ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN HOLDING LP

Compensation Discussion and Analysis (“CD&A”)

In this CD&A, we provide an overview and analysis of our executive compensation philosophy, address the principal elements used to compensate our executive officers and explain how our executive compensation program aligns with AB’s strategic objectives. Additionally, we discuss 2023 incentive compensation recommendations and decisions made by our Compensation Committee for our named executive officers (“NEOs”). This CD&A should be read together with the compensation tables that follow this section. Our NEOs for 2023(1) are:

(1)Kate Burke resigned from her position as COO and Chief Financial Officer in May 2023. We have included information concerning Ms. Burke in this CD&A and the compensatory tables that follow in accordance with applicable SEC rules and regulations.

Compensation Philosophy and Goals

The intellectual capital of our employees is collectively the most important asset of our firm. We invest in people – we hire qualified people, train them, encourage them to give their best thinking to the firm and our clients, and compensate them in a manner designed to motivate, reward and retain them while aligning their interests with the interests of our Unitholders and clients.

Furthermore, our compensation practices are structured to help the firm realize its long-term growth strategy to Deliver, Diversify and Expand, Responsibly, with Equitable (the “Growth Strategy”), which includes firm-wide initiatives to:

•Deliver superior investment solutions to our clients;

•Develop high-quality differentiated services; and

•Maintain strong incremental margins.

We also are focused on ensuring that our compensation practices are competitive with industry peers and provide sufficient potential for wealth creation for our NEOs and our employees generally, which we believe will enable us to meet the following key compensation goals:

•attract, motivate and retain highly-qualified executive talent;

•reward prior-year performance;

•incentivize future performance;

•recognize and support outstanding individual performance and behaviors that demonstrate and foster our firm’s primary objective of helping our clients reach their financial goals; and

•align our executives’ long-term interests with those of our Unitholders and clients.

Progress in Advancing our Growth Strategy in 2023

In 2023 we continued to show meaningful progress in executing our Growth Strategy: Deliver, Diversify, and Expand, Responsibly, with Equitable.

Deliver Superior Investment Solutions to our Clients:

Investment Performance

The firm’s investment teams remain focused on consistently delivering differentiated return streams to our clients. We believe that, over time, the ability to produce idiosyncratic returns that cannot be easily replicated will be central to sustaining our competitive advantage. In 2023, our Fixed Income performance strengthened, with 75% of assets outperforming for the one-year period ended December 31, 2023, 73% outperforming over the three-year period and 77% outperforming for the five-year period. In Equities, performance lagged due to both stock selection and highly concentrated benchmark returns led by a small number of mega-cap technology stocks. Approximately 26% of Equity assets were in outperforming services for the one-year period, 45% for the three-year period and 42% for the five-year period ended December 31, 2023. (This performance data reflects the percentage of active Fixed Income and Equity assets in Institutional Services that outperformed their respective benchmarks, gross of fees, and of active Fixed Income and Equity assets in Retail advisor and I share class funds ranked in the top half of their Morningstar category; if no advisor class exists, we used A share class). Additionally, as of December 31, 2023, 60% of U.S. Fund assets and 69% of Non-U.S. Fund assets were rated 4- or 5-stars by Morningstar.

The following retail Fixed Income and Equity mutual funds with AUM greater than $100 million placed in the top quartile of performance for the three-year period ended December 31, 2023:

Net Flows

Scaling our proven investment services remains a key focus of our firm. In 2023, we grew organically in two of our three distribution channels, Retail and Private Wealth, while Institutions saw net outflows. By asset class, Fixed Income grew organically at 5%, offset by outflows in Active Equity, consistent with trends seen across the industry. AB’s net outflows were $7.0 billion, or 1.1% attrition, a lower rate of attrition as compared with our public peer group which experienced higher attrition. In our Retail channel, gross sales rose to $71.1 billion, up 8% versus 2022. The Retail redemption rate rose to 28% in 2023 from 24% in 2022, and full-year net inflows were $3.7 billion, driven by strong growth in both taxable and non-taxable Fixed Income. In our Institutional channel, gross sales of $11.8 billion declined from $32.2 billion in 2022, the latter of which benefited from $16 billion in funding from two custom target date mandates. Net outflows were $11.8 billion. Our pipeline of $12.0 billion in AUM decreased versus $13.2 billion a year ago, reflecting slowing institutional activity industry wide; Private Alternatives represented over 80% of the pipeline fee base at year-end. In Private Wealth, gross sales in 2023 of $18.6 billion were strong, up 6% year-over-year, and this channel generated its third straight year of net inflows, or 1.1% organic growth.

Diversify Through Developing High-Quality Differentiated Services:

Growing the diversity of our offerings to meet the needs of an evolving, complex global client base remains a key focus. In 2023, new investment strategy launches across our global platform included: Security of the Future, US High Dividend ETF, Disruptors ETF, Corporate Bond ETF, Core Plus Bond ETF, Conservative Buffer ETF, Tax-Aware Intermediate Municipal ETF, Tax-Aware Long Municipal, and Fixed Maturity Portfolio 2026/2027. Additionally, we launched multiple new vehicles for existing investment strategies in response to customer demand, across a diverse set of geographies.

Expand:

In 2023, we focused on continued growth in our Private Alternatives business, with net inflows led by Secondaries, Renewable Energy, Residential Mortgage Loans and European Commercial Real Estate Debt. We announced a new NAV (Net Asset Value) lending strategy in our Private Credit business, supported by a commitment from Equitable. AB’s Private Markets platform is now $61 billion, up 9% year over year, reflecting a diverse and relevant offering for Institutional, Retail and Private Wealth clients. We remain focused on expanding opportunistically, both inside and outside the U.S., to support long-term growth. We received approval in China for a wholly owned mutual fund license, and are also focused on growth in other Asian nations and select European markets. We continued to invest in our insurance asset management business to grow third party clients. And, we realized strong growth due to the redesign of our Muni investment platform to enable customization and tax optimization at scale in our custom Muni SMAs.

Responsibly:

We view responsibility as an active pursuit that unites our firm—from the way we work and act, to our community service, and to the investment solutions we deliver to our clients. Internally we continued to improve on a robust corporate governance and compliance framework, including further strengthening our security and business continuity infrastructure. Through our investing activities, we continue to support proposals that encourage companies to strengthen their corporate governance structures, support shareholder rights and strive for greater transparency, in keeping with the best interest of our clients. Financially, responsibility extends to our expense management, as we maintained non-compensation expense growth below inflation levels in 2023.

With Equitable:

In 2023 Equitable announced an expansion of its program to allocate and deploy permanent capital 1 to AB’s illiquid platform. Equitable's goal is to reposition and thereby further improve the risk adjusted return of its General Account, through seeding new and growing existing alternative platforms at AB. An initial $10 billion commitment was made in 2021, of which approximately 90% had been deployed in both Private Alternative and Private Placement strategies at year-end. This initial commitment includes $750 million currently being deployed to AB CarVal strategies. In May 2023, Equitable announced a second $10 billion in permanent capital commitment to AB’s illiquid platform, increasing the total of its commitments to $20 billion. We expect the second commitment will begin to be deployed in 2024, following the completion of the first commitment, and will continue over the next several years.

Maintain Strong Incremental Margins:

We remain focused on managing costs to help ensure that we generate targeted incremental adjusted operating margins in the range of 45-50%, over time. In 2023, we continued to execute a key pillar of this strategy as initially announced in 2018, which was the relocation of our corporate headquarters from New York City to Nashville. We continue to seek efficiencies and manage various operating expenses to help ensure that we drive operating leverage on incremental revenues. We also continue to execute on the planned joint venture of Bernstein Research Services with Société Générale (EURONEXT: GLE, “SocGen”), expected to be completed in the first half of 2024. We currently anticipate this action will result in a 200-250 basis point improvement in our annual adjusted operating margin upon deconsolidation of Bernstein Research Services from our consolidated financial statements.

