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•	Growing revenue by 12%, net income per share by 137%, and non-GAAP EPS* by 38%;

•	Surpassing our net leverage goal by paying down more than $90 million in debt and reducing our net leverage to 2.8 times (vs. 4.0x at end of 2016 and 6.3x at time of the HD Vest acquisition);

•	Growing total HD Vest assets under administration, or AUA, by 14% to $44 billion and advisory assets under management, or AUM, by 21% to $12.5 billion - both record levels; and

•	Achieving our 20th consecutive year of revenue growth at TaxAct, growing 15%.

•	Divesting our legacy businesses in Infospace and Monoprice (achieved 2016);

•	De-levering and reducing our net leverage ratio from 6.3x to at least 3x (achieved 2017);

•	Delivering on our financial commitments (ongoing); and

•	Developing long-term business plans to drive growth and maximize value (ongoing).

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•	A - Accelerate Growth. We will execute on our significant organic growth opportunities, create clear competitive differentiation and value in each business, and capture the synergies that exist between the two.

•	B - Build Tax-Smart Leadership. We are competitively positioned - at the intersection of tax and wealth management - to deliver better outcomes to customers.

•	C - Create One Blucora. We are no longer a holding company of unrelated businesses. We are one company focused on sharing our expertise and driving efficiencies anchored in a common culture. We are on our way to building a high-performance organization, as part of this culture.

•	D - Deliver Results. While we have evolved from the Four D’s, we will retain our sharp focus on delivering on our commitments to shareholders, customers and advisors.

•	Migrating IT infrastructure to the cloud;

•	Upgrading our operations and support technology;

•	Growing investments in data-driven technologies, tools and platforms to personalize and optimize, as well as being vigilant around cybersecurity; and

•	Enhancing our data and analytics, while improving marketing effectiveness.

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•	Targeting high potential segments in the growing Digital DIY market, activated through new marketing and improved filer experiences;

•	Transparent pricing, with marketable price-value advantages versus the larger players; and

•	Diversifying revenue by extending our relationship with filers, leveraging the insight we can gain, with consent, from the tax form - through partners as well as by leveraging our HD Vest unit.

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1.	To elect three Class I directors;

2.	To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2018;

3.	To approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of our Named Executive Officers, as disclosed in this Proxy Statement;

4.	To approve the Blucora, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan;

5.	To approve an amendment to the Blucora, Inc. Restated Certificate of Incorporation to provide that the number of directors of the Company shall be not less than six nor more than 15 directors; and

6.	To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment, postponement or recess thereof.

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(1)	Financial measures used in our annual bonus plan. See "Compensation Discussion and Analysis" for additional information.

(2)	See Annex A - Non-GAAP Reconciliation for a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP EPS to Net Income and Net Income per share.

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•	“FOR” each nominee to the Board of Directors listed in this Proxy Statement;

•	“FOR” the ratification of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2018;

•	“FOR” the approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation of the Company’s Named Executive Officers;

•	"FOR” the approval of the Blucora, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan; and

•	"FOR" the approval of the amendment to the Blucora, Inc. Restated Certificate of Amendment.

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•	signing and submitting a new proxy card with a later date;

•	voting by telephone or via the Internet as instructed above (only your latest telephone or Internet proxy is counted); or

•	attending the meeting and voting in person (as described above).

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(1)	Consists of the weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, as outstanding RSUs do not have an exercise price.

(2)	Consists of 3,023,516 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options and 723,600 shares of common stock issuable upon vesting of RSUs under the 2015 Plan and 1996 Plan.

(3)

Includes 4,027,730 shares available for future grant under the 2015 Plan and 861,599 shares available for future grant under the 2016 ESPP. For the most current offering period that ended on January 31, 2018, 36,314 shares were issued under the 2016 ESPP. The 1996 Plan was terminated for purposes of future grants in May 2015. Does not include shares available for grant under the 2016 Inducement Plan.

(4)	Consists of 782,406 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options and 190,577 shares of common stock issuable upon vesting of RSUs under the 2016 Inducement Plan.

(5)	Includes shares available for future grant under the 2016 Inducement Plan.

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•	Reviewing and approving the appointment, compensation, oversight, and retention of the independent registered public accounting firm;

•	Pre-approving all services (audit and non-audit) to be performed by the independent registered public accounting firm;

•	Monitoring the adequacy and effectiveness of accounting and financial controls, including internal control over financial reporting;

•	Reviewing the audited financial statements and quarterly unaudited financial information and discussing them with management and the independent registered public accounting firm;

•	Establishing procedures for receiving and reviewing accounting-related complaints and concerns by whistle blowers;

•	Reviewing and monitoring compliance with risk management and investment policies;

•	Reviewing and pre-approving related person transactions; and

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•	Reviewing and monitoring compliance with the Code of Ethics and Conduct and recommending changes to the Code of Ethics and Conduct to the Board as appropriate.

