John Hancock Funds Launches 'Insights & Commentary' Section of Website

BOSTON, Oct. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- John Hancock Funds has launched on its website a new 'Insights & Commentary' section (www.jhfunds.com/insights), featuring commentary and thought leadership on topics ranging from alternative asset classes to the Eurozone debt crisis.  The new section is available to the public, with additional material accessible by financial advisers who are registered at www.jhfunds.com.

"Advisers and investors are looking for guidance, but they are constantly bombarded with information, overwhelmingly of the 'sound bite' variety with limited value," said Cathy Lazdowski, head of investment marketing for John Hancock Funds. "We wanted to provide a source of thoughtful, in-depth research and analysis that advisers can turn to for a fresh perspective. With our multi-manager structure, we have a roster of 14 sub-advisers who are a robust source of research and materials."  

"We have a lot of content and the challenge was to organize and present it in a way that makes it easy for users to find exactly what they need quickly," said Eric Lachance, head of e-Commerce. "The subscription feature allows them to sign up to automatically receive updates on the type of content that matters most to them."

The 'Insights & Commentary' section highlights economic and market outlooks, strategy updates, thought leadership and news from John Hancock's Investment Management Services (IMS) team and from investment managers who provide portfolio management for John Hancock Funds, including John Hancock Asset Management (JHAM), Dimensional Fund Advisors, Robeco Investment Management, Standard Life Investments, GMO, Wellington Management, and others. Their commentary is available via video, audio, white papers, and market outlook articles. 

For example, the thought leadership category offers white papers on topics such as the "Benefits of Alternative Investments" by Steven Medina of JHAM; "Mid-Cap Stocks:  Opportunities in the Heart of the Market" written by Steve Pollack and David Gullen of Robeco with John Hancock IMS; and "A Guide to Absolute Return Investing" authored by Standard Life Investments.

"We have made it easy for advisers and investors to search for content by date, topic, by type and by sub-adviser," said Ms. Lazdowski. The section also holds video, audio and PDF commentary. "In addition, we have launched a podcast channel on iTunes to hold video and audio commentary from our sub-advisers.  Subscribers may receive automatic updates when new content is available by searching for 'John Hancock Mutual Funds' in the iTunes podcast library."

A fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses should be considered carefully before investing. The prospectus includes this and other important information about the fund. To obtain a prospectus, call your financial professional, 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.

About John Hancock Funds

The Boston-based mutual fund business unit of John Hancock Financial, John Hancock Funds manages more than $73.7 billion in open-end funds, closed-end funds, private accounts, college savings and retirement plans, and related party assets for individual and institutional investors as at June 30, 2012.

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

Manulife Asset Management was named a 2011 Bond Manager of the Year finalist in the United States by Money Management Intelligence (MMI) and Best Asian Bond House by Asia Asset Management.

As at June 30, 2012, assets under management were US$218 billion. Additional information about Manulife Asset Management may be found at ManulifeAM.com.

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial Corporation

John Hancock Financial is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. In 2012, John Hancock celebrates 150 years of serving clients across the United States, while Manulife celebrates its 125^th anniversary. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and in most of Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, Manulife Financial Corporation 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$514 billion (US$504 billion) as at June 30, 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 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.

SOURCE John Hancock Funds