Despite improving financial markets over the course of 2023, our full year average 2023 AUM declined by 1% from 2022 levels, reflecting a lag in average AUM recovering versus the prior year. This resulted in a rolling three-year incremental adjusted operating margin of 8%, below our targeted range. Our adjusted operating margin decreased to 28.2% in 2023, down 70 basis points as compared to 28.9% in 2022. The decrease resulted from operating expense growth of 2% as compared with adjusted

1 Permanent capital means investment capital of indefinite duration, for which commitments may be withdrawn under certain conditions. Such conditions primarily include potential regulatory restrictions, lacking sufficient liquidity to fund the capital commitments to AB and AB's inability to identify attractive investment opportunities which align with the investment strategy. Although EQH’s insurance subsidiaries have indicated their intention over time to provide this investment capital to AB, they have no binding commitment to do so. While the withdrawal of their commitment could potentially slow down our introduction of certain products, the impact to our overall operations would not be material.

net revenue growth of 1%. Total adjusted compensation and benefits expense increased by 2%, promotion and servicing costs rose by 2%, and general and administrative costs rose 1% year-over-year. We provide additional information regarding our adjusted compensation ratio below in this CD&A; see our discussion of “Management Operating Metrics” above in Item 7 for a reconciliation between our results pursuant to U.S. GAAP and our adjusted results.

Our Compensation Practices are Structured to Help the Firm Realize its Growth Strategy

Overview

(1)AB generated a rolling three-year incremental adjusted operating margin of 8%, below the long-term targeted range of 45-50%. We provide additional information regarding our adjusted operating margin in MD&A above in Item 7.

(2)During 2023, we adjusted operating income to exclude the impact of interest on borrowings in order to align with industry peers. We have recast prior periods presentation to align with the current period presentation.

Overview of 2023 Incentive Compensation Program

When reflecting on 2023 performance and pay, each of our NEOs (other than Ms. Burke who resigned in May 2023) received a portion of his year-end incentive compensation in the form of an annual cash bonus and a portion in the form of long-term incentive compensation awards. The split between annual cash bonus and long-term incentive compensation varied depending on the NEO's total compensation, with lower-paid executives receiving a greater percentage of their incentive compensation as cash bonuses than more highly-paid executives. (For additional information about these compensatory elements, see “Compensation Elements for NEOs”below.)

In 2023, we utilized performance scorecards for senior leaders of the firm, including our NEOs. These scorecards require our senior leaders to develop and maintain a broad leadership mindset with priorities, such as accelerating ESG initiatives and our firm's alternatives platform, that are aligned with firm-wide goals of creating long-term value for all of our stakeholders. The scorecard for each NEO reflected our Growth Strategy and included actual results relative to target metrics across the following measures:

•Financial performance, including peer results, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net revenue growth and operating efficiency targets (see our discussion of “Management Operating Metrics” in Item 7 for a reconciliation between our results pursuant to U.S. GAAP and our adjusted results);

•Investment performance, by delivering competitive returns across services and time periods;

•Strategic, aligned with our strategy of delivering core investment solutions, while developing high-quality differentiated services, in faster-growing geographies, responsibly, in partnership with Equitable;

•Organizational, including organizational effectiveness and efficiency, leadership impact, succession planning, developing talent, innovating and automating, and real estate utilization; and

•Cultural, including purpose, employee engagement, diversity, retention and safety.

The scorecards support management and the Compensation Committee in assessing each executive's performance relative to business, operational and cultural goals established at the beginning of the year and reviewed in the context of the current-year financial performance of the firm. The amount of incentive compensation paid to our NEOs continues to be determined on a discretionary basis by the Compensation Committee. (For additional information, please see "Compensation Committee; Process for Determining Executive Compensation" below in this CD&A.)

Mr. Bernstein, with the Compensation Committee, continue to believe that the appropriate metric to consider in determining the amount of incentive compensation paid to all employees, including our NEOs, in respect of 2023 performance is the ratio of adjusted employee compensation and benefits expense to adjusted net revenues, which termsare described immediately below:

•Adjusted employee compensation and benefits expense is our total employee compensation and benefits expense minus other employment costs such as recruitment, training, temporary help and meals, and excludes the impact of mark-to-market vesting expense, as well as dividends and interest expense, associated with employee long-term incentive compensation-related investments. Also, we adjust for certain performance-based fees passed through to our investment professionals.

•Adjusted net revenues (see our discussion of“Management Operating Metrics” in Item 7 for a reconciliation between our results pursuant to U.S. GAAP and our adjusted results) exclude investment gains and losses and dividends and interest on employee long-term incentive compensation-related investments. In addition, adjusted net revenues offset distribution-related payments to third parties as well as amortization of deferred sales commissions against distribution revenues. We also exclude additional pass-through expenses we incur (primarily through our transfer agent) that are reimbursed and recorded as fees in revenues. Additionally, we adjust for the revenue impact of consolidating company-sponsored investment funds by eliminating the consolidated company-sponsored investment funds’ revenues and including AB’s fees from such funds, and AB’s investment gains and losses on its investment in such funds, that were eliminated in consolidation. We also adjust for certain acquisition-related pass-through performance-based fees and certain other performance-based fees passed through to our investment professionals.

In addition, Mr. Bernstein, along with the Compensation Committee, continue to believe that the firm’s adjusted employee compensation and benefits expense, excluding the impact of performance-based fees, generally should not exceed 50.0% of our adjusted net revenues annually, except in unexpected or unusual circumstances. As the table below indicates, in 2023, adjusted employee compensation and benefits expense amounted to approximately 49.0% of our adjusted net revenues (in thousands):

Our 2023 adjusted compensation ratio of approximately 49.0% reflects a balancing of the need to keep compensation levels competitive with industry peers in order to attract, motivate and retain highly-qualified talent with the need to maintain strong operating leverage in our business. The Compensation Committee works with management to help ensure both needs are sufficiently addressed.

We have described below each NEO’s individual achievements in 2023 given each officer’s role, the contents of their respective performance scorecards and the firm's business and operational goals:

The compensation of each of these NEOs (other than Ms. Burke) reflected the Compensation Committee’s judgment (and Mr. Bernstein’s judgment, with respect to each executive other than himself) in assessing the importance of the executive's achievements in the context of our firm’s adjusted financial results and progress in advancing our Growth Strategy.

Compensation Committee; Process for Determining Executive Compensation

The Compensation Committee consists of Mr. Stonehill (Chair), Mr. Kaye and Mr. Pearson. The Compensation Committee held five regular meetings in 2023.

As discussed in “NYSE Governance Matters” in Item 10, AB Holding, as a limited partnership, is exempt from NYSE rules that require public companies to have a compensation committee consisting solely of independent directors. EQH owns, directly and through various subsidiaries, an approximate 61.2% economic interest in AB (as of December 31, 2023), and compensation expense is a significant component of our financial results. For these reasons, Mr. Pearson, director and President and CEO of EQH, is a member of the Compensation Committee, and any action taken by the Compensation Committee requires his affirmative vote or consent. Given this structure, the Compensation Committee has established a sub-committee consisting entirely of non-management directors (i.e., Mr. Stonehill and Mr. Kaye). This “Section 16 Sub-Committee” approves awards of restricted AB Holding Units to NEOs to ensure we can utilize the short-swing trading exemption set forth in Section 16b-3 under the Exchange Act. Under this exemption, equity grants to our firm's executive officers are exempt from short-swing trading rules if each such grant is approved by the full Board or a committee of the Board consisting entirely of “non-employee” directors (generally, directors who are not officers of the company or an affiliate).

The Compensation Committee has general oversight of compensation and compensation-related matters, including:

•determining cash bonuses;

•determining contributions and awards under incentive plans or other compensation arrangements (whether qualified or non-qualified) for employees of AB and its subsidiaries, and amending or terminating such plans or arrangements or any welfare benefit plan or arrangement or making recommendations to the Board with respect to adopting any new incentive compensation plan, including equity-based plans;

•reviewing and approving the compensation of our CEO, evaluating his performance, and determining and approving his compensation level based on this evaluation; and

•reviewing and discussing the CD&A and recommending to the Board its inclusion in each of AB’s and AB Holding’s Form 10-K and, and when applicable, proxy statements.