•	Evaluating the performance of, and reviewing and approving (or recommending to the Board) the compensation of, our CEO and other executive officers;

•	Reviewing and making recommendations to management regarding general compensation goals and guidelines for employees and criteria by which employee bonuses are determined;

•	Monitoring compensation trends;

•	Overseeing the independent compensation consultant;

•	Reviewing the Company’s compensation policies and practices for all employees, including a review of the interaction between compensation incentives that could encourage risk-taking and the Company’s risk management policies and practices; and

•	Acting as administrator of our stock plans.

•	Assisting the Board of Directors by identifying prospective director nominees to fill vacancies and recommending to the Board of Directors the director nominees for the next annual meeting of stockholders;

•	Reviewing, and recommending to the Board of Directors any appropriate changes to, the Company's Corporate Governance Guidelines and Director Nomination Policy;

•	Reviewing proposed changes to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws and making recommendations for any such changes to the Board of Directors;

•	Evaluating the performance and effectiveness of the committees and the Board of Directors as a whole;

•	Recommending to the Board of Directors membership for each committee;

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•	Recommending to the full Board of Directors any changes to the non-employee director compensation program;

•	Overseeing director orientation and education;

•	Evaluating committee structure and recommending changes to the Board of Directors;

•	Monitoring compliance with independence standards by the directors;

•	Monitoring, and periodically reporting to the Board of Directors, any significant developments in the law and practice of corporate governance; and

•	Considering stockholder nominees for election to the Board of Directors as described below under “Director Nomination Process.”

•	Board of Directors - 9 meetings;

•	Audit Committee - 9 meetings;

•	Compensation Committee -12 meetings; and

•	Nominating and Governance Committee - 9 meetings.

•	The Audit Committee reviews our major financial risk exposures and the steps management has taken to monitor and control such exposures, and it also oversees our compliance, legal and regulatory risks. The Audit Committee also oversees and discusses with management our policies and practices with respect to risk assessment and risk management.

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•	The Compensation Committee oversees the management of risks relating to our executive and non-executive compensation plans and arrangements and succession planning.

•	The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee manages risks associated with general corporate governance.

•	Commitment to our business success while maintaining the highest standards of responsibility and ethics;

•	Representation of the best interests of all of our stockholders and not any particular constituency;

•	Conscientious preparation for, attendance at, and participation in Board of Directors and applicable committee meetings;

•	No personal or professional commitments that would interfere or conflict with a director’s obligations to the Company and its stockholders;

•	An established record of professional accomplishment in the director’s chosen field; and

•	No material personal, financial, or professional interest in any of our competitors that would interfere or conflict with the director’s obligations to the Company and its stockholders.

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(1)	Initial equity grants vest in three equal annual installments beginning on the first anniversary of the election or appointment date.

(2)

Annual grants are made on the date of the annual meeting of stockholders and vest in full on the first anniversary of the grant date provided that the grantee continues to be a member of the Board or the Chairperson, as applicable, on such date. In the case of a newly appointed director who is not appointed on the date of the annual meeting of stockholders, a pro rata portion of this annual grant will be awarded based on the date of appointment.

(1)	The dollar amount for stock awards (which consists of RSUs) and option awards is the grant date fair value computed in accordance with Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718, Compensation - Stock

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(2)

For Messrs. Aldrich, Atwell, Gardner and Ms. Proctor, includes an initial grant of equity that was made in 2017, as well as a 2017 annual grant that was made to all non-employee directors following our 2017 annual meeting of stockholders. Messrs. Atwell and Gardner also received a pro-rated annual grant for their service prior to the 2017 annual meeting of stockholders. The initial grants and pro-rated annual grants made to Messrs. Atwell and McIntyre were made prior to the director compensation changes described above and consisted of 30% options and 70% RSUs. The initial grants made to Mr. Aldrich and Ms. Proctor consisted solely of RSUs. Initial non-employee director grants vest in three equal annual installments beginning on the first anniversary of each director's the election or appointment date. The vesting for the annual RSU grants is described above.

(3)	Mr. Chung retired from the Board on February 28, 2017.

(4)	Mr. Cunningham retired from the Board on February 28, 2017.

(5)	Mr. Hooper did not stand for re-election and retired from the Board on June 1, 2017.

(6)	Ms. Huebner retired from the Board on August 11, 2017. When Ms. Huebner retired from the Board of Directors, this grant was forfeited.

(7)	Mr. Snyder retired from the Board on May 25, 2017.

(1)

Our former directors shown in the previous table did not have any equity outstanding as of December 31, 2017. When each of Messrs. Chung, Cunningham and Snyder retired from the Board, their outstanding unvested equity awards that were granted following our annual meeting in 2016 under the 2015 Plan were accelerated on a pro-rated basis based on the time they served as Board members from the date of grant until their last date of service on the Board.

