John Hancock Retirement Launches Onboarding Resource Center and Plan Manager Tools to Help Advisors Better Serve Plans and Participants Digitally

Innovative Resources Available for Financial Professionals As a Systematic and Digital-Centric Approach to Plan Service Grows Amidst COVID-19

TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC     SEHK: 945

BOSTON, May 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - John Hancock Retirement today announced the launch of two digital tools, Onboarding Resource Center (ORC) and Plan Manager, to help financial professionals better serve clients in the current digital environment in light of COVID-19. Both tools are designed to increase efficiency using a digital, systematic approach to plan management that facilitates a setting where financial professionals can still provide diligent, personalized service while also growing their practice. These tools can be found on John Hancock Retirement's new Financial Professional Resources webpage, where advisors can find resources and support to help navigate the everchanging digital environment. 

"As the world continues to blaze a path into the digital space and clients' businesses are disrupted now more than ever as a result of COVID-19, we understand the value of a systemized approach to plan management, and further, the importance of an efficient and adaptable plan advisor," said Gary Tankersley, National Sales Manager, John Hancock Retirement.

As participant learning preferences were shifting towards digital prior to the pandemic, the newly launched ORC digital tool provides financial professionals with access to self-serve for participant onboarding and enrollment materials, aiming to help professionals meet participants where they are. Curated, ready-to-use materials available include demos, webinar recordings, meeting invitations, participant education flyers, and presentations that are ready for virtual or on-site meetings.

In addition to the new ORC tool, the redesigned Plan Manager digital tool offers simplified plan management that automates the process of servicing and optimizing each client's 401(k) plan. The redesigned tool enables advisors to service their John Hancock plans remotely through the automated scheduling of plan sponsor and participant activities, includes access to a library of relevant participant education content, and provides expanded meeting, calendar and reminder capabilities like the newly available service activity plan, which summarizes the timing and substance of every planned interaction.

"We're excited to expand our offering of digital tools to support advisors in developing reliable plan management systems to help them build efficiency as their practice grows even as clients, and the advisors themselves, face unprecedented challenges," continued Mr. Tankersley.

ORC and Plan Manager are now available to John Hancock Retirement's Open Architecture and Signature plans. These tools alongside the new webpage dedicated to resources for financial professionals are available on the John Hancock Retirement site here: https://retirement.johnhancock.com/.

*Use of the tools and resources indicated may be subject to approval by the broker-dealer. Financial advisors as asked to check with their firm prior to use.

About John Hancock and Manulife
John Hancock is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading international financial services group that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. We operate primarily as John Hancock in the United States, and Manulife globally, including Canada, Asia and Europe. We provide financial advice, insurance and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. Assets under management and administration by Manulife and its subsidiaries were CAD$1.2 trillion (US$0.8 trillion) as of March 31, 2020. 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 10 million Americans with a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, investments, 401(k) plans, and education savings plans. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.

About John Hancock Retirement
As of March 31, 2020, John Hancock serviced over 51,000 retirement plans with over 3 million participants* and over $156 billion in AUMA.
* Participant Counts reflect all active participants with a balance.

About Manulife Investment Management
Manulife Investment Management is the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. We draw on more than 150 years of financial stewardship to partner with clients across our institutional, retail, and retirement businesses globally. Our specialist approach to money management includes the highly differentiated strategies of our fixed-income, specialized equity, multi-asset solutions, and private markets teams—along with access to specialized, unaffiliated asset managers from around the world through our multimanager model. Our personalized, data-driven approach to retirement is focused on delivering financial wellness in retirement plans of all sizes to help plan participants and members retire with dignity.

Headquartered in Toronto, we operate as Manulife Investment Management throughout the world, with the exception of the United States, where the retail and retirement businesses operate as John Hancock Investment Management and John Hancock, respectively; and in Asia and Canada, where the retirement business operates as Manulife. Manulife Investment Management had CAD$832 billion (US$586 billion) in assets under management and administration.^* Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit our website at manulifeinvestmentmgt.com.

* MFC financials in CAD. Global Wealth and Asset Management AUMA as of March 31, 2020, was $832 billion and includes $195 billion of assets managed on behalf of other segments and $139 billion of assets under administration.

SOURCE John Hancock