The Compensation Committee has developed a comprehensive process for:

•reviewing our executive compensation program to ensure it is aligned with our firm’s philosophy and strategic objectives;

•evaluating performance by our NEOs against goals and objectives established in each executive's performance scorecard at the beginning of the year; and

•setting compensation for the NEOs and other senior executives.

The Compensation Committee’s year-end process generally focuses on the cash bonuses and long-term incentive compensation awards granted to NEOs and other senior executives. Mr. Bernstein, working with the other senior executives, provides recommendations for individual executive awards to the Compensation Committee for its consideration. As part of this process, and as we discuss more fully below in "Compensation Consultant; Benchmarking Data," Ms. Spencer provides the Compensation Committee with competitive market data from one or more compensation consultants.

Management periodically reviews, with the Compensation Committee, the firm’s expected adjusted financial and operating results, the firm’s actual adjusted financial and operating results and management’s year-end compensation expectations, as they evolve throughout the year. Management accomplished these reviews during regular meetings of the Compensation Committee held in February, May, September, October and November 2023. The Compensation Committee approved the firm's final year-end compensation recommendations during its regular meeting held in November 2023.

Additional information regarding the Compensation Committee’s functions can be found in the Committee's charter, which is available online in the “Responsibility - Corporate Governance” section of our Internet Site.

Compensation Consultant; Benchmarking Data

In 2023, we retained McLagan Partners (“McLagan”) as an independent consultant to provide competitive market data and trend forecasting for our NEOs and other senior executives, for which we paid McLagan $60,000 (the "2023 Benchmarking Data"). McLagan has an extensive database on compensation for most asset management companies, including private companies for which information is not otherwise available.

The 2023 Benchmarking Data summarized 2022 compensation levels and 2023 salaries, which helps form a reasonable estimation of compensation levels in the industry for executive positions like those held by our NEOs at selected asset management companies comparable to ours in terms of size and business mix (the“Comparable Companies”) and, in so doing, assists in determining the appropriate level of compensation for our NEOs.

The Comparable Companies, which management selected with input from McLagan, included:

The 2023 Benchmarking Data indicated that, as a group, our NEOs fall within market range. Please note that we excluded Ms. Burke from this analysis as she resigned from AB in May 2023 and, accordingly, did not receive year-end incentive compensation.

The Compensation Committee considered this information in concluding that the compensation levels paid in 2023 to our NEOs (other than Ms. Burke, who was not considered in this process given her resignation from the Company) were appropriate and reasonable.

Compensation Elements for NEOs

We utilize a variety of compensation elements to achieve the goals described above, consisting of base salary, annual short-term incentive compensation awards (cash bonuses), a long-term incentive compensation award program, a defined contribution plan, a defined benefit plan and certain other benefits, each of which wediscuss below:

Base Salaries

Base salaries comprise a relatively small portion of our NEOs’ total compensation. We consider individual experience, responsibilities and tenure with the firm when determining the narrow range of base salaries paid to our NEOs (please refer to “Overview of Mr. Bernstein's Employment Agreement” belowfor information relating to Mr. Bernstein’s base salary and other compensation elements).

Annual Short-Term Incentive Compensation Awards (Cash Bonuses)

We provide our NEOs with annual short-term incentive compensation awards in the form of cash bonuses.

We believe that annual cash bonuses, which generally reflect individual performance and the firm’s current year adjusted financial performance, provide a short-term retention mechanism for our NEOs because such bonuses typically are paid in December.

Annual cash bonuses in respect of 2023 performance for each NEO were determined in November 2023 and paid in December 2023. These bonuses, and the 2023 long-term incentive compensation awards described immediately below, were based on management’s evaluation, subject to the Compensation Committee’s review and approval, of each NEO’s performance during the year, the firm's progress in advancing its Growth Strategy during the year, the performance of the NEO’s business unit or function compared to business and operational goals established in each NEO's performance scorecard at the beginning of the year, and the firm’s current-year adjusted financial performance.

In respect of 2023, Mr. Bernstein received a cash bonus of $4,515,000 in accordance with the terms of the employment agreement into which he entered with the General Partner, AB and AB Holding as of May 1, 2017 (the “CEO Employment Agreement”) and after review of Mr. Bernstein's performance during 2023 by the Compensation Committee. Please refer to “Overview of Mr. Bernstein's Employment Agreement” below for additional information relating to Mr. Bernstein’s cash bonus and other compensation elements.

Long-Term Incentive Compensation Awards

Long-term incentive compensation awards generally are denominated in restricted AB Holding Units. We utilize this structure to align our NEOs’ long-term interests directly with the interests of our Unitholders and indirectly with the interests of our clients, as strong performance for our clients generally contributes directly to increases in AUM and improved financial performance for the firm.

We believe that annual long-term incentive compensation awards provide a long-term retention mechanism for our NEOs because such awards generally vest ratably over time; awards granted in 2022 and forward generally vest in equal portions over three years, while awards granted prior to 2021 generally vest over four years. We reduced the vesting period to three years for awards in 2021 to help ensure our compensation framework remains highly competitive.

For 2023 performance, awards were granted in December 2023 to each of Messrs. Bernstein, Siemers, Sprules, Erzan, and Manley pursuant to the AB 2023 Incentive Compensation Award Program (the "ICAP"), an unfunded, non-qualified incentive compensation plan, and the AB 2017 Long Term Incentive Plan, our equity compensation plan (the “2017 Plan”). Ms. Burke, who resigned in May 2023, did not receive an award.

Prior to the date on which an award vests, the AB Holding Units underlying an award are restricted and are not permitted to be transferred. Upon vesting, the AB Holding Units underlying an award generally are delivered, unless the award recipient has, in advance, voluntarily elected to defer receipt to future periods or the award is structured with a delayed delivery date. Quarterly cash distributions on vested and unvested restricted AB Holding Units are delivered to award recipients when cash distributions are paid generally to Unitholders.

An award recipient who resigns or is terminated without cause prior to the vesting date is eligible to continue to vest in his or her long-term incentive compensation award subject to compliance with the restrictive covenants set forth in the applicable award agreement, including restrictions on competition, and restrictions on employee and client solicitation. Additionally, the award agreement provides for continued vesting in the event of an award recipient's retirement, subject to applicable restrictive covenants. To be eligible for retirement, an award recipient must provide notice of retirement, enter into a retirement agreement and satisfy a "Rule of 70," whereby the sum of the recipient's age and full years of service must equal at least 70.

Clawbacks

The award agreement contained in the AB Incentive Compensation Award Program ("ICAP") permits AB to claw-back the unvested portion of an award if the recipient fails to adhere to our risk management policies. As such, for accounting purposes, there is no employee service requirement and awards are fully expensed when granted. As used in this Item 11, “vest” refers to the time at which the awards are no longer subject to forfeiture for breach of these restrictions or risk management policies, which wediscuss further below in “Consideration of Risk Matters in Determining Compensation.”

Further, pursuant to Rule 10D-1 of the Exchange Act and Section 303A.14 of the NYSE Listed Company Manual, the Board has adopted a Compensation Recovery Policy (the"Policy") effective November 15, 2023. Pursuant to the Policy, the Company will promptly recover erroneously awarded incentive-based compensation (as defined by section 10D(b)(1) to include any compensation that is granted, earned or vested wholly or in part upon attainment of a financial reporting measure) from any current or former Executive Officer of the Company as defined by Rule 10D-1 of the Exchange Act as required under the Exchange Act and the NYSE Listed Company Manual. The company does not currently award incentive-based compensation as defined by the Act. We have filed the Policy as Exhibit 97.01 to this Form 10-K.