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•	Discussed the overall scope and plans for audits with Ernst & Young LLP;

•	Met and held discussions with Ernst & Young LLP, both with and without management present, to discuss the results of the audits, management’s evaluation of Blucora’s internal control over financial reporting, and Ernst & Young LLP’s opinion thereof, and the overall quality of Blucora’s financial reporting;

•	Reviewed and discussed the quarterly and annual financial results prior to the publication of those results and the filing of those results on Form 8-K;

•	Discussed the matters required to be discussed with Ernst & Young LLP by the statement on Auditing Standards No. 1031, as amended (AICPA, Professional Standards, Vol. 1 AU section 380), as adopted by the PCAOB in Rule 3200T and SEC S-X Rule 2-07;

•	Reviewed and discussed the unaudited and audited financial statements with management and Ernst & Young LLP, including Ernst & Young LLP’s opinion on the audited financial statements; and

•	Received the written disclosures and letter from Ernst & Young LLP required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding the independent registered public accounting firm’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence and discussed with Ernst & Young LLP its independence.

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(1)

Mr. Emans, who served as the Company's Chief Financial Officer, Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer, ceased serving in such roles effective November 1, 2017. Mr. Palmer became the Company’s Principal Financial and Accounting Officer on November 1, 2017. Mr. Palmer continues to serve as the Company's Principal Accounting Officer, and Mr. Davinder S. Athwal, who joined the Company on February 21, 2018 as the Company's Chief Financial Officer, now serves as the Company's Principal Financial Officer.

(2)	Mr. Palmer originally joined the Company on February 20, 2017 and is not an executive officer, but pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S‑K he is included as a Named Executive Officer because he served as our Principal Financial Officer for a portion of 2017.

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(1)	Financial measures used in our annual bonus plan.

(2)	See Annex A - Non-GAAP Reconciliation for a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP EPS to Net Income and Net Income per share.

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•

Align Management to Operational and Financial Goals: Align the compensation of both existing and incoming executive management to our key operational and financial goals. Specifically, our 2017 annual performance-based cash bonus plan allocated a significant percentage of overall target compensation for executives to annual variable cash incentive bonuses based on operational and financial targets. In 2017, our CEO and Former CFO had a significant portion of their compensation dependent upon achievement of specific Company goals, and our New NEOs were also able to benefit from the achievement of Company goals in connection with the annual cash bonus plan.

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Stockholder-Management Alignment Through Long-Term Equity Grants: Ensure stockholder-management alignment through the use of long-term equity grants that have a value that is tied directly to the price of our common stock. In 2017, at least half (and for certain NEOs, including our CEO, 70%) of the long-term equity awards were comprised of stock options, which are inherently tied to the performance of our stock, and the other portion was comprised of RSUs.

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Cash and Equity Compensation: Our historical philosophy and practices were to set total cash compensation below market with above market equity compensation and a significant portion of equity granted in the form of options. We believe these historical practices were appropriate when we were seeking talent in the Washington State internet-based market. However, in connection with our transition to a Dallas-based technology-enabled financial solutions company, we began evolving our philosophy and practices during 2017 when hiring the New Executive Officers and setting 2018 executive compensation. In connection with this evolution, we began to focus more on having an attractive market-based compensation program in our new market and industry so that we could attract top caliber executive talent. When hiring the New Executive Officers during 2017, we began shifting from our previous cash and equity compensation practices of below market cash compensation with above market equity compensation that has a larger focus on options and began to focus more on market competitive compensation. See "2018 Compensation Changes" for additional information regarding changes to our executive compensation program for 2018.

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Attract and Retain Talent: Provide compensation that is both fair to the Company and the executive and attracts and retains talented and qualified executives through the use of competitive but reasonable salaries, short-term incentives and equity grants. In 2017 and in connection with hiring the New NEOs, attracting talent was a very important element of our compensation program. In setting compensation for each of these New NEOs, our compensation program had to be competitive in the market and industry where we compete for talent. See "Employment Agreements" for a discussion of how compensation was set for each of our New Executive Officers during 2017.

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CEO: Mr. Clendening's bonus target under the 2017 Executive Bonus Plan was increased from 100% to 200% of base salary for 2017. This increase was made to ensure Mr. Clendening's compensation was competitive in the market where we compete for talent and was a result of Mr. Clendening's performance during 2016 and his leadership that allowed us to successfully achieve certain financial performance and strategic goals for 2016. Because this element of compensation is at risk, the Compensation Committee believed that the increase would allow us to better compensate Mr. Clendening for results while keeping Mr. Clendening's interest aligned with our stockholders. This increase also reflects the beginning stages of our shift during 2017 away from targeting below market cash compensation and towards setting market competitive compensation levels for our executive officers.

