EX-99.1 2 ex-991earningsreleaseq42018.htm EXHIBIT 99.1 Exhibit


Exhibit 99.1
 g720209ex99_1alogoa01a01a06.jpg
Blucora Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2018 Results

IRVING, TX — February 14, 2019 — Blucora, Inc. (NASDAQ: BCOR), a leading provider of technology-enabled financial solutions to consumers, small businesses and tax professionals, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2018.

2018 Highlights and Recent Developments

Increased total revenue by 10% year-over-year
Grew GAAP Net income by 87%, Adjusted EBITDA by 19%, Non-GAAP net income by 36%
Achieved record advisory net flows at HD Vest, approaching $1 billion
Recorded 21st consecutive year of revenue growth at TaxAct, growing 16% year-over-year
Utilized strong cash flow generation to eliminate $80 million in debt, reducing net leverage ratio to 1.5x from 2.8x
Completed clearing transition expected to generate more than $120 million in incremental HD Vest segment income over 10-year term
“Strong net flows in the fourth quarter helped cap an excellent year for Blucora,” said John Clendening, Blucora’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “For the full year 2018 we generated outstanding financial results, achieving double-digit growth in revenue, earnings and cash flow, while hitting records in key metrics such as advisory flows. At the same time, we strengthened our balance sheet, our platform and our team, laying the groundwork to capture the significant opportunities we see ahead.”

Summary Financial Performance: Q4 and Full Year 2018
($ in millions except per share amounts)
 
Q4
 
Q4
 
 
 
Full Year
 
Full Year
 
 
 
2018
 
2017
 
Change
 
2018
 
2017
 
Change
Revenue
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wealth Management
$
97.2

 
$
93.8

 
4
 %
 
$
373.2

 
$
348.6

 
7
 %
Tax Preparation
$
4.1

 
$
4.0

 
2
 %
 
$
187.3

 
$
160.9

 
16
 %
  Total Revenue
$
101.3

 
$
97.8

 
3
 %
 
$
560.5

 
$
509.5

 
10
 %
Segment Income (Loss)
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

Wealth Management
$
14.1

 
$
14.2

 
(1
)%
 
$
53.1

 
$
50.9

 
4
 %
Tax Preparation
$
(8.7
)
 
$
(10.5
)
 
(17
)%
 
$
87.2

 
$
72.9

 
20
 %
  Total Segment Income
$
5.4

 
$
3.7

 
44
 %
 
$
140.3

 
$
123.8

 
13
 %
Unallocated Corporate Operating Expenses
$
6.1

 
$
5.1

 
21
 %
 
$
20.5

 
$
22.9

 
(11
)%
GAAP:
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

Operating Income (Loss)
$
(13.5
)
 
$
(14.5
)
 
(7
)%
 
$
67.7

 
$
48.0

 
41
 %
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Blucora. Inc.
$
(16.0
)
 
$
10.0

 
(259
)%
 
$
50.6

 
$
27.0

 
87
 %
Diluted Net Income (Loss) Per Share Attributable to Blucora. Inc.*
$
(0.38
)
 
$
0.21

 
(281
)%
 
$
0.90

 
$
0.57

 
58
 %
Non-GAAP:
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

Adjusted EBITDA
$
(0.8
)
 
$
(1.3
)
 
(44
)%
 
$
119.8

 
$
100.9

 
19
 %
Net Income (Loss)
$
(7.5
)
 
$
(5.7
)
 
32
 %
 
$
94.0

 
$
69.1

 
36
 %
Diluted Net Income (Loss) per Share
$
(0.16
)
 
$
(0.12
)
 
33
 %
 
$
1.90

 
$
1.46

 
30
 %
* 2018 GAAP EPS includes noncontrolling interest redemption impacts of $(0.05) and (0.13) for Q4 2018 and Full Year 2018, respectively.
See reconciliations of all non-GAAP to GAAP measures presented in this release in the tables below.