The portion of incentive-based compensation received from EQH specific to Mr. Bernstein is covered under the Compensation Recovery Policy adopted by our parent EQH and will be applicable to any current or previous incentive-based compensation received directly from our parent company by Mr. Bernstein. See "Summary Compensation Table" EQH for stock awards received by Mr. Bernstein for which the EQH Compensation Recovery Policy is applicable.

Former COO and CFO Resignation

As announced in a Form 8-K filed on June 1, 2023, Ms. Burke resigned from AB on May 31, 2023. Her responsibilities as COO were promptly transferred to Mr. Sprules and her responsibilities as CFO were promptly transitioned to Mr. Siemers on an interim basis.

The compensatory benefits Ms. Burke forfeited by resigning included (i) unvested portions of prior-year long-term incentive compensation awards, aggregating to approximately $2.9 million in value (based on the closing price of an AB Holding Unit as of August 29, 2023, her official termination date taking into account the garden leave obligation provided in the ICAP award agreement); and (ii) the unvested portions of restricted stock unit awards and performance share awards (at target) granted to her by EQH in connection with her membership on, and service to, EQH's Management Committee, aggregating to approximately $225,000 (based on the closing price of an EQH share as of August 29, 2023).

Defined Contribution Plan

U.S. employees of AB, including each of our NEOs, are eligible to participate in the Profit Sharing Plan for Employees of AB (as amended and restated as of January 1, 2015, and as further amended as of January 1, 2017, as of April 1, 2018, and as of June 28, 2022, the “AB Profit Sharing Plan”), a tax-qualified defined contribution retirement plan. The Compensation Committee determines the amount of company contributions (both the level of annual matching by the firm of an employee’s pre-tax salary deferral contributions and the annual company profit sharing contribution, if any).

With respect to 2023, the Compensation Committee determined in November 2023 that employee deferral contributions would be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis up to 5% of eligible compensation and that there would be no profit sharing contribution paid by AB.

Defined Benefit Plan

The retirement plan (the "Retirement Plan") is a qualified, noncontributory, defined benefit retirement plan covering current and former employees who were employed in the United States prior to October 2, 2000. Each participant’s benefits are determined under a formula which takes into account years of credited service through December 31, 2008, the participant’s average compensation over prescribed periods and Social Security covered compensation. The maximum annual benefit payable under the Retirement Plan may not exceed the lesser of $100,000 or 100% of a participant’s average aggregate compensation for the three consecutive years in which he or she received the highest aggregate compensation from us or such lower limit as may be imposed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code") on certain participants by reason of their coverage under another qualified retirement plan we maintain. The Retirement Plan generally provides for payments to, or on behalf of, each vested employee upon such employee’s retirement at the normal retirement age provided under the plan or later, although provision is made for payment of early retirement benefits on an "actuarially" reduced basis. Normal retirement age under the plan is 65. Death benefits are payable to the surviving spouse of an employee who dies with a vested benefit under the Retirement Plan. For additional information regarding interest rates and actuarial assumptions, see Note 18 to AB's consolidated financial statements in Item 8.

A participant in the Retirement Plan is eligible for early retirement upon termination of employment if the participant is at least age 55 and the sum of the participant’s age and years of vesting service equals at least 80. As of December 31, 2023, Mr. Sprules has attained age 50 and earned 26 years of vesting service. (For purposes of determining early retirement eligibility, years of service after benefits under the Retirement Plan ceased accruing are included.) Because Mr. Sprules is younger than age 55 and the sum of his age and service is less than 80, he is not eligible for early retirement. As of December 31, 2023, Mr. Manley has attained age 61 and earned 40 years of vesting service. Because the total of Mr. Manley’s age and years of service exceeded 80, he is eligible for early retirement.

The early retirement benefit is “actuarially” reduced for each month that payments begin before age 65. The reduction to the pension is made because it costs more money to provide payments over a longer period of time. In other words, the monthly benefit commencing at the early retirement date has the same value as a monthly benefit beginning at age 65. The actuarial adjustment factors are based on the mortality assumptions specified under Section 417(e) of the Internal Revenue Code, and a 6% interest rate, as specified in the Retirement Plan. For example, a 60 year old participant would receive approximately 66% of the accrued benefit that would have been payable at age 65.

Other Benefits

Change in Control Plan

In December 2020, the Compensation Committee approved the AllianceBernstein Change in Control Plan for Executive Officers (the "CIC Plan"). The purpose of the CIC Plan is to provide certain benefits for each individual designated by our CEO as an executive officer (an "Executive Officer") in the event of a change in control ("CIC") of AB. The CIC Plan contains a change in control provision substantially similar to the change in control provision included in Mr. Bernstein's employment agreement (as described below in "Overview of Mr. Bernstein's Employment Agreement"). The provisions under the CIC Plan also are described in a compensatory table below entitled, “Potential Payments upon Termination or Change in Control.”

The CIC Plan provides that, in the event of a CIC, unless prior to the CIC, any unvested restricted unit awards (including ICAP awards) then held by an Executive Officer are honored or assumed, or new rights are substituted therefore, so that the Executive Officer's rights and entitlements after the CIC are substantially equivalent to or better than the Executives Officer's rights and entitlements under the award, each award will, prior to the CIC, immediately and fully vest and no longer be subject to forfeiture.

In addition, (i) if the Executive Officer's employment is terminated by AB, other than for cause, (ii) the Executive Officer resigns with good reason (as defined in the CIC Plan), or (iii) the Executive Officer dies or becomes disabled, within 12 months following a CIC, the Executive Officer will be entitled to receive the sum of (a) the Executives Officer's annual base salary at the time of his or her termination, and (b) the Executive Officer's most recent annual cash incentive compensation award, multiplied by two.

The CIC Plan defines CIC to include any transaction as a result of which EQH ceases to control AB, or a successor entity that conducts the business of AB. However, there would not be a CIC unless, as a result of the transaction, an entity other than EQH controls AB (or a successor to its business).

Life Insurance

Our firm pays the premiums associated with life insurance policies purchased on behalf of our NEOs.

Consideration of Risk Matters in Determining Compensation

In 2023, we considered whether our compensation practices for employees, including our NEOs, encourage unnecessary or excessive risk-taking and whether any risks arising from our compensation practices are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our firm. For the reasonsset forth below, we have determined that our current compensation practices do not create risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our firm.

As described above in “Long-Term Incentive Compensation Awards,” long-term incentive compensation awards generally are denominated in AB Holding Units that are not distributed until subsequent years, so the ultimate value that the employee derives from the award depends on the long-term performance of the firm. Denominating the award in restricted AB Holding Units and deferring their delivery is intended to sensitize employees to risk outcomes and discourage them from taking excessive risks, whether relating to investments, operations, regulatory compliance and/or cyber security, that could lead to a decrease in the value of the AB Holding Units and/or an adverse effect on the firm's long-term prospects. Furthermore, and as noted above in “Long-Term Incentive Compensation Awards,” generally all outstanding long-term incentive compensation awards include a provision permitting us to “claw-back” the unvested portion of an employee’s long-term incentive compensation award if the Compensation Committee determines that (i) the employee failed to adhere to existing risk management policies and (ii) as a result of the employee’s failure, there has been or reasonably could be expected to be a material adverse impact on our firm or the employee’s business unit.

Overview of Mr. Bernstein's Employment Agreement

Pursuant to the CEO Employment Agreement, Mr. Bernstein served as our President and CEO for an initial term that commenced on May 1, 2017 and ended on May 1, 2020. The initial term automatically was extended for one additional year on May 1, 2020 and automatically extends each May thereafter, unless the CEO Employment Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms (the “Employment Term”).

The terms of the CEO Employment Agreement were the result of arm’s length negotiations between Mr. Bernstein and senior executives at AXA S.A., formerly AB's ultimate parent company ("AXA"), and EQH. The Board then approved the CEO Employment Agreement after having considered, among other things, the compensation package provided to Mr. Bernstein’s predecessor, the 2016 compensation and 2017 expected compensation of AB’s other executive officers and Mr. Bernstein’s compensation at his former employer.

