BOSTON, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- John Hancock Funds has been named one of the Top 10 web sites for financial intermediaries for 2008 by kasina, an asset management consulting firm. Ranked in fourth place this year, Funds improved its position by two places over 2007's showing. Ahead of John Hancock this year (in descending order) were Fidelity Investments, BlackRock, and American Funds; the Vanguard Group ranked fifth.
John Hancock Funds (http://www.jhfunds.com/) was recognized for its innovative approaches to value-added content and data display. Specifically, kasina singled out for praise as "best practices" John Hancock Fund's IRA Center, 12 Great Client Connections practice management program, and online product performance tables.
Keith F. Hartstein, President and CEO of John Hancock Funds, said: "We are pleased by the ongoing industry recognition of our financial advisor web site. As we continue to build our distribution strength and to advance in market share rankings, we are constantly adding new products and tools to help advisors better serve their clients."
"Our strategy has centered on expanding our web site by adding interactive tools and resources," said Carey Foran Hoch, Senior Vice President. "This award reflects the creativity, hard work and commitment of many members of our marketing and e-commerce teams toward attaining our goals."
For its 10th annual ranking, kasina reviewed more than 50 asset management intermediary sites, and evaluated five categories of information: branding, online services, product and performance information, support content and usability.
Johanna Willer, a senior consultant at kasina, said: "As the crowded market calls for increased differentiation and information, this year's list proves that content organization and overall site usability is already a must to compete."
kasina's recognition adds to the list of awards won this fall by John Hancock Funds. For the third consecutive year, John Hancock Funds received the top overall communications award from the Mutual Fund Education Alliance (MFEA).
About John Hancock Funds
The Boston-based mutual fund business unit of John Hancock Financial Services, John Hancock Funds manages approximately $54 billion in open-end funds, closed-end funds, private accounts, retirement plans and related party assets for individual and institutional investors at June 30, 2008. John Hancock Funds are distributed by John Hancock Funds, LLC, member FINRA. For more information, please visit http://www.jhfunds.com/.
John Hancock Financial Services is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of customers in 19 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$400 billion (US$393 billion) as at June 30, 2008. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '0945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial may be found on the Internet at http://www.manulife.com/.
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