John Hancock Retirement Plan Services Celebrates First Year of PRIME Elements Program for Financial Representatives

BOSTON, May 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- One year after being launched by John Hancock Retirement Plan Services, the PRIME Elements program continues to transform the way many financial representatives work with plan sponsors.  The award-winning program, which consists of a suite of electronic tools, educational and marketing materials, helps financial representatives quickly identify and address the critical elements plan sponsors require in a 401(k) plan.

"The PRIME Elements program helps me broaden my discussion with plan sponsors far beyond price," said John Barry, JMB Wealth Management/National Planning Corporation, PLANSPONSOR's 2008 Retirement Plan Adviser of the year.  "It really lets me guide the conversation and often helps to uncover needs that might not have been previously addressed – which allows me to build a plan that truly serves the plan sponsor and their employees."

"With PRIME Elements, we've succeeded in designing a program that's not only flexible enough to address the wide range of plan needs and opportunities, but also extremely easy to use and simple to communicate," said Andrew Ross, Senior Vice President, Marketing, John Hancock RPS.  "Financial representatives are telling us the program and its associated tools are allowing them to better organize and communicate the considerations that go into any retirement plan solution.  Ultimately, it's allowing them to more clearly demonstrate the value they are bringing to their clients."

PRIME Elements is organized around the key components of a successful 401(k):

• Plan Design,
• Retirement Readiness,
• Investment Selection and Monitoring,
• Managing Administration, and
• ERISA and Fiduciary Responsibility.

Since its introduction, the PRIME Elements program has grown to include a robust set of electronic and educational tools.  The program provides financial representatives simple tools to qualify prospects, engage plan sponsors in detailed discussions to identify their needs, and ultimately develop comprehensive, custom solutions that present real value to plan sponsors. PRIME Interactive, one of those tools, has had over 5,000 visits since its launch in August 2009. The PRIME program also contains a presentation that qualifies for a state* continuing education credit along with a set of presentation and selling tools.

"The 401(k) market is complex," said Ross. "PRIME Elements is a powerful program that helps financial representatives throughout the entire sales cycle – from the first discussion to the successful creation of a customized plan.  And the supporting educational and marketing tools can be easily customized to highlight those elements of particular interest to the plan sponsor and demonstrate the value proposition of the financial representative."

Brian Wood of Arvest Asset Management said, "John Hancock has developed a really terrific way of looking at the needs of a plan sponsor.  This program and the tools they have built around it have been a big help in servicing the needs of our clients."

John Hancock RPS will continue to add new tools and features to PRIME Elements throughout 2010.

About John Hancock Retirement Plan Services

John Hancock Retirement Plan Services is the largest provider of 401(k) plans across all plan sizes among banks, mutual funds and insurers, according to CFO Magazine. (CFO Magazine 2009 401(k) Providers Survey, for year-end 2008. Published in May 2009).

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial

Manulife Financial is a leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of customers in 22 countries and territories worldwide. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia, and primarily through 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 Cdn$446 billion (US$440 billion) as at March 31, 2010. 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 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.

*Some State approvals are still pending.

Both John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.) and John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York do business under certain instances using the John Hancock Retirement Plan Services name. Group annuity contracts and recordkeeping agreements are issued by: John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.), Boston, MA 02210 (not licensed in New York) and John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York, Valhalla, NY 10595.  Product features and availability may differ by state.

SOURCE John Hancock Retirement Plan Services