John Hancock Funds Web Site Ranks #2 in kasina's 2010 'Top Ten Web Sites for Financial Intermediaries'

BOSTON, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- John Hancock Funds repeated its second place rank in kasina's 12th annual report of the best web sites for financial intermediaries, the asset management consulting firm announced today.  The site, www.jhfunds.com, is accessible to financial advisers who register with John Hancock Funds.

Regarding John Hancock Funds' web site, the kasina report highlighted strong branding throughout the web site and the successful integration of content and tools to help advisers communicate better with their clients.  Specifically, kasina commented on the 'Job Changers Resource Center,' 'Client Connections' tool and sample College Savings Tuition Bill, as examples of John Hancock helping advisers demonstrate their value and expertise with clients.

"In uncertain financial markets, John Hancock Funds has remained committed to developing innovative tools and materials for advisers to use in building their businesses, and in restoring the confidence of their clients as investors," said Keith F. Hartstein, President & CEO.  "We're gratified to see those efforts recognized with industry and adviser awards. We are very proud of the creative accomplishments of our marketing and IT teams, and you can expect more innovations from John Hancock Funds to help the financial advisers that partner with us."

According to kasina, the sites that comprise the Top 10 are those that build their brands by leveraging firms' thought leadership, provide access to content and tools which enhance adviser expertise and investor understanding, and allow advisers to share content beyond the traditional .com site.

"Web sites that enhance the brand, provide expertise, and allow advisers to look smart to their clients will deepen loyalty and drive business," says kasina co-Founder and Principal Lee Kowarski. "In fact, 71 percent of advisers say that the quality of a firm's online capabilities impacts the amount of business they do with that firm. This year, we are seeing firms expand their sites to give a deeper look into the firm via expert commentary and thought leadership, while also allowing firm content to travel away from the site via mobile devices and social media."

kasina identified the 10 strongest Web sites within the intermediary channel based on a three-tier methodology that objectively measures Availability of Content, Quality of Content, and User Experience. During reviews of 42 asset management intermediary sites, kasina evaluated five categories of information: Branding, Online Services, Product and Performance Information, Support Content and Usability.

About kasina

kasina's commitment to innovating distribution in the financial services industry has made it one of the most influential strategy consulting firms in its sector. kasina works with a wide variety of clients from five continents, including firms representing 90 percent of the U.S.'s total assets under management. An overview of services offered by kasina is available at www.kasina.com.

About John Hancock Funds

The Boston-based mutual fund business unit of John Hancock Financial, John Hancock Funds manages more than $54.6 billion in open-end funds, closed-end funds, private accounts, retirement plans and related party assets for individual and institutional investors as at June 30, 2010.  

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial Corporation

John Hancock Financial is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of customers in 22 countries and territories worldwide. 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. For more than 120 years, clients have looked to Manulife for strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most significant financial decisions. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were Cdn$454 billion (US$428 billion) as at June 30, 2010.

Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial may be found on the Internet at www.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, fixed and variable 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 www.johnhancock.com.

SOURCE John Hancock Funds