Tax Season Update
“For this tax season we’ve unveiled a number of advances and new benefits for customers to make the tax filing experience easier and more rewarding,” Clendening continued. “In addition to bringing back some of our most popular features like our personalized deduction maximizer and $100,000 accuracy guarantee, some improvements customers are seeing this year include:

A newly refreshed and modern website that allows customers to quickly identify the product that best fits their needs;
Ten Minute taxes, a streamlined and intuitive process to guide filers with simple returns to complete their returns in just ten minutes or less;
Refund Marketplace, which rewards filers with bonus money, up to a maximum of $599, when they allocate a portion of their refund to gift cards from an assortment of national retailers;
A redesigned BluPrint financial assessment, which can turn insights from your tax return in to actionable recommendations to save real money; and
Many other improvements including more data import and product partners.”

“Based on early tax season data, we continue to expect first-half 2019 tax preparation revenue growth of approximately 7.5-10% versus the comparable period last year, with segment margin in the 56.7% to 57.7%. range.”

First Quarter Outlook
For the first quarter of 2019, the Company expects revenues to be between $213.5 million and $218.5 million, GAAP net income to be between $48.0 million and $50.5 million, or $0.95 to $1.00 per diluted share, Adjusted EBITDA to be between $68.5 million and $72.5 million, and Non-GAAP income to be between $60.0 million and $63.5 million, or $1.19 to $1.26 per diluted share.

Conference Call and Webcast
A conference call and live webcast will be held today at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time during which the Company will further discuss fourth quarter and full year results, its outlook for the first quarter, tax season update and other business matters. We will also provide the prepared remarks for the conference call along with supplemental financial information to our results on the Investor Relations section of the Blucora corporate website at http://www.blucora.com prior to the call. The supplemental financial information has also been filed with the SEC on Form 8-K. A replay of the call be available on our website.
About Blucora®
Blucora, Inc. (NASDAQ: BCOR) is a leading provider of technology-enabled financial solutions to consumers, small businesses and tax professionals. Our products and services in tax preparation and wealth management, through TaxAct and HD Vest, respectively, help consumers manage their financial lives. TaxAct is an affordable digital tax preparation solution for individuals, business owners and tax professionals. HD Vest Financial Services ® supports an independent network of tax professionals who provide comprehensive financial planning solutions. For more information on Blucora or its businesses, please visit www.blucora.com.
Source: Blucora
Blucora Contact:
Bill Michalek (972) 870-6463
VP, Investor Relations
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. When used in this release, terms such as “believes,” “estimates,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “may,” “forecasts,” “projects” and similar expressions and variations as they relate to the Company or its management are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ significantly from management’s expectations due to various risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to: our ability to effectively implement our future business plans and growth strategy; our ability to effectively compete within our industry; our ability to attract and retain customers; the availability of financing and our ability to meet our current and future debt service obligations and comply with our debt covenants; our ability to generate strong investment performance for our customers and the impact of the financial markets on our customers’ portfolios; political and economic conditions and events that directly or indirectly impact the wealth management and tax preparation industries; our ability to attract and retain productive financial advisors; our ability to successfully make technology enhancements and introduce new and improve on existing products and services; our expectations concerning the revenues we generate from fees associated with the financial products that we distribute; our ability to comply with laws and regulations, including, among others, those related to privacy





protection and consumer data; our expectations concerning the benefits that may be derived from our new clearing platform and investment advisory platform; cybersecurity risks; our ability to maintain our relationships with third party partners; the seasonality of our business; litigation risks; our ability to attract and retain qualified employees; our assessments and estimates that determine our effective tax rate; the impact of new or changing tax legislation; our ability to develop, establish and maintain strong brands; our ability to protect our intellectual property; and our ability to effectively integrate companies or assets that we acquire. A more detailed description of these and certain other factors that could affect actual results is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release, except as may be required by applicable law.





Blucora, Inc.
Preliminary Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(Unaudited)
(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)
 
Three months ended December 31,
 
Years ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2017
 
2018
 
2017
Revenue:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wealth management services revenue
$
97,190

 
$
93,848

 
$
373,174

 
$
348,620

Tax preparation services revenue
4,068

 
4,001

 
187,282

 
160,937

Total revenue
101,258

 
97,849

 
560,456

 
509,557

Operating expenses:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cost of revenue:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wealth management services cost of revenue
66,054

