New York Life Insurance Company is a mutual insurance company, which means it is not publicly traded and has no shareholders. Instead, its policy owners are the ones who share in ownership rights of the company. With a mutual company, clients who purchase participating products are entitled to vote in the board of directors elections and are eligible to share in annual dividends that are declared. The company's priority is to safeguard their interests. Policies issued by our subsidiary companies are not participating and do not share in these rights.