Exhibit 23.1
Accountants' Consent
The Board of Directors
Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc.:
We consent to incorporation by reference in Amendment No. 1 to the
registration statement filed August 16, 2000 on Form S-3 of Waddell & Reed
Financial, Inc. of our report, dated February 11, 2000, relating to the
consolidated balance sheets of Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. and
subsidiaries as of December 31, 1999 and 1998 and the related consolidated
statements of operations and cash flows and the related schedule for each
of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 1999, which report
appears in the December 31, 1999 annual report on Form 10-K of Waddell &
Reed Financial, Inc., and to the reference to our firm under the heading
"Experts" in the prospectus.
KPMG LLP
Kansas City, Missouri
September 7, 2000