•

New NEOs: As further described under "Employment Agreements" the target bonus for the New NEOs was set at the time they joined our Company at a level believed to be competitive in the market where we compete for talent. In addition, the New Executive Officer Employment Agreements and/ or the 2017 Executive Bonus Plan required that each of the New Executive Officers would receive 2017 bonus payments that are pro-rated to reflect the number of days of the executive’s employment in 2017 and will be no lower than the pro-rated amount of the executive’s target bonus (such that they were guaranteed their pro-rated target bonus for 2017). Because they were not employed for the full year, which somewhat limited their influence on certain strategies that were in place before they became NEOs, our Compensation Committee believed that guaranteeing this minimum bonus amount for these NEOs was appropriate.

•	Former CFO: When the 2017 bonus targets were set, Mr. Emans had previously announced that he would not be relocating with the Company's headquarters during 2017. As such, Mr. Emans was eligible for a prorated bonus for 2017 for the time he served as our CFO. Mr. Emans' bonus target as a percent of salary did not increase from 2016.

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(1)

The operational and financial metrics selected by the Compensation Committee for the 2017 Executive Bonus Plan reflect the responsibilities of each NEO. For Messrs. Clendening, Emans, Palmer and Ms. Bruder, the metrics were tied to our overall Company performance, and for Messrs. Oros and Baskaran, a portion of the metrics were tied to our overall Company performance and a portion of the metrics were tied to metrics related to the businesses that they led.

(2)	"Other Metrics" includes TaxAct Paid E-Files in our Tax Preparation segment and Wealth Management segment assets under management ("AUM") net inflows. See "2017 Performance Targets vs. Actual Results" below for additional information regarding each of these metrics.

(1)	Per the terms of the Bonus Plans, the achievement percent is rounded up to the nearest whole percentage point.

(2)	Blucora Revenue is comprised of our Tax Preparation Segment Revenue and Wealth Management Segment Net Revenue (which is Wealth Management Segment Revenue net of advisor payout (cost of sales)).

(3)

Reflects consolidated externally reported Adjusted EBITDA, adjusted for internally developed software, bonus accruals and other non-operational items. The Compensation Committee uses Adjusted EBITDA (subject to certain adjustments) because it believes it is an important measure of our operating performance. See Annex A - Non-GAAP Reconciliation for a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income and for additional information regarding this non-GAAP measure.

(4)	Reflects externally reported Income or Revenue for each of our Wealth Management segment and our Tax Preparation segment, with Income for each segment adjusted for internally developed software and bonus accruals. In addition, the Tax Preparation segment included an allocation of budgeted growth initiative investments.

(5)	Reflects new AUM inflows less outflows for our Wealth Management segment.

(6)	Reflects the number of accepted federal tax e-files made through our software and online services for which we received payment.

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(1)	The target shown for all NEOs, excluding Mr. Clendening, reflects a pro rata target bonus for 2017. The bonus payments were pro-rated to reflect the number of days of employment during 2017.

(2)

The combined Performance Target Achievement of all of Mr. Baskaran's applicable performance metrics under the 2017 Executive Bonus Plan did not meet the target level of achievement for a target bonus payout; however, per the terms of the Executive Bonus Plan and because he was a New NEO who joined the Company in 2017, Mr. Baskaran was guaranteed a minimum payment of his pro-rated target bonus for 2017.

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Stock Options: Stock options provide incentive for the achievement of stock price growth. They provide a high level of alignment with stockholders because individuals do not realize substantial value from stock options unless our stock price significantly improves following grant. Stock options represent the right to purchase shares of our common stock. Stock options were granted at an exercise price equal to the closing price of our common stock on the relevant date of grant.

•	RSUs: RSUs provide upside incentive when the value of the Company’s stock appreciates, but also provides some protection in down markets. Because RSUs vest into shares of the Company's common stock, they serve to create stockholder-management alignment. Each RSU vests over a certain period of time as long as

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(1)	These grants vest over a three-year period, with 33.33% vesting on the first anniversary of the date of grant and approximately 16.67% vesting at the end of each six-month period thereafter.

(2)	Mr. Emans did not receive an annual equity grant for 2017 because, in connection with the relocation of the Company's headquarters, he had previously announced that he would not be relocating with the Company at the time the 2017 annual equity grants were made.

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Recent Changes to our Business and Company: Our Company and our business have undergone significant changes since late 2015, and as a result of this transition, which includes the changes noted below, our Compensation Committee began evolving our executive compensation practices during 2017 to ensure that we are able to attract and retain executive talent in the new markets and industries where we now compete for talent:

◦	Strategic Transformation: Our Strategic Transformation, which was announced in October 2015, has transformed us from a Washington-based company that operated a portfolio of internet businesses to a Dallas, Texas-based technology-enabled financial solutions company through which we offer wealth management and tax preparation products and services through HD Vest and TaxAct, respectively.

◦	New Executive Officers: As a result of our Strategic Transformation and the relocation of our headquarters, we have recently hired a new executive team, which includes the New Executive Officers who were all hired in 2017.

