2009 News Releases

• Provides Professional Health And Lifestyle Information At No Extra Charge
• Versatile Product With Annual Increase Option Can Help Offset Inflation

Boston – John Hancock Financial’s Fixed Products Unit today announced the launch of its latest fixed immediate annuity product: JH Essential Income.
“JH Essential Income is a strong, highly versatile fixed immediate annuity with features we believe will make it very competitive in the marketplace,” said Ron McHugh Senior Vice President and General Manager, John Hancock Fixed Products. “Individuals today are living longer which means more years in retirement—and facing financial risks their parents and grandparents never anticipated.

“For the most part, they will be self-funding their retirement. Social Security and pensions will account for far less than half of most individual’s retirement income. Living longer increases inflation risks, as even small annual increases in inflation dramatically reduces purchasing power over time. Finally, health care costs are rising rapidly and older individuals typically need more health care. JH Essential Income was specifically designed to support clients’ everyday expenditures and help them plan ahead for these risks that could so dramatically affect their retirement.”

JH Essential Income comes with Family Resource Benefits, which offers professional health and lifestyle information at no extra charge. This includes discounts, referral services and programs to help clients and their families better understand and manage challenging care situations. The services include:

Seniorlink¹is anational eldercare program that provides personalized information and advice on a variety of age-related care issues such as nursing homes, assisted living, home health care, home repair services and legal services.

The Advantage List²program helps clients save money, providing competitive rates at more than 10,000 nursing homes and home health care agencies across the nation.

Another of the key new features of the products is an Annual Increase Option which will help reduce the impact of inflation.

By electing this option, clients can choose to have their initial income increase each year by 1% to 6%, depending on the percentage they choose. By structuring payments this way, they will help reduce the impact of inflation. As the clients’ living expenses increase with inflation over time, so will the dollar amount of their payments.

JH Essential Income Annuity also offers clients a lifetime of guaranteed income, income for a selected period of time, or a combination of both. Clients may choose income payment periods of:

• Payments for life (single life annuity)
  Income annuity payments are made for the annuitant’s lifetime. Payments stop upon annuitant’s death.
• Payments for two lives (joint and survivor annuity)
  Income annuity payments are made as long as either of the two joint annuitants is still living. Income annuity payments can remain level or be reduced upon the death of one of the annuitants’ lives. Income annuity payments stop upon the survivor’s death.
• Certain period
  Income annuity payments are made for a period specified by the owner, from 3 to 30 years. Income annuity payments continue until the end of that certain period, regardless of whether an annuitant is still living.
• Payments for life or for two lives, with a certain period
  Income annuity payments are made as long as an annuitant is still living, or for a certain period specified by the owner, whichever is longer.
• Payments for life or two lives, with an installment refund
  Income annuity payments are made as long as an annuitant is still living, or until the entire purchase amount has been paid out in the form of income annuity payments to a beneficiary, whichever is longer.
• Payments for life or for two lives, with a cash refund
  Income annuity payments are made as long as an annuitant is still living. When no annuitant is still living, any remaining purchase amount will be paid in a lump sum to a beneficiary. The remaining purchase amount, if any, will be the amount of the original purchase payment less all income annuity payments that have been made.

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 19 countries and territories worldwide. 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.

Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and in most of Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, Manulife 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$405 billion (US$322 billion) as at March 31, 2009.

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.

¹ Seniorlink is the current referral-service provider for John Hancock. Seniorlink is not associated with John Hancock Life Insurance Company or its affiliates. This program may be changed or discontinued at any time.

² Actual costs of care vary greatly depending on the care provider and geographic location. Savings are not guaranteed and may be discontinued by the provider at any time. (Not available in Puerto Rico) The average 10% was estimated as of July 2008. LifePlans is the current referral-service provider for John Hancock. LifePlans is not associated with John Hancock Life Insurance Company or its affiliates. This program may be changed or discontinued at any time.

PR 2009—45

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Contact:
Brian Carmichael
(617) 663-4748
bcarmichael@jhancock.com