Brighthouse Financial

What Brighthouse Financial does

Brighthouse Financial, Inc. is a U.S. life insurance and annuity carrier headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, operating through wholly-owned subsidiaries including Brighthouse Life Insurance Company, Brighthouse Life Insurance Company of NY, New England Life Insurance Company, Brighthouse Securities (a FINRA-member broker-dealer), Brighthouse Investment Advisors, and a captive reinsurance entity. The company serves more than 2 million individual policyholders with over 2 million annuity contracts and life insurance policies in force, targeting retirees and pre-retirees seeking guaranteed lifetime income, market-volatility protection, death benefits, and long-term care planning. It is one of the largest U.S. providers of annuities and life insurance by 2024 admitted assets, holding an A financial strength rating from AM Best, A- from Fitch, A3 from Moody's, and A from S&P, with a year-end 2025 RBC ratio of 456%.

The product portfolio centers on a full annuity suite (Shield Level II index-linked annuities, Shield Level Pay Plus II lifetime income annuities, variable annuities with FlexChoice Access, SecureKey fixed indexed annuities, fixed rate annuities, and income annuities) and a life insurance suite (Brighthouse SmartCare hybrid life/long-term care, Brighthouse SmartGuard Plus supplemental coverage, and term life insurance). The company's annuity book and its life insurance book are both in growth mode, with record full-year 2025 annuity sales of $10.3 billion (up 3% year-over-year) and record life sales of $143 million (up 19% year-over-year), and full-year 2025 net income of $331 million.

Brighthouse generates revenue through recurring premium payments, policy fees, and interest spread income on its in-force book, and distributes exclusively through a national network of licensed and appointed financial professionals rather than direct-to-consumer channels. The company began trading on NASDAQ under ticker BHF on August 7, 2017 following its spin-off from MetLife, which completed its full divestment in June 2018. In November 2025, Brighthouse agreed to be acquired by Aquarian Capital LLC for $4.1 billion ($70 per share) in an all-cash transaction, with shareholders approving the merger in February 2026 and closing expected in 2026 pending regulatory approval, transitioning the company to private ownership.

Name

Brighthouse Financial

Legal name

Brighthouse Financial, Inc.

Website

https://brighthousefinancial.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Brighthouse Financial is a U.S. life insurance and annuity carrier serving more than 2 million individual policyholders with index-linked, variable, fixed, and income annuities plus term and hybrid long-term care life products, distributed through licensed financial professionals and rated A by AM Best and S&P.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Life Insurance & Annuities

NAICS

Direct Life, Health, and Medical Insurance Carriers (52411), Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251), Other Insurance Funds (52519)

SIC

Life Insurance (6311), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Annuity & Insurance-Based Retirement Solutions Advisory (FSAEABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Employee Benefit & Retirement Plan Trust Services (FSAAANAC)

Keywords

• Annuity products
• Life insurance
• Retirement income
• Index-linked annuities
• Long-term care insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Annuity Products: Brighthouse Financial generates revenue primarily through the sale of annuity products including index-linked annuities, variable annuities, fixed indexed annuities, fixed rate annuities, and income annuities. These products generate revenue through premium payments, fees, and interest spread income.
2. Life Insurance Products: The company offers life insurance products including term life insurance, permanent life insurance, and hybrid life/long-term care products like SmartCare. Revenue is generated through premium payments on insurance policies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Brighthouse Financial provides annuities and life insurance products to individuals through licensed financial professionals, focusing on retirement income protection, market volatility protection, and death benefit coverage. The company was spun off from MetLife in 2017 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Product overview

Brighthouse Financial is a specialized annuity and life insurance provider offering a comprehensive portfolio of retirement income and protection products. The annuity suite includes Shield Level II (index-linked with downside protection), Shield Level Pay Plus II (guaranteed lifetime income), Variable Annuities with FlexChoice Access, SecureKey Fixed Indexed Annuities, Fixed Rate Annuities, and Income Annuities—collectively designed to address market volatility protection, income security, and wealth accumulation needs. The life insurance portfolio features Brighthouse SmartCare (a hybrid life and long-term care product), Brighthouse SmartGuard Plus (supplemental protection), and Term Life Insurance. The company operates as one of the largest U.S. providers of annuities and life insurance, with over 2 million customers and 2 million annuity contracts and policies in force as of March 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shield Level Annuities: Index-linked annuity products offering protection against market volatility
• Shield Level Pay Plus II Annuities
• SecureKey Fixed Indexed Annuities
• Brighthouse SmartCare
• Brighthouse SmartGuard Plus
• Brighthouse Securities, LLC

Products and services

• Annuity Products Fixed and variable annuity contracts designed to provide individuals with guaranteed retirement income streams, principal protection, and tax-deferred growth.
• Index-Linked Annuities Annuity products that link returns to a market index, allowing individuals to participate in market gains while limiting downside exposure.
• Life Insurance Life insurance policies providing death benefit protection and, depending on the contract, accumulation value for individuals and their beneficiaries.
• Long-Term Care Insurance Insurance coverage intended to help individuals pay for long-term care services, including nursing home, assisted living, and home health care.

Quantifiable outcome

• Record annuity sales of $10.3 billion in 2025, up 3% year-over-year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• MetLife: Brighthouse's former parent and one of the largest U.S. life insurance and annuity providers, offering a comparable product suite across group and individual annuities, life, and dental. As the spin-off parent, MetLife is the most direct historical and structural comparable.
• Nationwide Financial: Diversified U.S. insurer and retirement plan provider offering comparable individual and group annuity products, life insurance, and retirement income solutions through financial professionals.
• New York Life: Large mutual life insurer with a broad portfolio of life insurance, annuities, and long-term care products, including hybrid life/LTC solutions that directly parallel Brighthouse's SmartCare offering.

Direct peers

• Prudential Financial: Major U.S. life insurer and annuity provider with comparable product breadth in indexed, variable, and fixed annuities plus individual life insurance, serving retirement and protection needs through similar advisor distribution.
• Lincoln National: Direct competitor in individual annuities (variable, indexed universal life) and life insurance, with similar advisor-led distribution and an overlapping retirement income value proposition for U.S. consumers.
• Corebridge Financial: AIG's life and retirement spin-off that competes head-to-head with Brighthouse in individual retirement, fixed and variable annuities, and life insurance products, distributed through financial professionals.
• Jackson Financial: Annuity-focused peer spun off from Prudential in 2021, specializing in variable, fixed, fixed indexed, and immediate annuities with similar index-linked and guaranteed lifetime income offerings.
• Voya Financial: U.S. retirement, investment, and insurance company with overlapping individual annuity and life insurance products, distributed through similar advisor and institutional channels.
• Athene Holding: Leading U.S. retirement services company specializing in fixed indexed, fixed, and immediate annuities, with a capital-light reinsurance-heavy model and broad advisor distribution that competes directly with Brighthouse's fixed annuity franchise.
• American Equity Investment Life: Pure-play fixed indexed and fixed annuity provider with a similar retail advisor distribution model and product focus on retirement income and principal protection.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BrighthouseFin
• YouTubeyoutube.com/brighthousefinancial
• Facebookfacebook.com/brighthousefinancial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brighthouse-financial/posts/?feedView=all
• Instagraminstagram.com/brighthousefinancial/?hl=en

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brighthouse Financial