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New Board Members: We have four new Board members who began serving in 2017. Our new Board members, two of whom currently serve as members of our Compensation Committee (including our Compensation Committee Chair), have brought new ideas and a fresh perspective to our executive compensation program. See "Information Regarding the Board of Directors" for additional information regarding our new Board members.

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Changing Philosophy and Practices During 2017: We believe our historical cash and equity compensation philosophy of setting total cash compensation below market with above market equity compensation and a significant portion of equity granted in the form of options was appropriate when we were seeking talent in the Washington internet-based market. However, in connection with our transition to a Dallas-based technology-enabled financial solutions company, we began evolving our philosophy and practices during 2017 when hiring the New Executive Officers. In connection with this evolution we began to focus more on having an attractive

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•	Change in Compensation Consultants: In July 2017, our Compensation Committee engaged a new independent compensation consultant to assist in reviewing our executive officer compensation philosophy and practices in light of our new business strategy and in the new market and industry in which we now operate.

•	New Philosophy: The philosophy underlying our executive compensation plans is to provide an attractive and market-based compensation program tied to performance and aligned with the interest of stockholders. We believe our executive compensation program should have the following elements and adhere to the following principles:

◦	Competitive: Enable us to attract, motivate and retain high caliber executive officers who will maximize the potential of the business over time.

◦	Aligned: Clear alignment of executive compensation to the short-term and long-term financial outcomes and value-drivers of the business.

◦	Balanced: Foster sustained growth and alignment through a balanced approach to compensation design.

◦	Sound: Encourage achievement of our strategy and goals through policies and structure that reinforce desired behaviors that are in line with our purpose, vision, ethics and values.

•	New Peers: Our new compensation consultants reviewed our peer group and determined that, in light of our Strategic Transformation and the market and industry in which we now operate, our peer group should be updated. See "2018 Peers for Benchmarking" below for additional information regarding our new peer group that was used for 2018 compensation decisions.

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2018 Executive Compensation: After we established a new peer group, our Compensation Committee approved changes to our executive compensation program for 2018 that it believes allows us to be competitive with our peer group and with the companies with whom we compete for talent and to reflect market expectations for at-risk compensation so that we are able to retain our New Executive Officers and attract additional executive officers when necessary (including our Chief Financial Officer who was hired in early 2018). In addition, these changes also allowed for an internal calibration of executive compensation, as each of the New Executive Officers hired in 2017 came from different industries with different expectations of compensation. We believe that the executive compensation changes that were made for 2018 will assist us in achieving our strategy of operating as "One Company" and will help us to be competitive with our peers and in the market and industry where we compete for talent while also focusing on internal pay parity.

•	2018 Compensation Mix: The 2018 compensation mix is comprised of the following, with a significant portion continuing to be performance-based and be "at-risk" (the CEO continues to have 90% of his compensation "at-risk" for 2018):

◦	Base: In 2018, our base salaries increased as a result of our review of the peer group and of the market and industries where we compete for talent. For example, our CEO's base salary increased approximately 9% to $600,000.

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Bonus: In 2018, we continued to tie a substantial portion of the executive officer's compensation to the Company's short-term bonus plan, which is tied to the achievement of our operational and financial goals as well as specific individual goals and assists in retaining, attracting, and motivating employees in the near-term. Similar to 2017, the operational and financial metrics selected by the Compensation Committee for the 2018 annual bonus plan reflect the responsibilities of each NEO, such that they are tied to our overall Company performance or certain metrics related to the different businesses that the executive oversees or is involved. Our 2018 annual bonus plan metrics are also tied to certain human resources foundation metrics and balanced scorecard metrics, which we believe will help us move toward an increased focus on operational objectives that are key to our growth strategy and also moves toward operating as "One Company." The CEO's target bonus as a percentage of his base salary did not increase in 2018 from 2017, which continues to keep a significant portion of his cash compensation performance-based.

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◦	Equity: The most significant change to our executive compensation program for 2018 was with respect to the type and mix of equity granted to our executive officers. For 2018, we shifted from our equity grants being comprised of options and RSUs to the following mix of equity:

▪	25% performance-based RSUs that are eligible to vest on January 1, 2021, subject to the Company achieving a certain level of non-GAAP earnings per share during 2020;

▪	25% stock options that vest equally each year over a three-year period; and

▪	50% time-based RSUs that vest equally each year over a three-year period.

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Adoption of Executive Stock Ownership Guidelines: In February 2018, the Board adopted stock ownership guidelines that are applicable to all of our executive officers effective as of January 1, 2018. These guidelines require that our executive officers acquire and hold shares of our common stock equal in market value to the multiple of each of their base salaries as follows: 5X for CEO and 3X for all other NEOs.

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We structure our pay to consist of both fixed and variable compensation for our employees. The fixed (or salary) portion of compensation is designed to provide a steady income regardless of our financial performance or the performance of our stock price so that executives do not feel pressured to focus exclusively on our financial performance or our stock price performance to the detriment of other important business metrics. The variable (cash short-term incentive and equity-based long-term incentive) portions of compensation are designed to reward both short- and long-term financial performance.

