Good afternoon, and welcome to the 2024 Annual Meeting of MetLife, Inc. shareholders on June 18th, 2024. I'm Glenn Hubbard, Chairman of the Board of MetLife, Inc., and the time is 2:30 P.M. Eastern Time. I hereby call the meeting to order. During this meeting, or the general question period that follows, we may discuss potential MetLife actions or future results. Of course, what actually happens could turn out differently due in part to the uncertainties described in the risk factors included in MetLife, Inc.'s SEC filings. MetLife does not undertake any obligation to publicly correct or update any such forward-looking statements. Joining the meeting today are all of the members of the Board of Directors, all of the members of the company's executive leadership team, and Tara Lynch and Julie Sandoval, each a partner and representative from Deloitte & Touche LLP, the company's independent auditors.
The Board has appointed an agent of American Election Services, LLC, Christopher Woods, to serve as the inspector of election for this meeting. Mr. Woods is attending the meeting today and has previously taken his oath as the inspector of elections. Before we proceed, I would like to recognize Catherine R. Kinney and Gerald L. Hassell, both retiring today. I'd like to thank them for their outstanding leadership and service as members of the Board of Directors. Each of MetLife's current directors, other than Kathy and Gerald, is standing for election for a one-year term that ends at the 2025 Annual Meeting. Now, the rules of conduct and procedures for today's meeting are accessible at the lower right section of your screen, under the Meeting Materials section. I will ask Tim Ring, Senior Vice President and Company Secretary, to confirm that we have a quorum for the meeting.
Yes, Mr. Woods has certified that a quorum is present for the transaction of business at this meeting.
Thank you, Tim. I declare the polls open as of 2:32 P.M. Eastern Time. Shareholders, as of the April 19th, 2024, record date, who registered for this meeting with their control number may vote their shares online at any time until the closing of the polls by clicking the Vote Here button on your screen. If you have previously submitted a proxy and do not wish to change or revoke your vote, your vote will be cast as you previously instructed, and no further action is required. Shareholders who registered for this meeting with their control number may ask questions or submit comments via the Ask a Question section on the lower left of your screen, and members of executive management and the Board will be available to respond. Those attending the meeting as guests and logged in without a control number may listen only.
We will begin by attending to the formal business of the meeting. Tim, can you confirm the mailing of the meeting notice to our shareholders?
Thank you, Glenn. I confirm that we received an affidavit from Broadridge, the company's agent for the proxy mailing, attesting that the mailing of the notice of this meeting to shareholders commenced on April 26th, 2024. That affidavit has been filed with the records of the company.
Thanks. We now turn to the five proposals to be presented for a vote. Each of the proposals is described in detail in the proxy materials, which are also included in the Meeting Materials section at the lower right section of your screen. The first item of business is Proposal One, the Election of Directors. Each of the following nominees is currently serving as a director of the company and, if elected, will serve a term of one year ending at the company's Annual Meeting next year: Cheryl W. Grisé, Carlos M. Gutierrez, Carla A. Harris, Laura J. Hay, David L. Herzog, R. Glenn Hubbard, Jeh C. Johnson, Edward J. Kelly III, William E. Kennard, Michel A. Khalaf, Diana L. McKenzie, Denise M. Morrison, and Mark A. Weinberger.
The next item of business is Proposal Two, the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the company's independent auditor for 2024. The third item of business is Proposal Three, a non-binding advisory vote to approve the compensation paid to the company's named executive officers. The Compensation Committee will review the outcome of the vote and will take it into account when considering future compensation arrangements. The fourth item of business is Proposal Four, the approval of the MetLife, Inc. 2025 Stock and Incentive Compensation Plan. The fifth item of business is Proposal Five, a shareholder proposal from the Women's Foundation of California requesting a third-party racial equity audit. The shareholder's representative, Dr. Kristin Hull, founder and chief investment officer of Nia Impact Capital, will be presenting this proposal by a prerecorded audio message.
Hello. I'm Dr. Kristin Hull, founder and CIO at Nia Impact Capital. I formally move Proposal Number Five, requesting that MetLife's Board of Directors oversee a third-party racial equity audit. A racial equity audit is needed to analyze both the benefits and potential adverse impacts of a company's policies, practices, and products on vulnerable communities. This type of audit is conducted by a third-party, independent, outside auditor with civil rights experience. The auditor holds conversations with national and local organizations representing a broad range of constituencies to determine key topics to include within the audit, and engaged stakeholders speak with the auditors independently of the company. This process produces recommendations for improving the racial impacts of MetLife's policies, practices, products, and services. Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo, among 20 other companies, have all committed to or have completed similar audits.
As an insurance and benefits provider, MetLife's understanding of how its policies, practices, and products impact vulnerable communities is essential. Companies that have completed racial equity or civil rights audits report organizational benefits that include identifying gaps between a company's self-perception and those of its key stakeholders, developing new and additive partnerships and relationships within the community, and assessing the needs of customers and employees, enabling proactive creation of support teams and committees. Up until the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, Black policyholders were subject to race-based life insurance premiums, charging anywhere from 30%-40% more than their white counterparts.
MetLife's justification for the difference in its premiums was that Black policyholders had, and I quote, "less favorable living conditions and greater occurrences of familial instability." Investors need assurance that the company's current policies, efforts, initiatives, and philanthropic activities are having the positive outcomes that they affect and are effective in reaching its equity goals, and that old belief systems and practices have been left in the past. As MetLife looks to have the very best business reputation, it's critical to gain a better understanding of how its products and services are working for all. Thank you for your yes vote on Proposal Number Five.