 
63,415

 
253,580

 
235,859

Tax preparation services cost of revenue
1,858

 
2,475

 
10,040

 
10,018

Amortization of acquired technology

 
50

 
99

 
195

Total cost of revenue (1)
67,912

 
65,940

 
263,719

 
246,072

Engineering and technology (1)
5,107

 
5,573

 
19,332

 
19,614

Sales and marketing (1)
16,642

 
17,824

 
111,361

 
102,798

General and administrative (1)
16,229

 
13,263

 
60,124

 
52,668

Depreciation
762

 
780

 
4,468

 
3,460

Amortization of other acquired intangible assets
8,103

 
8,615

 
33,487

 
33,807

Restructuring (1)
(3
)
 
375

 
288

 
3,101

Total operating expenses
114,752

 
112,370

 
492,779

 
461,520

Operating income (loss)
(13,494
)
 
(14,521
)
 
67,677

 
48,037

Other loss, net (2)
(3,947
)
 
(5,402
)
 
(15,797
)
 
(44,551
)
Income (loss) before income taxes
(17,441
)
 
(19,923
)
 
51,880

 
3,486

Income tax benefit
1,741

 
31,842

 
(311
)
 
25,890

Net income (loss)
(15,700
)
 
11,919

 
51,569

 
29,376

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests
(281
)
 
(1,871
)
 
(935
)
 
(2,337
)
Net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc.
$
(15,981
)
 
$
10,048

 
$
50,634

 
$
27,039

Net income (loss) per share attributable to Blucora, Inc.:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic
$
(0.38
)
 
$
0.22

 
$
0.94

 
$
0.61

Dilued
$
(0.38
)
 
$
0.21

 
$
0.90

 
$
0.57

Weighted average shares outstanding:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic
48,002

 
46,231

 
47,394

 
44,370

Diluted
48,002

 
48,406

 
49,381

 
47,211

(1) Stock-based compensation expense was allocated among the following captions (in thousands):
 
Three months ended December 31,
 
Years ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2017
 
2018
 
2017
Cost of revenue
$
527

 
$
228

 
$
1,467

 
$
774

Engineering and technology
176

 
250

 
766

 
984

Sales and marketing
589

 
575

 
2,424

 
2,376

General and administrative
2,402

 
2,166

 
8,596

 
7,519

Restructuring

 
70

 

 
1,148

Total stock-based compensation expense
$
3,694

 
$
3,289

 
$
13,253

 
$
12,801

(2) Other loss, net consisted of the following (in thousands):
 
Three months ended December 31,
 
Years ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2017
 
2018
 
2017
Interest income
$
(132
)
 
$
(34
)
 
$
(349
)
 
$
(110
)
Interest expense
3,838

 
4,465

 
15,610

 
21,211

Amortization of debt issuance costs
174

 
198

 
833

 
1,089

Accretion of debt discounts
38

 
54

 
163

 
1,947

Loss on debt extinguishment and modification expense

 
681

 
1,534

 
20,445

Other
29

 
38

 
(1,994
)
 
(31
)
Other loss, net
$
3,947

 
$
5,402

 
$
15,797

 
$
44,551








Blucora, Inc.
Preliminary Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(Unaudited)
(Amounts in thousands)
 
December 31,
 
2018
 
2017
ASSETS
 
 
 
Current assets:
 
 
 
Cash and cash equivalents
$
84,524

 
$
59,965

Cash segregated under federal or other regulations
842

 
1,371

Accounts receivable, net of allowance
14,977

 
10,694

Commissions receivable
15,562

 
16,822

Other receivables
7,408

 
3,180

Prepaid expenses and other current assets, net
7,755

 
7,365

Total current assets
131,068

 
99,397

Long-term assets:
 
 
 
Property and equipment, net
12,389

 
9,831

Goodwill, net
548,685

 
549,037

Other intangible assets, net
294,603

 
328,205

Other long-term assets
10,980

 
15,201

Total long-term assets
866,657

 
902,274

Total assets
$
997,725

 
$
1,001,671

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
 
 
 
Current liabilities:
 
 
 
Accounts payable
$
3,798

 
$
4,413

Commissions and advisory fees payable
15,199

 
17,813

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities
19,026

 
19,577

Deferred revenue
10,257

 
9,953

Total current liabilities
48,280

 
51,756

Long-term liabilities:
 
 
 
Long-term debt, net
260,390

 
338,081

Deferred tax liability, net
40,394

 
43,433

Deferred revenue
8,581

 
804

Other long-term liabilities
7,540

 
8,177

Total long-term liabilities
316,905

 
390,495

Total liabilities
365,185

 
442,251

 
 