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For short-term performance, our annual Bonus Plans are intended to provide annual cash payments that are awarded based on achievement of earnings goals that are based on the operational and financial metrics applicable to each executive officer and are established by the Compensation Committee. In addition, the 2017 maximum bonus award opportunity for NEOs was subject to a cap of 150% of their target awards.

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For long-term performance, our 2017 equity grants were comprised of stock options and RSUs that vest over a three-year period. We believe these equity grants provide incentive for executives and other employees who receive these grants to focus on long-term fundamentals and create long-term stockholder value. In addition, as discussed under "2018 Compensation Changes," in 2018 we granted performance-based RSUs that are eligible to vest on January 1, 2021, subject to the Company achieving a certain level of non-GAAP earnings per share during 2020. We believe these grants added an additional performance-based component that requires the long-term growth of our Company over a three-year period in order to vest and provides an upside reward for significant long-term growth in EPS.

•	We have a Clawback Policy that allows us to recoup certain compensation and awards paid to our Named Executive Officers in certain circumstances in the event that there is a material restatement of our financial results.

•	Our Insider Trading Policy does not permit margining, pledging, hedging, short sales of or trading options related to our stock by any director, officer or employee.

•	We have stock ownership guidelines that require stock ownership that is 5X the annual base salary for our CEO, 3X the annual base salaries for our other executive officers and 4X the annual retainer for our directors.

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(1)	Each NEO, except Mr. Clendening, received a prorated base salary in 2017. The New NEOs joined the Company during 2017, and Mr. Emans ceased serving as our CFO on November 1, 2017.

(2)

Mr. Baskaran's bonus consists of a pro-rated target bonus amount, which was guaranteed to be paid to Mr. Baskaran under the Executive Bonus Plan. The combined Performance Target Achievement of all of Mr. Baskaran's applicable performance metrics under the Executive Bonus Plan did not meet the target level of achievement for a target bonus payout; however, per the terms of the Executive Bonus Plan and because he was a New NEO who joined the Company in 2017, Mr. Baskaran was guaranteed a minimum payment of his pro-rated target bonus for 2017. See "Annual Short-Term Incentive/Bonus Payments" for additional information.

(3)

The dollar amount for stock (which consists of RSUs) and option awards is the aggregate grant date fair value computed in accordance with ASC 718, excluding the effect of any estimated forfeitures. These amounts reflect the Company’s accounting expense and do not correspond to the actual value that will be realized by the NEO. Assumptions used in the valuation of stock and option awards granted in 2017 are discussed in “Note 12: Stock-Based Compensation” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8) in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.

(4)

The Stock Awards and Option Awards column for the year ended December 31, 2016 for Mr. Emans has been updated from the information presented in the Company's 2017 proxy statement to include the incremental fair value associated with the modification of Mr. Emans' awards on January 22, 2016 and October 25, 2016 when his then-current employment agreement was amended. The value shown includes both the aggregate grant date fair value for the awards granted in 2016 and the incremental fair value associated with the modified awards. The incremental fair value shown in the Stock Award column is $179,176 and the incremental fair value shown in the Option Awards column is $433,215.

(5)

Includes amounts earned under the Bonus Plans for 2017 and paid in 2018. While Mr. Oros and Ms. Bruder were guaranteed a minimum payment of their pro-rata target bonus pursuant to each of their employment agreements, the actual amounts earned under the Executive Bonus Plan exceeded the target, and the amounts included reflect the achievement of the applicable performance metrics under the Executive Bonus Plan.

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(6)	All other compensation in 2017 consists of the following:

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(1)

Represents the range of possible cash payouts under the 2017 Bonus Plans, with the target amount reflecting a pro-rated target cash bonus for each NEO, excluding Mr. Clendening. Actual amounts earned, as determined by the Compensation Committee in the first quarter of 2018, are reflected in the 2017 Summary Compensation Table under Bonus for Mr. Baskaran and Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation for all other NEOs. Because Messrs. Oros, Baskaran and Ms. Bruder were guaranteed payment of their 2017 prorated annual target bonus, the minimum payment they could have received for 2017 is the target amount shown.  See “Compensation Decisions Made in 2017—2017 Annual Bonus" for additional information.

(2)

The dollar amount for stock (which consists of RSUs) and option awards is the aggregate grant date fair value computed in accordance with ASC 718, excluding the effect of any estimated forfeitures. These amounts reflect the Company’s accounting expense and do not correspond to the actual value that will be realized by the NEO. Assumptions used in the valuation of stock and option awards granted in 2017 are discussed in “Note 12: Stock-Based Compensation” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8) in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.  See “Compensation Decisions Made in 2017—Annual Long-Term Equity Grants" for additional information.

(3)	Mr. Emans did not receive an annual equity grant for 2017 because, in connection with the relocation of the Company's headquarters, he had previously announced that he would not be relocating with the Company at the time the 2017 annual equity grants were made.

