Using Monte Carlo simulation, shows probabilities under model portfolio BOSTON, Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- John Hancock Funds recentlylaunched a new retirement portfolio calculator on its award-winning website, http://www.jhfunds.com. Visitors to the John Hancock Funds site will findthe calculator by selecting the "Retirement Planning" tab at the top of thehome page, choosing "Tools and Calculators" and then "Preparing forRetirement." By adjusting the sliders to view different annual withdrawalrates and distribution periods, investors will see a projected probabilityof success, defined as a percentage chance of retirement portfoliosurvival. The goal of the Lifecycle Retirement Portfolio Probability Calculatoris to show the results of a model portfolio built with the same assetallocation as the John Hancock Lifecycle Retirement Portfolio. TheCalculator represents the probability that such a portfolio would lastthroughout retirement, given different retirement lengths and annualwithdrawal rates. The chance of portfolio survival was projected usingMonte Carlo simulation, which is useful for modeling outcomes withsignificant uncertainty and variety of inputs. "During retirement, making your money last is critical. The insightsgained from our Retirement Portfolio Calculator can help investors select alifelong investment solution and more efficiently plan for theirretirement," said Carey Foran Hoch, Senior Vice President, Marketing, JohnHancock Funds. "Our calculator runs more than 5,000 simulations for 14different asset classes, which makes it fairly unique in the marketplace." John Hancock Funds launched its redesigned, content-rich web site inJune of 2006, featuring customized views for its individual investor,financial adviser, broker-dealer and home office sales audiences. The sitealso offers expanded tools and services. The Retirement PortfolioCalculator is the latest innovation offered on the site. The John Hancock Lifecycle Retirement Portfolio became available toinvestors, through their financial advisers, early this year. TheRetirement Portfolio is the ninth in a series of John Hancock Lifecycle, ortarget-date, Portfolios. Investors choose to invest in a particularLifecycle portfolio based on their projected target date of retirement. Forinvestors in retirement, the John Hancock Retirement Portfolio employsactive allocation and varying amounts of equity exposure, as it aims toprovide investment stability throughout a presumed lengthy period ofretirement, including during periods of market volatility. Its goal is tomaintain a low probability of negative returns in any 12-month period. Thisconsistent, long-term approach to capital preservation and growth is aimedat allowing investors to maintain a regular withdrawal rate over anextended period of time. About John Hancock Funds The Boston-based mutual fund business unit of John Hancock FinancialServices, John Hancock Funds manages more than $56 billion in open-endfunds, closed-end funds, private accounts, retirement plans and relatedparty assets for individual and institutional investors at March 31, 2007.For more information, please visit http://www.jhfunds.com. John Hancock Financial Services is a unit of Manulife FinancialCorporation, a leading Canadian-based financial services group servingmillions of customers in 19 countries and territories worldwide. Operatingas Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia, and primarily through JohnHancock in the United States, the company offers clients a diverse range offinancial protection products and wealth management services through itsextensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Fundsunder management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were Cdn$426billion (US$370 billion) at March 31, 2007. Manulife Financial Corporationtrades 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.
