As used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, “Brighthouse,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Brighthouse Financial, Inc. a corporation incorporated in Delaware in 2016, and its subsidiaries. Brighthouse Financial, Inc. was formerly a wholly-owned subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (MetLife, Inc., together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, “MetLife”). The term “Separation” refers to the separation of MetLife, Inc.’s former Brighthouse Financial segment from MetLife’s other businesses and the creation of a separate, publicly traded company, Brighthouse Financial, Inc., to hold the assets (including the equity interests of certain MetLife, Inc. subsidiaries) and liabilities associated with MetLife, Inc.’s former Brighthouse Financial segment from and after the Distribution; the term “Distribution” refers to the distribution on August 4, 2017 of 96,776,670 shares, or 80.8%, of the 119,773,106 shares of Brighthouse Financial, Inc. common stock outstanding immediately prior to the Distribution date by MetLife, Inc. to shareholders of MetLife, Inc. as of the record date for the Distribution.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This report and other written or oral statements that we make from time to time may contain information that includes or is based upon forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties. We have tried, wherever possible, to identify such statements using words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “intend,” “goal,” “target,” “forecast,” “objective,” “continue,” “aim,” “plan,” “believe” and other words and terms of similar meaning, or are tied to future periods, in connection with a discussion of future operating or financial performance. In particular, these include, without limitation, statements relating to future actions, prospective services or products, future performance or results of current and anticipated services or products, sales efforts, expenses, the outcome of contingencies such as legal proceedings, trends in operating and financial results, as well as statements regarding the expected benefits of the Separation and the recapitalization actions.
Any or all forward-looking statements may turn out to be wrong. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Many such factors will be important in determining the actual future results of Brighthouse. These statements are based on current expectations and the current economic environment and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. These statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Although it is not possible to identify all of these risks and factors, they include, among others:
For the reasons described above, we caution you against relying on any forward-looking statements, which should also be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements included and the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, particularly in “Risk Factors” and “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk,” as well as in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and other documents we file from time to time with the SEC. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as otherwise may be required by law. Please consult any further disclosures Brighthouse makes on related subjects in reports to the SEC.