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(1)	Unvested stock (which consists of RSUs) and option awards vest over a three-year period, with 33.33% vesting on the first anniversary of the date of grant and approximately 16.67% vesting at the end of each six-month period thereafter, except as described below.

(2)	The market value of unvested RSUs is based on the closing price of our common stock on December 29, 2017, which was the last trading day of 2017, of $22.10 per share.

(3)	15% of Mr. Clendening's option award vested on April 4, 2016, 33.33% vested on April 4, 2017 and 16.67% vested on October 4, 2017. Approximately 16.67% will vest at the end of each six-month period following October 4, 2017, such that the option will be fully vested on April 4, 2019.

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(1)	The value realized on exercise was calculated by multiplying the number of shares acquired upon exercise of stock options by the difference between the market price of the Company’s common stock per share upon exercise and the exercise price per share.

(2)	The value realized on vesting was calculated by multiplying the number of shares acquired upon the vesting of RSUs by the closing price of the Company’s common stock per share on the vesting date.

(3)	Options were exercised through a net exercise with the Company.

(4)	Includes 171,048 options and 20,762 RSUs that vested on November 1, 2017 when Mr. Emans terminated his employment with us. Based on our closing stock price on November 1, 2017 (the day of acceleration) of $21.05, the value of the equity that vested on that date was $2,272,890.

(5)	A portion of the options were exercised through a net exercise with the Company, and a portion were exercised through a cashless exercise.

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•	the termination date was December 31, 2017;

•	each of the executive officer's employment agreements or the Company's severance plan in the case of Mr. Palmer would be followed in the case of a termination or termination following a change-in-control;

•	the closing price for our stock on December 29, 2017, which was the last trading day of 2017, was $22.10 (as reported on the NASDAQ);

•	each NEO set forth below had received all of his or her base salary earned during 2017;

•	each NEO set forth below was entitled to, but had not yet been paid, the 2017 annual bonus plan payment that they received in February 2017 (because the assumed termination date is December 31, 2017); and

•	any change of control payment would only be made if there was a “double-trigger,” which means that two events must occur for payments to be made (i.e., a change of control and the actual or constructive termination of employment, in this case within a specified period before or after such trigger event, as further described below).

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(1)	Because Mr. Palmer does not have an employment agreement, his termination payment information shown in this column would be as a result of a reduction in force or job elimination under our Severance Plan.

(2)	Pursuant to the terms of each of their employment agreements, each of the NEOs, excluding Mr. Palmer, would be entitled to receive six months of base pay. Mr. Palmer does not have an employment agreement.

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(3)	Pursuant to the terms of each of their employment agreements, Mr. Clendening would be entitled to receive six months of base pay and the other NEOs, excluding Mr. Palmer, would be entitled to receive three months of base pay.

(4)	Amounts reported represent the severance amount payable to each NEO described in detail below.

(5)	Reflects the actual bonus earned for 2017 under the Bonus Plans. As of December 31, 2017, this amount had been earned but not yet paid.

(6)	Amounts reported are based on the estimated COBRA costs for 18 months for Mr. Clendening and 12 months for Messrs. Oros and Baskaran and Ms. Bruder.

(7)	Each of the NEOs, excluding Mr. Palmer, would receive accelerated vesting of their outstanding equity awards pursuant to the terms of their employment agreements, which are described below. Mr. Palmer's accelerated vesting would be in accordance with our 2015 Plan.

•	a severance payment in the aggregate amount of $618,568, which is comprised of:

◦	one times his base salary and one times his annual target bonus ($588,432);

◦	a lump sum equal to 12 months of COBRA insurance premiums ($30,136); and

•	the immediate vesting of all equity awards granted prior to October 25, 2016 and an extended exercise period with respect to his stock options to the earlier of the option expiration date or June 30, 2019. See "2017 Option Exercises and Stock Vested" for additional information regarding the equity that was accelerated.

•	The New Executive Officers are entitled to:

◦	severance benefits of a one-time lump sum payment equal to one times his or her then-current annual salary; and

◦	a lump sum payment equal to 12 months of COBRA insurance benefits.

•	Mr. Clendening would receive:

◦	severance benefits of a one-time lump sum payment equal to 1.5 times his then-current salary and 1.5 times his target bonus amount; and

◦	a lump sum payment equal to 18 months of COBRA insurance benefits.

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•	The New Executive Officers would each receive:

◦	severance benefits of a one-time lump sum payment equal to one times each of their base salary and one times each of their one times each of their target bonus amount; and

◦	12 months of COBRA premiums.

•	Mr. Clendening would receive:

◦	severance benefits of a one-time lump sum payment equal to two times his base salary and two times his target bonus amount; and

◦	18 months of COBRA premiums.

