Financial professional newsletter
Q1 2026
A 40-year retirement takes better planning
Living to 100 used to be the exception, but it’s quickly becoming the norm. Our 2025 financial resilience and longevity study found that 52% of retirees stopped working earlier than expected—at an average age of 56.1 These two factors together make a 40-year retirement a distinct possibility for today’s multigenerational workforce.
The challenge for all of us in the industry is: How do we motivate participants to plan and save for a longer, better retirement, when almost half (44%) are unhappy with their current financial situation?1 Our 2025 study is filled with retiree revelations, generational insight, and trends to help guide workers on their journey and ideas to help spark aha moments that lead to action.
Key highlights1
- Early retirees—Nearly 70% stopped working due to personal or family illness
- Gen Z—57% worry about inflation and the cost of living
- Millennials—64% consider their debt a problem
- Gen X—56% feel their retirement savings are behind schedule
- Baby boomers—39% have a formal plan for retirement
Enhancing our personalized engagement program (formerly “It’s about time”)
We’re excited about enhancements being made this year to deepen our engagement with participants:
- Age-based messaging—Our quarterly newsletter and outreach now tailor messages to Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers—speaking directly to each group’s need to help inspire action.
- Longevity content—We partnered with the MIT AgeLab2 to explore what it takes to truly thrive as we age and discovered an eye-opening reality that many Americans are underprepared for a longer life. Instead of focusing on just money, we studied the eight domains of behavior critical to aging well. The findings will be included in our 2026 campaigns along with exclusive health and wellness offerings.
- Longevity webinar—Participants will be invited to sign up for our June webinar to help them plan for a longer, healthier retirement.
Start the year strong with plan reviews
Kick off the year by doing plan reviews with your plan sponsor clients. It can help benchmark fees, services, and plan design, keeping plans competitive and well‑governed—while highlighting the value you bring.
Fiduciaries are under ongoing scrutiny, and regular, well‑documented plan reviews are a core part of prudent due diligence. They help sponsors identify issues early, demonstrate procedural rigor, and show that decisions are being made in participants’ best interests.
Reviews also offer a simple forum to evaluate investment options, plan health (participation, deferrals, automatic features), and retirement readiness metrics—all levers that improve participant outcomes.
We offer personalized, comprehensive plan review reports that you can use to simplify complex data, highlight benchmarking insight, and set clear next steps. Start early to set the tone for stronger governance and better outcomes all year.
2026 market outlook
What can we expect from the markets in 2026? Our economic and investment specialists share their insights to help you guide your clients.
What you need to know about alternative investments
Defined contribution portfolios have traditionally relied on stocks, bonds, and cash—but that’s now evolving. Plan sponsors and financial professionals are seeking broader diversification and better outcomes, and alternative investments are gaining prominence. For many retirement professionals, this is new ground.
Learn what alternatives are, how they compare to traditional assets, and what it means for plan design.
Ready to explore the opportunities and the practical steps to get started?
Important disclosures
Important disclosures
This communication does not include unbiased investment advice from Manulife John Hancock. In the event a plan fiduciary you advise selects Manulife John Hancock Retirement as a recordkeeper, Manulife John Hancock and our sales professionals and other employees who assist in bringing and retaining retirement plan business to Manulife John Hancock Retirement will receive compensation.
The content of this document is for general information only and is believed to be accurate and reliable as of the posting date, but may be subject to change. It is not intended to provide investment, tax, plan design, or legal advice. Please consult your own independent advisor as to any investment, tax, or legal statements made.
John Hancock Retirement Plan Services LLC provides administrative and/or recordkeeping services to sponsors or administrators of retirement plans through an open-architecture platform. John Hancock Trust Company LLC, a New Hampshire non-depository trust company, provides trust and custodial services to such plans, offers an Individual Retirement Accounts product, and maintains specific Collective Investment Trusts. Group annuity contracts and recordkeeping agreements are issued by John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.), Boston, MA (not licensed in NY), and John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York, Valhalla, NY. Product features and availability may differ by state. All entities do business under certain instances using the John Hancock brand name. Each entity makes available a platform of investment alternatives to sponsors or administrators of retirement plans without regard to the individualized needs of any plan. Unless otherwise specifically stated in writing, each entity does not, and is not undertaking to, provide impartial investment advice or give advice in a fiduciary capacity. Securities are offered through John Hancock Distributors LLC, member FINRA, SIPC.
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