 
 
Redeemable noncontrolling interests
24,945

 
18,033

 
 
 
 
Stockholders’ equity:
 
 
 
Common stock
5

 
5

Additional paid-in capital
1,569,725

 
1,555,560

Accumulated deficit
(961,689
)
 
(1,014,174
)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
(446
)
 
(4
)
Total stockholders’ equity
607,595

 
541,387

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
$
997,725

 
$
1,001,671






Blucora, Inc.
Preliminary Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited)
(Amounts in thousands)
 
Years ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2017
Operating Activities:
 
 
 
Net income
$
51,569

 
$
29,376

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash from operating activities:
 
 
 
Stock-based compensation
13,253

 
11,653

Depreciation and amortization of acquired intangible assets
38,590

 
38,139

Restructuring (non-cash)

 
1,569

Deferred income taxes
(3,039
)
 
(16,159
)
Amortization of premium on investments, net, and debt issuance costs
833

 
1,099

Accretion of debt discounts
163

 
1,947

Loss on debt extinguishment
1,534

 
20,445

Other
72

 
30

Cash provided (used) by changes in operating assets and liabilities:
 
 
 
Accounts receivable
(4,286
)
 
(483
)
Commissions receivable
1,260

 
(678
)
Other receivables
(3,851
)
 
(204
)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
(815
)
 
(869
)
Other long-term assets
3,450

 
(12,281
)
Accounts payable
(615
)
 
(123
)
Commissions and advisory fees payable
(2,614
)
 
1,226

Deferred revenue
9,930

 
(3,248
)
Accrued expenses and other current and long-term liabilities
114

 
1,407

Net cash provided by operating activities
105,548

 
72,846

Investing Activities:
 
 
 
Purchases of property and equipment
(7,633
)
 
(5,039
)
Proceeds from sales of investments

 
249

Proceeds from maturities of investments

 
7,252

Purchases of investments

 
(409
)
Net cash provided (used) by investing activities
(7,633
)
 
2,053

Financing Activities:
 
 
 
Proceeds from credit facilities

 
365,836

Payments on convertible notes

 
(172,827
)
Payments on credit facilities
(80,000
)
 
(290,000
)
Repayment of note payable with related party

 
(3,200
)
Proceeds from stock option exercises
12,773

 
40,271

Proceeds from issuance of stock through employee stock purchase plan
2,100

 
1,429

Tax payments from shares withheld for equity awards
(8,362
)
 
(9,095
)
Contingent consideration payments for business acquisition
(1,315
)
 
(946
)
Other

 
(30
)
Net cash provided by financing activities
(74,804
)
 
(68,562
)
Net cash provided by continuing operations
23,111

 
6,337

 
 
 
 
Net cash provided by investing activities from discontinued operations

 
1,028

Net cash provided by discontinued operations

 
1,028

 
 
 
 
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents
(56
)
 
78

Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash
23,055

 
7,443

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period
62,311

 
54,868

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period
$
85,366

 
$
62,311






Blucora, Inc.
Preliminary Segment Information
(Unaudited)
(Amounts in thousands)
 
Three months ended December 31,
 
Years ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2017
 
2018
 
2017
Revenue:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wealth Management (1)
$
97,190

 
$
93,848

 
$
373,174

 
$
348,620

Tax Preparation (1)
4,068

 
4,001

 
187,282

 
160,937

Total revenue
101,258

 
97,849

 
560,456

 
509,557

Operating income (loss):
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wealth Management
14,133

 
14,232

 
53,053

 
50,916

Tax Preparation
(8,742
)
 
(10,489
)
 
87,249

 
72,921

Corporate-level activity (2)
(18,885
)
 
(18,264
)
 
(72,625
)
 
(75,800
)
Total operating income (loss)
(13,494
)
 
(14,521
)
 
67,677

 
48,037

Other loss, net
(3,947
)
 
(5,402
)
 
(15,797
)
 
(44,551
)
Income tax benefit (expense)
1,741

 
31,842

 
(311
)
 
25,890

Net income (loss)
$
(15,700
)
 
$
11,919

 
$
51,569

 
$
29,376

(1) Revenues by major category within each segment are presented below (in thousands):
 