The Compensation Committee, during its regular meeting held in December 2018, amended the CEO Employment Agreement such that any annual equity award granted to Mr. Bernstein in 2018 and subsequent years during the Employment Term will be granted in all respects in accordance with AB's compensation practices and policies generally applicable to AB's executive officers as in effect from time to time (the "SPB First Amendment").

Additionally, the Compensation Committee, during its regular meeting held in December 2019, further amended the CEO Employment Agreement by:

•increasing Mr. Bernstein’s severance payments if his employment is terminated involuntarily, without cause, from one year’s base salary and bonus to one and a half year’s base salary and bonus;

•excluding from the definition of change in control AB Holding ceasing to be publicly traded;

•removing from the circumstances that give rise to Mr. Bernstein’s ability to terminate the agreement for “good reason” his ceasing to be the CEO of a publicly traded entity; and

•eliminating Mr. Bernstein’s entitlement to a gross-up for any excise tax on his parachute payments, which would have been pertinent only if Mr. Bernstein had been terminated involuntarily prior to December 31, 2019.

Elements of Mr. Bernstein’s Compensation

Base Salary

Mr. Bernstein’s annual base salary under the CEO Employment Agreement has been, and continues to be, $500,000. This amount is consistent with our firm’s policy to keep base salaries of executives and other highly-compensated employees low in relation to total compensation. Any future increase to Mr. Bernstein's base salary is entirely at the discretion of the Compensation Committee.

Cash Bonus

Under the CEO Employment Agreement, Mr. Bernstein is entitled to be paid a cash bonus at a target level of $3,000,000 in each year during the Employment Term, subject to review and increase from time to time by the Compensation Committee, in its sole discretion. As a result of a review of Mr. Bernstein's performance during 2023 by the Compensation Committee, Mr. Bernstein was paid a cash bonus of $4,515,000. In determining Mr. Bernstein's cash bonus, the Compensation Committee considered the progress AB made in advancing its Growth Strategy, Mr. Bernstein's performance in light of the target metrics included in his performance scorecard and Mr. Bernstein's individual achievements during 2023, as described above.

Restricted AB Holding Units

Commencing in 2018 and during the remainder of the Employment Term, Mr. Bernstein is eligible to receive annual equity awards with a grant date fair value equal to $3,500,000, subject to review and increase by the Compensation Committee, in its sole discretion, in accordance with AB’s compensation practices and policies generally applicable to the firm’s executive officers as in effect from time to time. The Compensation Committee approved an equity award to Mr. Bernstein with a grant date fair value equal to $4,165,000 during November 2023. The Compensation Committee determined Mr. Bernstein's equity award based on the review process described above. As a result of the SPB First Amendment, the equity award granted to Mr. Bernstein in December 2023 is subject to the same ICAP-related terms and conditions as awards granted to other executive officers at that time, which terms and conditions aredescribed above in "Compensation Elements for NEOs - Long-Term Incentive Compensation Awards."

Perquisites and Benefits

Under the CEO Employment Agreement, Mr. Bernstein is eligible to participate in all benefit plans available to executive officers and, for his safety and accessibility, a company car and driver for business and personal use.

Severance and Change in Control Benefits

The CEO Employment Agreement includes severance and change-in-control provisions, which are highlighted below. These provisions also are described in a compensatory table below entitled, “Potential Payments upon Termination or Change in Control.”We believe that these severance and change-in-control provisions assist in retaining our CEO and, in the event of a change in control, provide protection to Mr. Bernstein so he is not distracted by personal or financial situations at a time when AB needs him to remain focused on his responsibilities.

If Mr. Bernstein is terminated without “cause” or resigns for “good reason” (as such terms are defined in the CEO Employment Agreement), and he signs and does not revoke a waiver and release of claims, he will receive the following:

•A cash payment equal to (a) the sum of his current base salary and his bonus opportunity amount, multiplied by one (1), if Mr. Bernstein resigns for "good reason," or (b) the sum of his current base salary and his bonus opportunity amount, multiplied by one and a half (1.5), if Mr. Bernstein's employment is terminated other than for "cause," or because of his death or disability;

•a pro rata bonus based on actual performance for the fiscal year in which the termination occurs;

•monthly payments equal to the cost of COBRA coverage for the COBRA coverage period; and

•following the COBRA coverage period, access to participation in AB’s medical plans as in effect from time to time at Mr. Bernstein’s (or his spouse’s) sole expense.

If, during the 12 months following a change in control, Mr. Bernstein is terminated without cause or resigns for good reason, he will receive the amounts described above, except that he will receive a cash payment equal to two (2) times the sum of his current base salary and his bonus opportunity amount.

In the event any payments constitute “golden parachute payments” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code and would be subject to an excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code, such payments will be reduced to the maximum amount that does not result in the imposition of such excise tax, but only if such reduction results in Mr. Bernstein receiving a higher net-after tax amount than he would receive absent such reduction.

Mr. Bernstein is subject to a confidentiality provision, in addition to covenants with respect to non-competition during his employment and six months thereafter and non-solicitation of customers and employees for 12 months following his termination of employment.

A change in control is defined as, among other things, EQH and its majority-owned subsidiaries ceasing to control the election of a majority of the Board.

Mr. Bernstein negotiated the severance and change-in-control provisions described immediately above to have the security and flexibility to focus on the business and preserve the value of his long-term incentive compensation. The Board, AXA and EQH determined that these provisions were reasonable and appropriate because they were necessary to recruit and retain Mr. Bernstein and provided Mr. Bernstein with effective incentives for future performance.

The Board, AXA and EQH also concluded that the change-in-control and termination provisions in the CEO Employment Agreement fit within AB’s overall compensation objectives because these provisions, which align with AB’s goal of providing its executives with effective incentives for future performance, also:

•permitted AB to recruit and retain a highly-qualified CEO;

•aligned Mr. Bernstein’s long-term interests with those of AB’s Unitholders and clients;

•were consistent with AXA’s, EQH's and the Board’s expectations with respect to the manner in which AB and AB Holding would be operated during Mr. Bernstein’s tenure; and

•were consistent with the Board’s expectations that Mr. Bernstein would not be terminated without cause and that no steps would be taken that would provide him with the ability to terminate the agreement for good reason.

Compensation awarded by EQH to Mr. Bernstein, Mr. Erzan and Ms. Burke

In February 2023, EQH granted to Mr. Bernstein, in connection with his membership on and service to the EQH Management Committee:

•a restricted stock unit award (for EQH common stock) with a grant date fair value of $332,029; and

•a performance share award (for EQH common stock) with a grant date fair value of $498,025, which can be earned subject to EQH’s total shareholder return relative to its peer group.

Additionally, in February 2023, EQH granted to each of Mr. Erzan and Ms. Burke, in connection with their membership on and service to the EQH Management Committee:

•a restricted stock unit award (for EQH common stock) with a grant date fair value of $40,024; and

•a performance share award (for EQH common stock) with a grant date fair value of $60,012, which can be earned subject to EQH’s total shareholder return relative to its peer group.

Assumptions made in determining the EQH restricted stock unit and performance share figures discussed above are described in footnotes to the compensatory tables below entitled "Summary Compensation Table for 2023" and "Grants of Plan-Based Awards in 2023."

Mr. Bernstein and Mr. Erzan may receive additional equity or cash compensation from EQH in the future related to their continued membership on and service to the EQH Management Committee. Ms. Burke, who resigned as our firm's COO and CFO in May 2023 (and from the EQH Management Committee), forfeited her awards and is ineligible for additional awards.

CEO Pay Ratio

In 2023, the compensation of Mr. Bernstein, our President and CEO, was approximately 65 times the median pay of our employees, resulting in a 65:1 CEO Pay Ratio.

