Retirement Plan Advisory Group Signs Strategic Partnership with John Hancock Financial Network

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Retirement Plan Advisory Group (RPAG), a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Financial Partners Corp. (NYSE: NFP), has signed a strategic partnership with John Hancock Financial Network (JHFN) through which RPAG will offer access to an industry-leading practice management platform. The platform will be part of a new JHFN program to help its financial advisors expand the retirement plan services they offer clients.

According to the agreement, RPAG will provide access to its proprietary suite of technology, tools, and training resources for advisors seeking to build their business within the framework of a best-practices consulting model. Key components of the RPAG platform include:

• A Scorecard SM Generator for investment fund ranking
• An e401k Proposal system for fee benchmarking and vendor RFPs
• Fiduciary Fitness Program
• Fiduciary Briefcase plan sponsor online documentation portal
• Compensation Calculator for advisor pricing models
• Monthly newsletters and legislative updates for consistent client communication
• Prospecting webinars and other marketing tools to build advisor pipelines

"We're very pleased to announce our partnership with RPAG as we get ready to launch our program," said Chris Maryanopolis, president of Signator Investors, Inc., JHFN's broker-dealer. "Having RPAG's experience and reputation will help cultivate successful outcomes for our advisors, their clients, and our new program."

Bruce Harrington, head of Retirement Sales and Strategy for JHFN added, "We have included RPAG as a core part of the fiduciary program because their tools simplify an advisor's work in creating a prudent process."

Advisors using the RPAG platform have access to live customer support Monday through Friday, including on-staff CFAs, former practicing ERISA attorneys, RFP specialists and plan consultants. Advisors receive ongoing practice management assessment interviews by the RPAG support team and are invited to attend monthly training webinars, onsite spring training sessions, as well as an annual user's conference.

"The RPAG tenet that ingenuity creates impact aligns seamlessly with the John Hancock Financial Network culture to deliver innovative ways for their advisors to achieve their goals of business growth and client service," said Vince Giovinazzo, chief executive officer for RPAG. "We're very excited about this partnership."

About Retirement Plan Advisory Group

Retirement Plan Advisory Group (RPAG), is currently represented by over 300 member firms in 45 states, serving 18,000 sponsors with a combined $60 billion in assets under advisement. Core practice areas include investment due diligence, RFPs & fee benchmarking, fiduciary compliance, employee education, intensive training, sales and marketing resources and business consulting. To learn more about RPAG, visit www.rpag.com.  RPAG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Financial Partners Corp. (NYSE: NFP), a leading provider of benefits, insurance and wealth management services.  NFP provides diversified advisory and brokerage services to companies and high net worth individuals, partnering with them to preserve their assets and prosper over the long term.  NFP advisors provide innovative and comprehensive solutions, backed by NFP's national scale and resources.  For more information about NFP, visit www.nfp.com.

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About John Hancock Financial Network

John Hancock Financial Network is a national network of independent firms with approximately 1,900 financial professionals across the U.S. A leader with the stability and scale to offer an innovative business model, John Hancock Financial Network gives entrepreneurial financial professionals the power to effectively build unique businesses, based on their own vision and market opportunity. For more information on John Hancock Financial Network and its national network of independent firms, visit https://www.johnhancockfinancialnetwork.com.

Securities and Investment Advisory Services offered through Signator Investors, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC, a Registered Investment Advisor, 197 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02116.

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www.johnhancockfinancialnetwork.com

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SOURCE Retirement Plan Advisory Group (RPAG)