Three months ended December 31,
 
Years ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2017
 
2018
 
2017
Wealth Management:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commission
$
39,932

 
$
43,060

 
$
164,201

 
$
160,241

Advisory
43,551

 
38,616

 
164,353

 
145,694

Asset-based
9,999

 
7,021

 
31,456

 
26,297

Transaction and fee
3,708

 
5,151

 
13,164

 
16,388

Total Wealth Management revenue
$
97,190

 
$
93,848

 
$
373,174

 
$
348,620

Tax Preparation:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consumer
$
3,912

 
$
3,844

 
$
172,207

 
$
147,084

Professional
156

 
157

 
15,075

 
13,853

Total Tax Preparation revenue
$
4,068

 
$
4,001

 
$
187,282

 
$
160,937

(2) Corporate-level activity included the following (in thousands):
 
Three months ended December 31,
 
Years ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2017
 
2018
 
2017
Operating expenses
$
6,143

 
$
5,084

 
$
20,494

 
$
22,907

Stock-based compensation
3,694

 
3,219

 
13,253

 
11,653

Depreciation
947

 
921

 
5,003

 
4,137

Amortization of acquired intangible assets
8,103

 
8,665

 
33,586

 
34,002

Restructuring
(3
)
 
375

 
288

 
3,101

Total corporate-level activity
$
18,884

 
$
18,264

 
$
72,624

 
$
75,800







Blucora, Inc.
Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures to the Nearest Comparable GAAP Measures
Preliminary Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation (1) 
(Unaudited)
(Amounts in thousands)
 
Three months ended December 31,
 
Years ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2017
 
2018
 
2017
Net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc.
$
(15,981
)
 
$
10,048

 
$
50,634

 
$
27,039

Stock-based compensation
3,694

 
3,219

 
13,253

 
11,653

Depreciation and amortization of acquired intangible assets
9,050

 
9,586

 
38,590

 
38,139

Restructuring
(3
)
 
375

 
288

 
3,101

Other loss, net
3,947

 
5,402

 
15,797

 
44,551

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests
281

 
1,871

 
935

 
2,337

Income tax expense (benefit)
(1,741
)
 
(31,842
)
 
311

 
(25,890
)
Adjusted EBITDA
$
(753
)
 
$
(1,341
)
 
$
119,808

 
$
100,930







Preliminary Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss) Reconciliation (1) 
(Unaudited)
(Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)
 
Three months ended December 31,
 
Years ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2017
 
2018
 
2017
Net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc.(2)
$
(15,981
)
 
$
10,048

 
$
50,634

 
$
27,039

Stock-based compensation
3,694

 
3,219

 
13,253

 
11,653

Amortization of acquired intangible assets
8,103

 
8,665

 
33,586

 
34,002

Accretion and write-off of debt discount and debt issuance costs on previous debt

 

 

 
17,875

Restructuring
(3
)
 
375

 
288

 
3,101

Impact of noncontrolling interests
281

 
1,871

 
935

 
2,337

Cash tax impact of adjustments to GAAP net income
(536
)
 
3,328

 
(2,257
)
 
(6
)
Non-cash income tax benefit (1)
(3,050
)
 
(33,178
)
 
(2,403
)
 
(26,853
)
Non-GAAP net income (loss)
$
(7,492
)
 
$
(5,672
)
 
$
94,036

 
$
69,148

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Per diluted share:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net loss attributable to Blucora, Inc.(2)
$
(0.38
)
 
$
0.21

 
$
0.90

 
$
0.57

Stock-based compensation
0.08

 
0.07

 
0.27

 
0.25

Amortization of acquired intangible assets
0.15

 
0.20

 
0.68

 
0.72

Accretion and write-off of debt discount and debt issuance costs on previous debt

 

 

 
0.37

Restructuring

 
0.01

 
0.01

 
0.07

Impacts of noncontrolling interests
0.06

 
0.04

 
0.14

 
0.05

Cash tax impact of adjustments to GAAP net income
(0.01
)
 
0.07

 
(0.05
)
 
0.00

Non-cash income tax benefit
(0.06
)
 
(0.72
)
 
(0.05
)
 
(0.57
)
Non-GAAP net income (loss)
$
(0.16
)
 
$
(0.12
)
 
$
1.90

 
$
1.46

Weighted average shares outstanding used in computing per diluted share amounts
48,002