We identified our median employee by examining 2023 total compensation for all individuals, excluding Mr. Bernstein, who were employed by our firm as of December 31, 2023, the last day of our payroll year. We included all of our employees in this process, whether employed on a full-time or part-time basis. We did not make any assumptions or estimates with respect to total compensation, but we did adjust compensation paid to our non-U.S. employees during our 2023 fiscal year based on the average monthly exchange rates for the three-month period ending September 30, 2023 (data compiled in fourth quarter) between the local currencies in which such employees are paid and U.S. dollars. We define “total compensation” as the aggregate of base salary (plus overtime, as applicable), commissions (as applicable), cash bonus and the grant date fair value of long-term incentive compensation awards.

After identifying the median employee based on total compensation, we calculated total compensation in 2023 for such employee using the same methodology we use for our NEOsas set forth below in the Summary Compensation Table for 2023.

As illustrated in the table below, our 2023 CEO Pay Ratio is 65:1:

(1)Includes (i) an award granted by AB of restricted AB Holding Units with a grant date fair value of $4,165,000 and (ii) awards granted by EQH with an aggregate grant date fair value of $830,054, as more fully described above in “Compensation awarded by EQH to Mr. Bernstein, Mr. Erzan and Ms. Burke.”For additional information, please refer to the compensatory tables below in this Item 11.

(2)For a description of Mr. Bernstein’s other compensation, please refer to the Summary Compensation Table for 2023 below. The median employee's other compensation consists of a $5,988 contribution match under the AB Profit Sharing Plan.

Other Compensation-Related Matters

AB and AB Holding are, respectively, private and public limited partnerships. They are subject to taxes other than federal and state corporate income tax (see“Structure-related Risks” in Item 1A and Note 21 to AB’s consolidated financial statements in Item 8). Accordingly, Section 162(m) of the Code, which limits tax deductions relating to executive compensation otherwise available to an entity taxed as a corporation, is not applicable to either AB or AB Holding for 2023.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

Mr. Pearson is a director and the President and CEO of EQH, the parent company of the General Partner.

No executive officer of AB serves as (i) a member of a compensation committee or (ii) a director of another entity, an executive officer of which serves as a member of AB’s Compensation Committee.

Compensation Committee Report

The members of the Compensation Committee reviewed and discussed with management the Compensation Discussion and Analysisset forth aboveand, based on such review and discussion, recommended to the Board its inclusion in this Form 10-K.

Summary Compensation Table for 2023

Total compensation of our NEOs for 2023, 2022 and 2021, as applicable, is as follows:

(1)The figures in the “Stock Awards” column provide the aggregate grant date fair value of the awards calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. For the assumptions made in determining the AB Holding Unit award values, see Note 19 to AB’s consolidated financial statements in Item 8. Assumptions made in determining the EQH restricted stock unit and performance share figures in the "Stock Awards" column are set forth in the EQH 2023 Long-Term Incentive Compensation Program and described in a footnote to the "Grants of Plan-Based Awards in 2023" table below.

(2)See “Grants of Plan-Based Awards in 2023” below.

(3)See "Overview of Mr. Bernstein's Employment Agreement" and "Compensation Awarded by EQH to Mr. Bernstein, Mr. Erzan and Ms. Burke" above in CD&A for a description of Mr. Bernstein's compensatory elements. Please be advised that Mr. Bernstein's compensation also is disclosed by EQH.

(4)The "Stock Awards" column for 2023 includes the grant date fair value of the restricted stock award (grant date fair value of $332,029) and the performance share award (grant date fair value of $498,025) Mr. Bernstein received from EQH in February 2023. For 2022, this column includes the grant date fair value of the restricted stock unit award (grant date fair value of $400,033) and the performance share award (grant date fair value of $600,029) Mr. Bernstein received from EQH in February 2022. For 2021, this column includes the grant date fair value of the restricted stock unit award (grant date fair value of $340,000) and the performance share award (grant date fair value of $510,000) Mr. Bernstein received from EQH in February 2021.

(5)The "Stock Awards" column for 2023 includes the grant date fair value of the restricted stock unit award (grant date fair value of $40,024) and the performance share award (grant date fair value of $60,012) Mr. Erzan and Ms. Burke each received from EQH in February 2023. For 2022, this column includes the grant date fair value of the restricted stock unit award (grant date fair value of $40,021) and the performance share award (grant date fair value of $60,014) Mr. Erzan and Ms. Burke each received from EQH in February 2022. For 2021, this column includes the grant date fair value of the restricted stock unit award (grant date fair value of $40,000) and the performance share award (grant date fair value of $60,000) Ms. Burke received from EQH in February 2021.

(6)We have not provided 2021 compensation for Messrs. Siemers, Erzan, or Manley; they were not deemed NEOs in those years.

(7)Ms. Burke resigned as our firm's COO and CFO in May 2023 to become the President at another company. As a result, she forfeited all unvested AB and EQH awards granted to her in the current and previous years.

The “All Other Compensation” column includes the aggregate incremental cost to our company of certain other expenses and perquisites. For 2023, this column includes the following:

(1)Mr. Bernstein is entitled to the use of a dedicated car and driver pursuant to his employment agreement for security and business purposes. The amount reflects Mr. Bernstein's personal use for commuting and other non-business use. Car and driver services were contracted through a third party. The cost of providing a car is determined annually and includes, as applicable, the cost of the driver, annual car lease, insurance cost and various miscellaneous expenses such as fuel and car maintenance.

(2)These amounts represent stipends paid to Messrs. Bernstein, Siemers, Erzan, and Manley to help cover the cost of a mobile phone; these stipends are paid to employees generally as well. The amount set forth in the table for Mr. Sprules represents a stipend to help cover a portion of the housing cost in New York while traveling for business.

Grants of Plan-Based Awards in 2023

Grants of awards under the 2017 Plan, our equity compensation plan, during 2023 made to our NEOs are as follows (we also discuss awards issued by EQH to Mr. Bernstein, Mr. Erzan, and Ms. Burke below ):

(1)This column provides the aggregate grant date fair value of the awards calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. For the assumptions made in determining the AB Holding Unit values, see Note 19 to AB's consolidated financial statements in Item 8.

(2)As discussed above in “Overview of 2023 Incentive Compensation Program” and “Compensation Elements for NEOs—Long-Term Incentive Compensation Awards,”long-term incentive compensation awards granted in December 2023 to our NEOs were denominated in restricted AB Holding Units. These awards vest in equal annual increments on each of December 1, 2024, 2025 and 2026. These awards are shown in the “All Other Stock Awards” column of this table, the “Stock Awards” column of the Summary Compensation Table for 2023 and the “AB Holding Unit and/or EQH Awards” columns of the Outstanding Equity Awards at 2023 Fiscal Year-End Table.

(3)In February 2023, EQH granted to each of Mr. Bernstein, Mr. Erzan and Ms. Burke (i) a restricted stock unit award with a grant date fair value of $332,029, $40,024, and $40,024, respectively, and (ii) a performance share award with a grant date fair value of $498,025, $60,012, and $60,012, respectively, which can be earned subject to EQH's total stockholder return ("TSR") relative to its peer group. TSR is the total amount a company returns to investors during a designated period, including both share price appreciation and dividends. The number of performance shares that are earned, which cliff vest on February 28, 2026, subject to continued service, will be determined at the end of the performance period (December 2025) by multiplying the number of unearned performance shares by one of the following performance factors: 200% if EQH's TSR relative to its peers is in the 87.5 th percentile or greater; 100% if in the 50 th percentile; 25% if in the 30 th percentile; and nothing if falls below the 30 th percentile. EQH performance shares receive dividend equivalents subject to the same vesting schedule and performance conditions as the performance shares themselves. The restricted stock unit awards, which vest in equal annual increments on each of February 28, 2024, 2025 and 2026, subject to continued service, increase or decrease in value depending on the price of an EQH common share. EQH restricted stock units receive dividend equivalents subject to the same vesting schedule as the restricted stock units themselves.

(4)Ms. Burke forfeited these awards.

