John Hancock Funds Honored at 2013 Lipper Fund Awards

BOSTON, March 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Six John Hancock Funds were honored at the 2013 Lipper Fund Awards event last night in New York City.  The awards encompassed a mix of equity and fixed income funds over a range of time periods, and included portfolio managers from John Hancock's affiliated asset managers John Hancock Asset Management and Manulife Asset Management, as well as independent investment managers.  

"We are honored to receive this important recognition from Lipper," said Andrew Arnott, President & CEO, John Hancock Funds. "It speaks to the success of our best of breed, manager of managers business model, whereby we partner with both affiliated and un-affiliated investment managers from around the world, through objective manager selection and diligent oversight.  Ultimately, the goal of every member of our investment team is to provide asset management solutions that deliver real investment value for our shareholders."  

The following John Hancock Funds won 2013 Lipper Fund Awards:

• The John Hancock Core High Yield Fund (Class I: JYIAX) received a trophy for three-year performance, compared with 436 funds in the Lipper High Yield fund category. The fund is managed by Terry Carr, CFA, Konstantin Kizunov, CFA, and Richard Cos.  
• The John Hancock Disciplined Value Mid Cap Fund (Class I: JVMIX) was recognized for its ten-year track record out of 330 funds in Lipper's Multi-Cap Core fund category.  The fund is managed by Steven L. Pollack, CFA, and Joseph F. Feeney, Jr., CFA.  
• The John Hancock Strategic Income Opportunities Fund, NAV, won a five-year award out of 106 funds in Lipper's Global Income fund category. The fund is managed by Daniel S. Janis III, John F. Iles, and Thomas Goggins.  
• The John Hancock Active Bond Fund, NAV, also won a five-year award out of 24 funds in Lipper's General Bond fund category. The fund is managed by Barry Evans, CFA, Howard Greene, CFA, and Jeffrey Given, CFA.  
• The John Hancock Global Shareholder Yield Fund, NAV, was recognized over the three-year period out of 74 funds in Lipper's Global Multi-Cap Value fund category.  The fund is managed by William W. Priest, CFA, CPA, Eric Sappenfield, and Michael A. Welhoelter, CFA.  
• The John Hancock International Small Cap Fund, NAV, won an award for its five-year record out of 32 funds in Lipper's International Small/Mid-Cap Core fund category. The Fund is managed by Franklin Templeton.

About John Hancock Funds
The Boston-based mutual fund business unit of John Hancock Financial, John Hancock Funds, manages more than $79.8 billion in open-end funds, closed-end funds, college savings assets, retirement plans and related party assets for individual and institutional investors at December 31, 2012.

About John Hancock Asset Management and Manulife Asset Management
Manulife Asset Management is the global asset management arm of Manulife Financial. Manulife Asset Management provides comprehensive asset management solutions for institutional investors and investment funds in key markets around the world. Manulife Asset Management also provides investment management services to affiliates' retail clients through product offerings of Manulife and John Hancock. This investment expertise extends across a broad range of asset classes including equity, fixed income and alternative investments such as real estate, timber, farmland, as well as asset allocation strategies.  Manulife Asset Management has offices with full investment capabilities in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines. In addition, it has a joint venture asset management business in China, Manulife TEDA. It also has operations in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Uruguay.  As at December 31, 2012, assets under management were C$237.6 billion. Additional information about Manulife Asset Management can be found at ManulifeAM.com.

John Hancock Asset Management, Hancock Natural Resource Group and Declaration Management and Research are units of Manulife Asset Management.

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial
John Hancock Financial is a division of Manulife Financial, a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, the Company offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were C$532 billion (US$535 billion) as at December 31, 2012. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.

The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers and administers a broad range of financial products and services, including life insurance, annuities, fixed products, mutual funds, 401(k) plans, long-term care insurance, college savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.

The John Hancock Core High Yield Fund I (JYIAX) Lipper Rankings as of 2/28/13 in the High Yield category:
1 Year 21% (111/528)
3 Years 1% (2/437)
5 Years NA
10 Years NA

The John Hancock Disciplined Value Mid Cap Fund I (JVMIX) Lipper Rankings as of 2/28/13 in the Multi-Cap Core category:
1 Year 8% (62/776)
3 Years 4% (21/659)
5 Years 2% (6/580)
10 Years 3% (7/344)

The John Hancock Strategic Income Opportunities Fund NAV Lipper Rankings as of 2/28/13 in the Global Income category:
1 Year 6% (11/202)
3 Years 7% (10/142)
5 Years 1% (1/110)
10 Years NA

The John Hancock Active Bond Fund NAV Lipper Rankings as of 2/28/13 in the General Bond category:
1 Year 36% (25/70)
3 Years 32% (16/50)
5 Years 31% (8/25)
10 Years NA

The John Hancock Global Shareholder Yield Fund NAV Lipper Rankings as of 2/28/13 in the Global Multi-Cap Value category:
1 Year 39% (32/82)
3 Years 3% (2/68)
5 Years NA
10 Years NA

The John Hancock International Small Cap Fund NAV Lipper Rankings as of 2/28/13 in the International Small/Mid Cap Core category:
1 Year 28% (14/50)
3 Years 22% (9/40)
5 Years 15% (5/33)
10 Years NA

Lipper Awards are granted annually to the funds in each Lipper classification that achieve the highest score for Consistent Return, a measure of funds' historical risk-adjusted returns, measured in local currency, relative to peers.  Winners are selected using the Lipper Leader rating for Consistent Return for funds with at least 36 months of performance history as of 11/30/12.  Awards are presented for the highest Lipper Leader for Consistent Return within each eligible classification over 3, 5 or 10 years. Other share classes may have different performance and expense characteristics. Class I and Class NAV shares are not available for purchase by all investors. Lipper Analytical Services, Inc. is an independent mutual fund research and rating service. Although Lipper makes reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained herein, the accuracy is not guaranteed by Lipper. Lipper awards are not intended to predict future results. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Fixed-income investments are subject to interest rate and credit risk; their value will normally decline as interest rates rise or if the creditor is unable or unwilling to make principal or interest payments. Investments in higher-yielding, lower-rated securities involve additional risks as these securities include a higher risk of default and loss of principal. The issuer or grantor of a security, or counterparty to a transaction, may be unable or unwilling to make principal, interest or settlement payments. Frequently trading securities may increase transaction costs (thus lowering performance) and taxable distributions. The use of hedging and derivatives transactions could produce disproportionate gains or losses and may increase volatility and costs. Foreign investing, especially in emerging markets, has additional risks such as currency and market volatility and political and social instability. Distribution rate and income amounts reflect past amounts distributed and may not be indicative of future rates or income amounts. The distribution amounts paid by a Fund generally depend on the amount of income and/or dividends received by the Fund's investments. The Fund may not be able to pay distributions or may have to reduce its distribution level if the amount of such income and/or dividends received from its investment decline. Therefore, distribution rates and income amounts can change at any time. The prices of medium and small company stocks can change more frequently and dramatically than those of large company stocks.

A fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses should be considered carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other important information about the Fund. To obtain a prospectus, contact your financial professional, call John Hancock Funds at 1-800-225-5291 or visit our Web site at www.jhfunds.com. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing or sending money.

SOURCE John Hancock Funds