John Hancock Life Insurance Company U.S.A 401(k) Review & Grade
The Investment-Incentive Plan for John Hancock Employees
Boston, MAFinance & Insurance4,953 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$5,268Employer $ per active participant
$12,748Employee $ saved per active participant
$0 reportedDirect admin cost, % of plan assets
$2.4BNet plan assets, end of year
$257,026Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity30.1 / 5060th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost12.5 / 25No direct expenses reported, scored neutral
- Employee saving12.9 / 1586th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score63 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Finance & Insurance plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (199 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 60th |
| Lower admin cost | neutral |
| Employee saving | 86th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 66% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $1,929 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- John Hancock Life Insurance Company U.S.A put in about $5,268 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($4,489). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- The plan reported no administrative expenses paid from plan assets. The employer may pay them, or the costs may be built into fund fees. Check your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure for each fund's expense ratio.
- The plan auto-enrolls employees. Check your default contribution rate. Defaults are often lower than what it takes to get the full match.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $26,093,664 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $63,138,647 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $5,112,279 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $0 |
| Benefits paid out | $212,045,326 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $2.2B / $2.4B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 5,046 / 4,860 |
| Participants with account balances | 9,372 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Ernst & Young LLP |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250929100033NAL0004960819001, received 2025-09-29, EIN 01-0233346, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.