In 2023, the number of restricted AB Holding Units comprising year-end long-term incentive compensation awards granted to each NEO was determined based on the closing price of an AB Holding Unit as reported for NYSE composite transactions on December 12, 2023, the date as of which the Compensation Committee approved the awards. At the time of these awards, the Compensation Committee consisted of Mr. Stonehill (Chair) and Messrs. Kaye and Pearson; the Section 16 Subcommittee, which approved awards to our NEOs, consisted of Mr. Stonehill (Chair) and Mr. Kaye. For further information regarding the material terms of such awards, including the vesting terms and the formulas or criteria to be applied in determining the amounts payable, please refer to "Overview of 2023 Incentive Compensation Program" and "Compensation Elements for NEOs" above.

Outstanding Equity Awards at 2023 Fiscal Year-End

Outstanding equity awards held by our NEOs as of December 31, 2023 are as follows:

(1)Mr. Bernstein was awarded: (i) 136,289 restricted AB Holding Units in December 2023 that are scheduled to vest in equal increments on each December 1, 2024, 2025 and 2026; (ii) 117,791 restricted AB Holding Units in December 2022, one-third of which vested on December 1, 2023, and the remainder of which is scheduled to vest in equal increments on each of December 1, 2024 and 2025; (iii) 102,572 restricted AB Holding Units in December 2021, one-third of which vested on each of December 1, 2022 and 2023, and the remainder of which is scheduled to vest on December 1, 2024; and (iv) 119,471 restricted AB Holding Units in December 2020, of which 25% vested on each of December 1, 2021, 2022 and 2023, and the remainder of which is scheduled to vest on December 1, 2024. For further information, see “Overview of Mr. Bernstein's Employment Agreement” above.

(2)EQH restricted stock unit awards, which are described for Mr. Bernstein in the second line of data in the above table, will vest ratably over their three-year vesting period subject to continued employment during the vesting period. EQH performance share awards, which are described in the third line of data in the above table, cliff vest on the third anniversary of grant date subject to continued employment during the vesting period and meeting the applicable performance criteria. In February 2023, 2022 and 2021, EQH granted to Mr. Bernstein (i) a restricted stock unit award with a grant date fair value of $332,029, $400,033 and $340,000, respectively, and (ii) a performance share award with a grant date fair value of $498,025, $600,029 and $510,000, respectively. The performance share awards granted in 2023, 2022 and 2021 can be earned subject to EQH's TSR relative to its peer group. Please see the table above entitled "Grants of Plan-Based Awards in 2023" for additional information regarding the EQH awards.

(3)The option awards described in the table were issued by EQH and calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. The fair value of EQH stock options is calculated by EQH using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The expected EQH dividend rate is based on market consensus. EQH share price volatility is estimated on the basis of implied volatility, which is checked by EQH against an analysis of historical volatility to ensure consistency. The effect of expected early exercise is accounted for through the use of an expected life assumption based on historical data.

(4)EQH restricted stock unit awards, which are described for Mr. Erzan in the second line of data in the above table, will vest ratably over their three-year vesting period subject to continued employment during the vesting period. EQH performance share awards, which are described in the third line of data in the above table, cliff vest on the third anniversary of grant date subject to continued employment during the vesting period and meeting the applicable performance criteria. In February 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively, EQH granted to Mr. Erzan (i) a restricted stock unit award with a grant date fair value of $40,024, $40,021 and $40,000, respectively and (ii) a performance share award with a grant date fair value of $60,012, $60,014 and $60,000, respectively, which can be earned subject to EQH's total shareholder return relative to its peer group. Please see the table above entitled "Grants of Plan-Based Awards in 2023" for additional information regarding the EQH awards.

(5)For further information regarding the equity awards granted to Mr. Bernstein, Mr. Erzan and Ms. Burke by EQH, please see "Compensation awarded by EQH to Mr. Bernstein, Mr. Erzan and Ms. Burke" above in CD&A.

(6)Mr. Siemers was awarded: (i) 8,344 restricted AB Holding Units in December 2023 that are scheduled to vest in equal increments on each of December 1, 2024, 2025 and 2026; and (ii) 4,506 restricted AB Holding Units in December 2022, of which one-third vested on December 1, 2023, and the remainder of which is scheduled to vest in equal increments on each of December 1, 2024 and 2025; and (iii) 21,873 restricted AB Holding Units in March 2022 that are scheduled to cliff vest in February 2024. The total AB Holding Unit figure set forth in the table includes AB Holding Units granted in years prior to when Mr. Siemers was deemed to be a NEO.

(7)Mr. Sprules was awarded (i) 51,538 restricted AB Holding Units in December 2023 that are scheduled to vest in equal increments on each of December 1, 2024, 2025 and 2026; and (ii) 28,450 restricted AB Holding Units in December 2022, of which one-third vested on December 1, 2023, and the remainder of which is scheduled to vest in equal increments on each of December 1, 2024 and 2025; and (iii) 25,030 restricted AB Holding Units in December 2021, one-third of which vested on December 1, 2022 and December 1, 2023, and the remainder of which is scheduled to vest on December 1, 2024. The total AB Holding Unit figure set forth in the table includes AB Holding Units granted in years prior to when Mr. Sprules was deemed to be a NEO.

(8)Mr. Erzan was awarded: (i) 80,362 restricted AB Holding Units in December 2023 that are scheduled to vest in equal increments on each of December 1, 2024, 2025 and 2026; and (ii) 38,771 restricted AB Holding Units in December 2022, of which one-third vested on December 1, 2023, and the remainder of which is scheduled to vest in equal increments on each of December 1, 2024 and 2025. The total AB Holding Unit figure set forth in the table includes AB Holding Units granted in a year prior to when Mr. Erzan was deemed to be a NEO.

(9)Mr. Manley was awarded: (i) 11,289 restricted AB Holding Units in December 2023 that are scheduled to vest in equal increments on each of December 1, 2024, 2025 and 2026; and (ii) 8,883 restricted AB Holding Units in December 2022, of which one-third vested on December 1, 2023, and the remainder of which is scheduled to vest in equal increments on each of December 1, 2024 and 2025. The total AB Holding Unit figure set forth in the table includes AB Holding Units granted in years prior to when Mr. Manley was deemed to be a NEO.

(10)Ms. Burke had no outstanding awards as of December 31, 2023, because she forfeited her unvested AB Holding Unit and EQH share awards as a result of her resignation in May 2023.

(11)The market values of restricted AB Holding Units (rounded to the nearest whole unit) set forth in this column were calculated assuming a price per AB Holding Unit of $31.03, which was the closing price on the NYSE of an AB Holding Unit on December 29, 2023, the last trading day of AB's last completed fiscal year. The market values of EQH shares set forth in this column were calculated assuming a price per share of $33.30, which was the closing price on the NYSE of an EQH share on December 29, 2023.

Option Exercises and AB Holding Units and EQH Shares Vested in 2023

AB Holding Units and EQH shares held by our NEOs that vested during 2023 are as follows:

(1)Includes 39,099 EQH shares acquired with a value of $1,226,384 that vested during 2023.

(2)Includes 898 EQH shares acquired with a value of $28,245 that vested during 2023.

Pension Benefits

(1)We have provided information for Messrs. Sprules and Manley; they are the only of our NEOs who participate in the AB Retirement Plan. For additional information regarding the AB Retirement Plan, including actuarial assumptions and potential early retirement benefits, see "Defined Benefit Plan" above in CD&A and Note 18 to AB's consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

(2)Effective December 31, 2008, benefit accruals were frozen under the AB Retirement Plan.

(3)Actuarial present value of accumulated benefits as of December 31, 2023 using assumptions consistent with ASC 715 calculations, with the following exceptions: (i) retirement age assumed to be the Nominal Retirement Age (as defined in the AB Retirement Plan); and (ii) no pre-retirement mortality, disability or termination assumed.

Potential Payments upon Termination or Change in Control

Estimated payments and benefits to which our NEOs would have been entitled upon a change in control of AB or the specified qualifying events of termination of employment as of December 31, 2023 are as follows:

(1)It is possible that each NEO could receive a cash severance payment on the termination of his or her employment that is not contemplated in the CIC Plan. The amounts of any such cash severance payments would be determined at the time of such termination (other than for Mr. Bernstein), so we are unable to estimate such amounts. The amounts shown for Mr. Bernstein are described in the CEO Employment Agreement. The amounts shown for Mr. Siemers, Mr. Sprules, Mr. Erzan, and Mr. Manley in the event of a change in control coupled with termination of employment are described in the CIC Plan.

