including those costs in the post-implementation stages, are typically expensed as incurred, unless such costs relate to substantial upgrades and enhancements to the website or software that result in added functionality, in which case the costs are capitalized and amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives. Capitalized development activities placed in service are amortized over the expected useful lives of those releases, currently estimated at one Amortization expense is included within cost of revenue in the consolidated statement of operations. Business Combinations —The Company recognizes identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed at their acquisition date fair value. Goodwill as of the acquisition date is measured as the excess of consideration transferred over the net of the acquisition date fair values of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed. While the Company uses its best estimates and assumptions as a part of the purchase price allocation process to accurately value assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date, its estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. As a result, during the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, the Company records adjustments to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with the corresponding offset to goodwill to the extent that the Company identifies adjustments to the preliminary purchase price allocation. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recorded to the consolidated statement of operations. As of December 31, 2022, the Company has not recorded material measurement period adjustments in connection with its business combinations. Contingent Consideration —The fair value measurements of contingent consideration liabilities established in connection with business combinations are determined as of the acquisition date based on significant unobservable inputs, including forecasted revenues and costs of the acquired companies, the probability of meeting certain revenue or earnings targets defined in the merger agreements, and the discount rate. Contingent consideration liabilities are remeasured to fair value at each subsequent reporting date until the related contingency is resolved, with the remeasurement adjustment reported in the consolidated statement of operations. Changes to the fair value of the contingent consideration liabilities can result from changes to one or a number of inputs, including discount rates, the probabilities of achieving the milestones, the time required to achieve the milestones and estimated future sales. Significant judgment is employed in determining the appropriateness of these inputs. Changes to the inputs described above could have a material impact on the Company’s financial position and results of operations in any given period. Goodwill —The Company evaluates goodwill for impairment annually or more frequently when an event occurs or circumstances change that indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. The Company may elect to utilize a qualitative assessment to evaluate whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value and if so, the quantitative test is performed. Under the qualitative assessment, factors that are considered include industry and market considerations, overall financial performance and other relevant events and factors affecting the reporting unit. Under the quantitative test, the Company first compares the carrying value of each reporting unit to its estimated fair value and if the fair value is determined to be less than the carrying value, we recognize an impairment loss for the difference. Intangible Assets —Intangible assets include acquired intangible assets identified through business combinations, which are carried at the estimated fair value recorded upon acquisition less accumulated amortization, and purchased intangible assets, which are carried at cost less accumulated amortization. Intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. Amortization costs for developed technology is included in cost of revenue and amortization for customer relationships, trade names and user base are included in sales and marketing within the consolidated statement of operations. Intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable. Impairment of Long-Lived Assets —The Company reviews long-lived assets, including property and equipment, capitalized software development costs, and intangible assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or asset group may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets or asset groups to be held and used is measured first by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset or asset group to future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset or asset group. If such assets or asset group are considered to be impaired, an impairment loss would be recognized based on the excess of the carrying amount of the asset above the fair value of the asset or asset group. Revenue Recognition —The Company generates substantially all its revenue through fees paid by its financial services partners in the form of either revenue per action, revenue per click, revenue per lead and revenue per funded loan arrangements. For these revenue arrangements, in which a partner pays only when a consumer satisfies the criteria set forth within the arrangement, revenue is recognized generally when the Company matches the consumer with the financial services partner. For some of the Company’s arrangements, the transaction price is considered variable and an estimate of the transaction price is recorded when the match occurs. Under revenue recognition guidance, revenue is recognized when performance obligations under the terms of a contract with a customer are satisfied and promised goods and services have transferred to the customer, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. For revenue generated from revenue per action or revenue per funded loan arrangements in which fees are earned from customers for approved actions such as when credit cards are issued to consumers or when loans to consumers are funded, the Company’s contractual right to fees is not contemporaneous with the satisfaction of the performance obligation to match the consumer with the customer. As such, the Company records a contract asset at each reporting period-end related to the estimated variable consideration on fees for which the Company has satisfied the related performance obligation but are still pending the financial product approval before the Company has a contractual right to payment. This estimate is based on the Company’s historical closing rates and historical time between when a consumer request for a financial product is delivered to the customer and when the financial product is approved by the customer. The time between satisfaction of the Company ’ s performance obligation and when the Company’s right to consideration becomes unconditional is generally less than 90 days and no significant judgment is required in determining whether the estimate of variable consideration should be constrained. For revenue generated from revenue per lead or revenue per click in which fees are earned from customers when a consumer clicks on a tagged link to the customer’s website or lead is delivered to the customer, the Company ’ s contractual right to fees is contemporaneous with the satisfaction of the performance obligation to match the consumer with the customer . The Company’s services are generally transferred to the customer at a point in time, when the performance obligation is met. The Company’s payment terms vary by customer and verticals. The term between invoicing and when payment is due is generally 30 days or less. Cost of Revenue —Cost of revenue consists primarily of amortization expense and impairment charges associated with capitalized software development costs and developed technology; credit scoring fees and account linking fees; and third-party data center costs. Research and Development —Research and development expenses primarily consist of personnel related costs, technology and facility-related expenses and contractor expense for our engineering, product management, data and other personnel engaged in maintaining and enhancing the functionality of our platform. Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Sales and Marketing —Sales and marketing expenses include advertising and promotion costs, costs related to brand campaign fees, marketing, business operations team and editorial personnel and related costs, including stock-based compensation. Advertising is expensed as incurred. Advertising expense was $278.9 million, $197.3 million, and $106.8 million for 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Leases —The Company leases real estate facilities and general office equipment under operating leases expiring at various dates through 2029. The Company’s right-of-use (ROU) assets and lease liabilities are recognized at commencement date based on the present value of remaining lease payments over the lease term, which may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain the Company will exercise such options. At inception of the lease, the Company is not reasonably certain that any available lease extensions or renewal terms will be exercised. For this purpose, the Company considered lease term and only payments that are fixed and determinable at the time of commencement. As most of the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company used the incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. When determining the incremental borrowing rates, the Company considered information including, but not limited to, the lease term, the Company’s credit rating and interest rates of similar debt instruments with comparable credit ratings. The Company’s lease agreements may contain variable costs such as common area maintenance, insurance, real estate taxes or other costs. Variable lease costs are expensed as incurred in the consolidated statement of operations. Nonlease components that are not fixed are expensed as incurred as variable lease payments. The Company’s lease agreements generally do not contain any residual guarantees or restrictive covenants. Operating and finance leases are included in other assets, accrued expenses and other current liabilities, and other liabilities-noncurrent in the consolidated balance sheets. Stock-Based Compensation —The Company measures compensation expense for all stock-based payment awards granted to employees, directors and nonemployees, including restricted stock units (RSUs), stock options and purchase rights granted under its employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), based on the estimated fair value of the awards on the date of grant. For RSUs, fair value is based on the fair value of our common stock on the grant date. For stock options, fair value is estimated using the Black-Scholes-Merton option-pricing model. For purchase rights granted under its ESPP, the Company estimates fair value using the component measurement approach with valuations of the components based on the Company’s stock price on the date of the grant and/or the Black-Scholes-Merton option-pricing model, as appropriate for the applicable components. Stock-based compensation is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. The requisite service period of the awards is generally the same as the vesting period. The Company recognizes forfeitures as they occur for equity awards with only a service condition. Income Taxes —The Company accounts for income taxes under an asset and liability approach. Deferred income taxes reflect the impact of temporary differences between assets and liabilities recognized for financial reporting purposes and amounts recognized for income tax reporting purposes measured by applying currently enacted tax laws. A valuation allowance is provided when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to an amount that is more likely than not to be realized. The Company recognizes the effect of income tax positions only if those positions are more likely than not to be sustained. Recognized income tax positions are measured at the largest amount that is greater than 50% likely to be realized. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the change in judgment occurs. The Company records uncertain tax positions in accordance with accounting standards on the basis of a two-step process whereby (1) a determination is made as to whether it is more likely than not that the tax positions will be sustained based on the technical merits of the position and (2) for those tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold the Company recognizes the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority. The Company’s policy is to include interest and penalties within its provision for income taxes. Comprehensive Income (Loss) —Comprehensive income (loss) is defined as a change in equity resulting from transactions from non-owner sources. Comprehensive income (loss) is comprised of all components of net income (loss) and all components of other comprehensive income (loss) within stockholders’ equity. Other comprehensive income (loss) includes adjustments for foreign currency translation. Subsequent Events —The Company evaluated subsequent events through February 23, 2023, the date its consolidated financial statements were issued. JOBS Act Accounting Election —The Company qualifies as an “emerging growth company” (EGC) as defined in the JOBS Act, and, as such, the Company may elect to delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. The Company has elected to use this extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date the Company (i) is no longer an emerging growth company or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opts out of the extended transition period provided in the JOBS Act. As a result, the Company’s financial condition and results of operations within its consolidated financial statements may not be comparable to those of other companies that have adopted new or revised accounting standards at an earlier date. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements —In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments , establishing ASC Topic 326, and amended the guidance thereafter (ASC 326). ASC 326 requires the measurement and recognition of expected credit losses for financial assets held at amortized cost; the Company’s financial assets that are in the scope of ASC 326 includes the Company’s accounts receivable, certain financial instruments and contract assets. ASC 326 replaces the prior incurred loss impairment model with an expected loss methodology, which results in more timely recognition of credit losses. The Company adopted the provisions of ASC 326 as of January 1, 2022 (two years after the effective date for public business entities due to the Company’s election under its EGC status), and such adoption did not have an impact on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations within its consolidated financial statements. In October 2021, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2021-08, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers (ASU 2021-08), to address diversity and inconsistency related to the recognition and measurement of contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in a business combination. The guidance in ASU 2021-08 states that an acquirer should recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in a business combination in accordance with ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers . The amendments in ASU 2021-08 will be applied prospectively to any business combinations that occur during or after the fiscal year of adoption. The Company adopted the provisions of ASU 2021-08 as of January 1, 2022, and such adoption did not have an impact on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations within its consolidated financial statements. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncement Not Yet Adopted —In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848) , establishing ASC Topic 848, and amended the guidance thereafter (ASC 848). ASC 848 provides optional expedients and exceptions for a limited period of time for accounting for contracts, hedging relationships and other transactions affected by the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) or another reference rate expected to be discontinued. Optional expedients can be applied through December 31, 2024. Reference rate reform has not had a material impact with respect to any of the Company’s existing contracts, therefore, the Company has not been required to elect to apply any of the optional practical expedients and exceptions under ASC 848 as of the date of the financial statements. The Company will assess future changes in its contracts, including modifications, and the potential impact of electing to apply the optional practical expedients and exceptions under ASC 848 as they occur, but does not expect their application will have a material effect on its financial position or results of operations in its consolidated financial statements. |