2005 News Releases

• Includes tools and resources for personalized campaigns
• Helps financial advisors maximize biggest 529 plan sales season 

Boston– John Hancock’s College Savings division today launched a marketing campaign to support its financial advisors’ efforts to sell 529 plans during the gifting season. The campaign includes targeted direct mailings and supporting materials and tools designed to make it easy for advisors to create their own personalized campaigns. The gift-giving and year-end tax planning season is typically the busiest for sales in the 529 plan industry and at John Hancock.

“Our financial advisors need to maximize their time as the year closes in, so our materials and tools aim to give them a step-by-step plan and the means to create a customized outreach for their clients,” said Diana Scott, Senior Vice President and General Manager, John Hancock College Savings. “We’ve found that a gift of education is especially popular at the end of the year and goes hand in hand with year-end tax planning. We want to do our part to help advisors grow their 529 business,” said Scott.

In addition to targeted direct mailings to financial advisors, John Hancock is providing a number of “how-to” pieces that explain how to position gifting, including:

• A Checklist – with key steps for building a successful campaign and how to use the tools
• A Gifting Brochure– with 529 plan sales ideas for the season

John Hancock also has developed electronic and printed tools to help advisors reach out to clients, all of which can be downloaded or ordered in the Financial Consultant Resource Center at www.johnhancockfreedom529.com. They include:

• A contribution booklet with coupons which can be handed out to families and friends to help grow a 529 plan account
• A gifting article which can be customized with a financial advisor’s contact information and sent to clients electronically
• Gift certificates and gift cards for clients who want to give the gift of an education to a loved one
• Registry cards - like the cards one might receive when someone is registered at a store for a wedding or baby shower - to help families inform their relatives of their college fund
• 2006 Color and Craft calendar which provides fun for clients’ children and giving messages throughout the year
• Access to John Hancock Freedom 529-labeled Baby Mozart CD, to use as a thank you to valued clients

About John Hancock Freedom 529
John Hancock Freedom 529 has more than $1 billion in assets under management, making it the fifth largest plan in the country and the #1 multi-managed plan in the U.S.* The plan offers 3 investment strategies, 19 different portfolios and 8 fund companies.

About John Hancock and Manulife Financial
John Hancock 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$364 billion (US$297 billion) as at June 30, 2005.

Manulife Financial Corporation trades as ‘MFC’ on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under ‘0945’ on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at www.manulife.com.

The John Hancock unit offers a broad range of financial products and services, including life insurance products, as well as college savings products, fixed and variable annuities, long term care insurance, mutual funds and various forms of business insurance.

*Source: Non-proprietary sold 529 plans, ranked by assets, Financial Research Corporation, December, 2004.

If the account holder or beneficiary is not an Alaska resident, there may be 529 plans offered by their home state(s) that offer potential state income tax or other benefits to its residents that should be considered before investing. Please call 1-866-626-8529 to obtain a Plan Disclosure Document or prospectus for any of the underlying funds. The Plan Disclosure Document contains complete details on investment objectives, risks, fees, charges and expenses, as well as more information about municipal fund securities and the underlying investment companies that should be considered before investing.  John Hancock Freedom 529 is a college savings plan offered by the Education Trust of Alaska, managed by T. Rowe Price, and distributed by John Hancock Distributors LLC through other broker/dealers appointed by John Hancock Distributors LLC. John Hancock Distributors LLC is a member of the NASD and is listed with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB). Investments in any of the John Hancock Freedom 529 portfolios will fluctuate with those of the underlying mutual funds and are not guaranteed by the Education Trust of Alaska, the State or the University of Alaska, the Program Manager or Manulife Financial or John Hancock.. This is not legal or tax advice. You should discuss tax implications with your legal and/or tax advisors. © 2005. John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.), a Manulife Financial Company. All rights reserved. Information included in this material is believed to be accurate as of the October 2005 printing date.

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Melissa Berczuk
(617) 572-6390