(2)See Notes 2 and 19 in AB’s consolidated financial statements in Item 8 and “Long-Term Incentive Compensation Awards” above in CD&A for a discussion of the terms set forth in long-term incentive compensation award agreements relating to termination of employment.

(3)Reflects the value of group medical coverage to which Mr. Bernstein would be entitled.

(4)See "Overview of Mr. Bernstein's Employment Agreement" above for a discussion of the terms set forth in the CEO Employment Agreement relating to termination of employment.

(5)The CEO Employment Agreement defines “Disability” as a good faith determination by AB that Mr. Bernstein is physically or mentally incapacitated and has been unable for a period of 180 days in the aggregate during any 12-month period to perform substantially all of the duties for which he is responsible immediately before the commencement of the incapacity.

(6)Under the CEO Employment Agreement, upon termination of Mr. Bernstein’s employment due to death or disability, and after the COBRA period, AB will provide Mr. Bernstein and his spouse with access to participation in AB’s medical plans at Mr. Bernstein’s (or his spouse’s) sole expense based on a reasonably determined fair market value premium rate.

(7)“Disability” is defined in the ICAP award agreements of each NEO as the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months, as determined by the carrier of the long-term disability insurance program maintained by AB or its affiliate that covers the NEO.

(8)Applicable agreements and restrictive covenants in the ICAP award agreement include restrictions on competition and restrictions on employee and client solicitation.

(9)Ms. Burke resigned as our firm's COO and CFO in May 2023, so she was ineligible for any potential payment or benefit upon a change in control of AB as of December 31, 2023.

Additionally, estimated payments and benefits to which Mr. Bernstein or Mr. Erzan would have been entitled upon a change in control of EQH or the specified qualifying events of termination of employment as of December 31, 2023 are as follows (these amounts would be payable by EQH):

(1)Reflects, as of December 31, 2023, the full value of the restricted stock unit award and performance share award granted to Mr. Bernstein in 2021 and 2022. Excludes restricted stock unit awards and performance share awards granted in 2023 due to minimum vesting requirements.

(2)Reflects, as of December 31, 2023, the full value associated with awards granted by EQH to Mr. Bernstein (since 2021) and Mr. Erzan (since 2021); restricted stock unit awards (to each officer); and performance share awards (to each officer). For additional information regarding these awards, please see the Summary Compensation Table for 2023, Grants of Plan-based Awards in 2023 and Outstanding Equity at 2023 Fiscal Year End above in this Item 11.

(3)Reflects, as of December 31, 2023, (i) the full value of the restricted stock unit awards and performance share awards granted by EQH to Mr. Bernstein in 2021 and 2022, and (ii) the prorated value of the restricted stock unit awards and performance share awards granted by EQH to Mr. Erzan in 2021 and 2022. Restricted stock unit awards and performance share awards granted to Mr. Bernstein and Mr. Erzan in 2023 are excluded until a minimum of one year of vesting is reached.

(4)Reflects, as of December 31, 2023, (i) the full value of the restricted stock unit awards granted to Mr. Bernstein (in 2021, 2022 and 2023) and to Mr. Erzan (in 2021, 2022 and 2023), and (ii) the prorated value of the performance share awards granted to Mr. Bernstein (in 2021, 2022, and 2023) and to Mr. Erzan (in 2021, 2022 and 2023), with actual and projected performance factors applied for 2021 and 2022 grants.

(5)Acceleration of EQH awards is contingent on the award recipient's compliance with various agreements and restrictive covenants set forth in the applicable award agreement under the EQH 2023 Long-Term Incentive Compensation Program, including protection of confidential information, non-competition, non-solicitation of employees and non-solicitation of customers.

(6)Ms. Burke resigned as our firm's COO and CFO (and from the EQH Management Committee) in May 2023, as such she was ineligible for any potential payment or benefit upon a change in control of EQH as of December 31, 2023.

Director Compensation in 2023

During 2023, we compensated our directors, who satisfied applicable NYSE and SEC standards relating to independence (“Independent Directors”), as follows:

(1)The aggregate number of restricted AB Holding Units underlying awards outstanding but not yet distributed at December 31, 2023, was: for Ms. Lamm-Tennant, 8,861 AB Holding Units; for Ms. Domenici, 12,297 AB Holding Units; for Mr. Kaye, 11,711 AB Holding Units; for Ms. Matus, zero AB Holding Units as she departed the Board in May of 2023; for Mr. Narayandas, 11,711 AB Holding Units; for Mr. Stonehill, 11,711 AB Holding Units; and for Mr. Walthall, 9,061 AB Holding Units.

(2)Reflects the aggregate grant date fair value of the awards calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. For the assumptions made in determining these values, see Note 19 to AB’s consolidated financial statements in Item 8.

(3)Ms. Domenici departed the Board effective January 16, 2024.

Independent Director Compensation Elements

The Board approved the compensation elements described immediately below for Independent Directors during its regular meeting held in May 2023 and has agreed to re-consider such compensation elements bi-annually:

•an annual retainer of $90,000 (paid quarterly after any quarter during which an Independent Director serves on the Board; annual retainers relating to Committee service, as described below, are paid quarterly in arrears as well);

•an annual retainer of $50,000 for acting as Independent Chair of the Board;

•an annual retainer of $37,500 for acting as Chair of the Audit Committee;

•an annual retainer of $20,000 for acting as Chair of the Compensation Committee;

•an annual retainer of $13,500 for acting as Chair of the Governance Committee;

•an annual retainer of $12,500 for serving as a member of the Audit Committee;

•an annual retainer of $9,000 for serving as a member of the Compensation Committee;

•an annual retainer of $3,000 for serving as a member of the Governance Committee; and

•an annual equity-based grant under an equity compensation plan consisting of restricted AB Holding Units with a grant date fair value of $170,000.

In 2023, the Board granted to each Independent Director then serving (which included Mses. Domenici and Lamm-Tennant and Messrs. Kaye, Narayandas, Stonehill and Walthall) 5,017 restricted AB Holding Units. The number of AB Holding Units granted was determined by dividing the $170,000 grant date fair value noted above by the closing price of an AB Holding Unit on the date of the May 2023 Board Meeting, or $33.89 per unit, rounded up to the nearest whole unit. These awards vest ratably on each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date.

Further, in order to avoid any perception that our directors’ exercise of their fiduciary duties might be impaired, restricted AB Holding Unit grants to Independent Directors are not forfeitable, except if the director is terminated for “Cause,” as that term is defined in the 2017 Plan or the applicable award agreement. Accordingly, restricted AB Holding Units generally are delivered as soon as administratively feasible following an Independent Director’s resignation from the Board.

Equity grants to Independent Directors generally are made at the May meeting of the Board. The date of the May meeting is set by the Board at least a year in advance.

The General Partner may reimburse any director for reasonable expenses incurred in connection with attendance at Board meetings as well as additional Board responsibilities. AB Holding and AB, in turn, reimburse the General Partner for expenses incurred by the General Partner on their behalf, including amounts in respect of directors’ fees and expenses. These reimbursements are subject to any relevant provisions of the AB Holding Partnership Agreement and the AB Partnership Agreement.

Independent Director AB Holding Unit Ownership Guidelines

Each Independent Director, by the later of five years from the initial implementation date of these guidelines (February 2018) and the date as of which the director's tenure on the Board begins, shall accumulate, either through accumulating AB Holding Units awarded by the Board or purchasing Units on the open market, AB Holding Units with a market value equal to five (5) times the director's annual retainer. Each Independent Director must maintain this ownership level for the duration of the director's tenure on the Board.

As of December 31, 2023, each Independent Director then serving either complied with this policy or was on track to do so within the allotted time.