•	Each NEO, excluding Mr. Palmer, would also receive full acceleration of all unvested time-based equity awards (and performance-based equity awards for Mr. Clendening) and an extended post-termination exercise period for the executive's options of 24 months for Mr. Clendening and 12 months for the other NEOs.

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•

If the change of control is a company transaction in which awards, other than performance shares and performance units, could be converted, assumed, substituted for or replaced by the successor company, then, to the extent that the successor company converts, assumes, substitutes for, or replaces such awards, the vesting restrictions and forfeiture provisions applicable to such awards will not be accelerated or lapse, and all such vesting restrictions and forfeiture provisions will continue with respect to any shares of the successor company or other consideration that may be received with respect to such awards. To the extent such outstanding awards are not converted, assumed, substituted for, or replaced by the successor company, such awards will become fully vested and exercisable or payable, and all applicable restrictions or forfeiture provisions will lapse, immediately prior to the change of control. Such awards will then terminate at the effective time of the change of control.

•

If the change of control is not a company transaction in which awards, other than performance shares and performance units, could be converted, assumed, substituted for, or replaced by the successor company, all outstanding awards, other than performance shares and performance units, will become fully vested and exercisable or payable, and all applicable restrictions or forfeiture provisions will lapse, immediately prior to the change of control. Such awards will then terminate at the effective time of the change of control.

•

an acquisition by any individual, entity or group of beneficial ownership of 40% or more of either (a) the then outstanding shares of common stock or (b) the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (generally excluding any acquisition directly from the Company, any acquisition by the Company, any acquisition by any employee benefit plan of the Company or a related company, or an acquisition pursuant to certain related party transactions);

•	a change in the composition of the Board during any two-year period such that the incumbent Board members cease to constitute at least a majority of the Board (not including directors whose election, or nomination for election by stockholders, was approved by a majority of the incumbent Board); or

•

consummation of a company transaction, which is generally defined as a merger or consolidation, a sale of all of the Company’s outstanding voting securities, or a sale, lease or other transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, unless (a) after such transaction the beneficial owners of common stock and voting securities immediately prior to the transaction retain at least 50% of such common stock and voting securities of the company resulting from such transaction, (b) no person beneficially owns 40% or more of the then outstanding common stock or voting securities of the company resulting from such transaction, and (c) at least a majority of the board of directors of the company resulting from such transaction were incumbent directors of the Company prior to such transaction.

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(1)

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC. In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, shares of common stock subject to options held by that person that are currently exercisable or will become exercisable within 60 days of April 9, 2018, if any, or RSUs held by that person that vest within 60 days of April 9, 2018, if any, are deemed outstanding, while such shares are not deemed outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of any other person.

(2)	Based on information contained in a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on January 19, 2018, by BlackRock, Inc. BlackRock, Inc. reported it had sole voting power as to 5,745,195 shares and sole dispositive power as to 5,826,130 shares.

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(3)

Based on information contained in a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 9, 2018, by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP and its subsidiaries (“Dimensional”). Dimensional is an investment adviser/manager to certain funds and as investment adviser/manager, Dimensional possesses investment and/or voting power of the securities of the funds and may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of the shares held by the funds. Dimensional disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held by the funds. Dimensional reported it had sole voting power as to 3,383,525 shares and sole dispositive power as to 3,526,791 shares.

(4)	Based on information contained in a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 8, 2018, by The Vanguard Group. (“Vanguard”). Vanguard reported it had sole voting power as to 58,912 shares, shared voting power as to 9,996 shares, sole dispositive power as to 5,480,840 shares, and shared dispositive power as to 63,994 shares.

(5)

Based on information contained in Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on March 9, 2018, each of Wellington Management Group LLP, Wellington Group Holdings LLP and Wellington Investment Advisors Holdings LLP shares voting power as to 4,400,270 shares and has shared dispositive power as to 4,788,972 shares; and Wellington Management Company LLP shares voting power as to 3,987,447 shares and has shared dispositive power as to 4,254,234 shares.

(6)

Based on information contained in Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on January 29, 2018 jointly by First Trust Portfolios L.P., First Trust Advisors L.P. and The Charger Corporation. First Trust Portfolios L.P. acts as sponsor of certain unit investment trusts that holds shares of the Company. First Trust Advisors L.P., an affiliate of First Trust Portfolios L.P., acts as a portfolio supervisor of the unit investment trusts sponsored by First Trust Portfolios L.P., certain of which hold shares of the Company. Neither First Trust Portfolios L.P., First Trust Advisors L.P. nor The Charger Corporation have the power to vote the shares of the Company held by these investment trusts sponsored by First Trust Portfolios L.P. Each of First Trust Portfolios L.P., First Trust Advisors L.P, and The Charger Corporation disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares included in the Schedule 13G. First Trust Advisors L.P. and The Charger Corporation share voting power as to 2,354,491 shares and share dispositive power as to 2,381,565 shares. First Trust Portfolios L.P. has shared dispositive power as to 27,074 shares.

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