John Hancock Retirement Introduces FutureChoice™ to Offer a New Suite of Advisor-Centric Solutions

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Mar 18, 2025, 16:01 ET

BOSTON, March 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - John Hancock Retirement, a company of Manulife Wealth & Asset Management, has announced the introduction of FutureChoice, a new suite of open-architecture retirement plan solutions to expand its retirement product portfolio. This advisor-centric suite of retirement plan solutions was built with direct input from advisors and third-party administrators (TPAs). The new suite will include both bundled and unbundled corporate plans as well as Taft-Hartley and multiplan solutions. It's expected the first FutureChoice offering will launch later this year.

"Our new FutureChoice suite is the latest implementation of our strategic vision and dedication to innovating the future of retirement," said Wayne Park, CEO, John Hancock Retirement. "We have been investing in our business transformation and have partnered with several industry specialists to build FutureChoice from the ground up, with novel technologies, including the integration of AI, to provide experiences that deliver even more customer insight and value-add functionality for plans."

Guided by its commitment to being the partner of choice for advisors, TPAs, and plan sponsors, John Hancock Retirement continues its multi-year investment to modernize its retirement plan ecosystem with the introduction of FutureChoice. The FutureChoice suite will include enhanced digital capabilities designed to help all participants achieve their desired retirement outcomes. John Hancock Retirement will continue to be a multiplatform plan provider and invest across its plan offerings.

Earlier this year, John Hancock Retirement introduced FutureStep™, an open-architecture retirement plan solution tailored for small businesses, further strengthening its position as one of the largest plan providers in this market.¹FutureChoice continues the expansion of the John Hancock Retirement portfolio and leverages external experience to create an innovative spectrum of retirement plan offerings.

Examples of how these external partners are helping to inform the development of the new suite include designing human-centered experiences to enable purpose-driven, end-to-end customer experiences with a digital-first approach; implementing efficient, automated experiences to help configure and integrate the ecosystem; providing the core new recordkeeping platform for the suite; and enabling streamlined and efficient processes in client onboarding and participant access.

"To design FutureChoice, we worked with our partners to envision a best-in-class retirement plan experience for advisors, TPAs, plan sponsors, and participants. Using these future-focused inputs, we're building a brand-new suite of configurable offerings with new technologies that we believe will address the future needs of our clients. We couldn't be more excited to continue to grow our multiplatform portfolio with this suite," said Jack Barry, head of product development, John Hancock Retirement.

In addition, the company will also be rebranding to Manulife John Hancock Retirement beginning in April. Combining the brands of its global parent company, Manulife, and the John Hancock U.S. retirement business highlights the strength and scale of the organization's capabilities. As one of the world's largest retirement plan providers,² Manulife partners with intermediaries to help over nine million people globally confidently save and invest for their goals, leveraging its global breadth to provide innovative product offerings, diverse investment choices, and personalized digital capabilities.

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping our customers make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we operate as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, providing financial advice and insurance for individuals, groups and businesses. Through Manulife Wealth & Asset Management, we offer global investment, financial advice, and retirement plan services to individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2024, we had more than 37,000 employees, over 109,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 36 million customers. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges, and under '945' in Hong Kong. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com.

About John Hancock and Manulife

John Hancock is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading international financial services provider that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better by providing financial advice, insurance, and wealth and asset management solutions. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as MFC on the TSX, NYSE, and PSE, and under 945 on the SEHK. Manulife can be found at manulife.com.

One of the largest life insurers in the United States, John Hancock supports more than ten million Americans with a broad range of financial products, including life insurance and annuities. John Hancock also supports US investors by bringing investment capabilities and retirement planning and administration expertise to individuals and institutions. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.

John Hancock Retirement

John Hancock Retirement is the U.S. retirement business of Manulife Wealth & Asset Management. For more than 50 years, we've helped people plan and invest for retirement; today, we're one of the largest full-service providers in the United States.¹We take a hands-on consultative approach based on the idea that no two plans—and no two plan participants—are exactly alike. We partner with plan sponsors, advisors, and third-party administrators to ensure that every plan is personal to the participant and delivers proven results.¹

As of Dec 31, 2024, John Hancock serviced over 57,000 retirement plans with over 3.2 million participants* and over $235 billion in AUMA.
* Participant Counts reflect all active participants with a balance.

As of Dec 31, 2024, John Hancock Life Insurance Company (USA) supported 51,968 plans, 1,531,682 participants, and $ 112,237,440,096.84 in AUMA. John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York supported 2,686 plans, 69,713 participants, and $ 6,102,172,935.52 in AUMA.

John Hancock Retirement Plan Services LLC supported 2,420 plans, 1,667,751 participants, and $117,112,971,072.81 in AUMA. Participant Counts reflect all active participants with a balance. Approximate unaudited figures for John Hancock, provided on a U.S. statutory basis.

2.Global Wealth and Asset Management Retirement metrics as of Q4 2024.

John Hancock Retirement Plan Services LLC provides administrative and/or recordkeeping services to sponsors or administrators of retirement plans through an open-architecture platform. John Hancock Trust Company LLC, a New Hampshire non-depository trust company, provides trust and custodial services to such plans, offers an Individual Retirement Accounts product, and maintains specific Collective Investment Trusts. Group annuity contracts and recordkeeping agreements are issued by John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.), Boston, MA (not licensed in NY), and John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York, Valhalla, NY. Product features and availability may differ by state. All entities do business under certain instances using the John Hancock brand name. Each entity makes available a platform of investment alternatives to sponsors or administrators of retirement plans without regard to the individualized needs of any plan. Unless otherwise specifically stated in writing, each entity does not, and is not undertaking to, provide impartial investment advice or give advice in a fiduciary capacity. Securities are offered through John Hancock Distributors LLC, member FINRA, SIPC.

The content of this document is for general information only and is believed to be accurate and reliable as of the posting date, but may be subject to change. It is not intended to provide investment, tax, plan design, or legal advice (unless otherwise indicated). Please consult your own independent advisor as to any investment, tax, or legal statements made.

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SOURCE John Hancock Retirement