 
46,231

 
49,381

 
47,211






Preliminary Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation for Forward-Looking Guidance (1) 
(Amounts in thousands)
 
Ranges for the three months ending
 
March 31, 2019
 
Low
 
High
Net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc.
$
48,000

 
$
50,500

Stock-based compensation
4,300

 
3,900

Depreciation and amortization of acquired intangible assets
9,400

 
9,300

Other loss, net (3)
5,300

 
5,000

Income tax expense
1,500

 
3,800

Adjusted EBITDA
$
68,500

 
$
72,500

Preliminary Non-GAAP Income Reconciliation for Forward-Looking Guidance (1) 
(Amounts in thousands)
 
Ranges for the three months ending
 
March 31, 2019
 
Low
 
High
Net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc.
$
48,000

 
$
50,500

Stock-based compensation
4,300

 
3,900

Amortization of acquired intangible assets
8,100

 
8,100

Cash tax impact of adjustments to net income (loss)
(500
)
 
(500
)
Non-cash income tax expense
100

 
1,500

Non-GAAP income
$
60,000

 
$
63,500






Notes to Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures to the Nearest Comparable GAAP Measures

(1) We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc., determined in accordance with GAAP, excluding the effects of stock-based compensation, depreciation and amortization of acquired intangible assets, restructuring, other loss, net, the impact of noncontrolling interests and income tax (benefit) expense. For purposes of this definition, restructuring costs relate to the relocation of our corporate headquarters during 2017.

We believe that Adjusted EBITDA provides meaningful supplemental information regarding our performance. We use this non-GAAP financial measure for internal management and compensation purposes, when publicly providing guidance on possible future results, and as a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is a common measure used by investors and analysts to evaluate our performance, that it provides a more complete understanding of the results of operations and trends affecting our business when viewed together with GAAP results, and that management and investors benefit from referring to this non-GAAP financial measure. Items excluded from Adjusted EBITDA are significant and necessary components to the operations of our business and, therefore, Adjusted EBITDA should be considered as a supplement to, and not as a substitute for or superior to, GAAP net income (loss). Other companies may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently and, therefore, our Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

We define non-GAAP net income (loss) as net income (loss) attributable to Blucora, Inc., determined in accordance with GAAP, excluding the effects of stock-based compensation, amortization of acquired intangible assets, accelerated accretion of debt discount on our Convertible Senior Notes that were outstanding for a portion of 2017 (the "Notes"), write-off of debt discount and debt issuance costs on the terminated Notes and the terminated TaxAct - HD Vest 2015 credit facility, restructuring costs (described further under Adjusted EBITDA above), the impact of noncontrolling interests, the related cash tax impact of those adjustments, and non-cash income taxes. The write-off of debt discount and debt issuance costs on the terminated Notes and the closed TaxAct - HD Vest 2015 credit facility relates to the debt refinancing that occurred in the second quarter of 2017. We exclude the non-cash portion of income taxes because of our ability to offset a substantial portion of our cash tax liabilities by using deferred tax assets, which primarily consist of U.S. federal net operating losses. The majority of these net operating losses will expire, if unutilized, between 2020 and 2024. The aforementioned items are only included in non-GAAP net income (loss) in the periods they occurred.

We believe that non-GAAP net income (loss) and non-GAAP net income (loss) per share provide meaningful supplemental information to management, investors, and analysts regarding our performance and the valuation of our business by excluding items in the statement of operations that we do not consider part of our ongoing operations or have not been, or are not expected to be, settled in cash. Additionally, we believe that non-GAAP net income (loss) and non-GAAP net income (loss) per share are common measures used by investors and analysts to evaluate our performance and the valuation of our business. Non-GAAP net income (loss) and non-GAAP net (loss) income per share should be evaluated in light of our financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP and should be considered as a supplement to, and not as a substitute for or superior to, GAAP net income (loss) and net income (loss) per share. Other companies may calculate non-GAAP net income (loss) and non-GAAP net income (loss) per share differently, and, therefore, our non-GAAP net income (loss) and non-GAAP net income (loss) per share may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

(2) As presented in the Preliminary Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (unaudited).

(3) Other loss, net primarily includes items such as interest income, interest expense, amortization of debt issuance costs, accretion of debt discounts, and gain/loss on debt extinguishment.