The Board of Directors recommends a vote for the election of all of the director nominees listed in Proposal One, for Proposals Two, Three, and Four, and against Proposal Five for the reasons stated in the proxy materials. At this time, we will respond to questions and comments regarding any of the five proposals. As a reminder, shareholders who logged in with a Control Number may submit questions for comments. Tim, are there any questions or comments related to the five proposals?
Yes, Glenn. A shareholder has asked, "Is there any change to the vesting schedule for equity awards under the new 2025 Compensation Plan?
A good question. The 2025 Plan is simply codifying the company's actual practice to note that vesting would not start sooner than one year from grants. The current long-term incentive programs' established vesting schedule continues: one-third per year over three years for restricted stock units and stock options, and three-year cliff vesting for performance shares, meaning no vesting until the end of the three-year performance period.
Glenn, there are no other questions or comments related to the five proposals that are presented for shareholders today.
Thank you. The polls are about to close, so if you've not yet voted, please do so. Remember, if you previously submitted a proxy and do not want to change or revoke your voting instructions, you do not need to do anything. I now declare the polls closed on June 18th, 2024, at 2:40 P.M. Eastern Time. Tim, at this time, would you please present the preliminary report of the proxy vote?
According to the preliminary report of the proxy vote that was provided to me by the inspector of election, each director nominee listed in Proposal One has been elected. Proposal Two, the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the company's independent auditor for 2024 has been ratified. Proposal Three, the advisory non-binding vote on compensation paid to the company's named executive officers has been approved. Proposal Four, the MetLife, Inc. 2025 Stock and Incentive Compensation Plan has been approved. Proposal Five, the shareholder proposal regarding a third-party racial equity audit has not been approved. The final vote totals will be included in a Form 8-K that will be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission within four business days following today's meeting.
Thank you, Tim. This concludes the formal business to be conducted at today's meeting. The formal portion of the Annual Meeting is now adjourned. Before opening the remaining time to general questions and comments from shareholders, I would like to introduce Michel Khalaf, the Director and President and Chief Executive Officer of the company, who will provide the report of the company. Michel, on behalf of the Board, I'd like to praise your leadership, your team building at the company, your strategy, and execution. Thank you.
Thank you, Glenn. On behalf of the management team at MetLife, along with our entire company, thank you to our fellow shareholders for joining today's meeting. While macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty persisted in 2023, MetLife's resilience, underpinned by robust risk management and our unyielding focus on execution, continued to drive momentum across our market-leading portfolio of businesses. We are on course to not only meet but exceed the five-year Next Horizon commitments we set back in 2019 for key metrics around free cash flow, return on equity, and expense management. I will review our performance in light of some of those key metrics here, excluding notable items. In 2023, we generated $5.6 billion in adjusted earnings and maintained our strong free cash flow, enabling MetLife to return $4.7 billion to shareholders through common stock dividends and share repurchases.
We seek to achieve the right balance between investing in responsible growth for the future and returning capital to shareholders with the objective of deploying capital to our highest value opportunities. Our success in achieving this is measured by our adjusted return on equity, which was 13.8% for the year, within our 13%-15% target range. Another measure of success is manifest through our direct expense ratio, driven by our inherent efficiency mindset and focus on responsible growth. In 2023, we achieved 12.2%, well below our target of 12.6%. We feel confident we can continue to deliver strong results in this area and have set our new target at 12.3% going forward. Our strategy continues to be grounded in MetLife's purpose, always with you, building a more confident future.
Our emphasis on fostering a purpose-driven, inclusive culture, again in 2023, helped MetLife earn notable recognitions on Fortune's Great Places to Work and 100 Best Companies to Work F or lists, as well as its Most Innovative Companies list. This mirrors results of our own employee surveys, in which associates have consistently told us that they are happy and energized to be part of MetLife. To close, we recognize that capital is precious, and we never take for granted the trust you place in us to be good stewards of your capital. The next evolution of our strategy will build on the strong foundation we have created and deliver growth, returns, and consistency for shareholders and other stakeholders. We will further differentiate our businesses, drive scale from our size while leveraging technology as an enabler, and deepen our capabilities to engage with end customers.
Looking ahead, I believe the future is bright for MetLife. Thank you for your continuing support as shareholders of MetLife. With this, I'll turn it back over to you, Glenn.
Thank you so much, Michel. I now open the remaining time for shareholder questions and comments. Tim, are there any general questions or comments from shareholders?
There is one shareholder question, Glenn. A shareholder asks, "Where is the company on ESG or environmental, social, and governance topics, and are there any plans to change the current policies?" This shareholder adds the comment, "Thank you and keep up the great work.
Thanks, Michel. I'll turn to you.
Sure. Thank you for the question. You know, first and foremost, I will say that our sustainability efforts are grounded in our commitment to deliver value to all of our stakeholders, our people, our customers, and our shareholders. You can see from our sustainability report, which is quite extensive, how we are faring in terms of the commitments we've made and the progress we're making on those commitments. You know, whereas we don't see, you know, the need currently to make any changes to our sustainability goals and commitments, you know, we will continue to monitor the environment as it evolves, and if any changes are warranted, we will transparently communicate those at the appropriate time. Thank you.
Glenn, there are no other questions at this time.
Thank you, Tim. The meeting is now concluded. Thanks for everybody who joined for your time and your continued interest in the company.
This now concludes the meeting. Thank you for joining, and have a pleasant day.