
John Hancock Target Date Funds are designed to help you save for retirement by automatically adjusting your investment mix as you get closer to your target retirement date. They offer a range of funds to suit different risk tolerance levels.
The funds are managed by a team of experts who use a combination of stocks, bonds, and other securities to create a diversified portfolio. This approach aims to balance potential returns with the need to preserve your capital.
As you get closer to retirement, the funds gradually shift from more aggressive investments to more conservative ones to reduce risk. This means your investments will become less volatile and more stable over time.
John Hancock Target Date Funds are designed to be a convenient and hands-off way to invest for retirement, requiring minimal effort and maintenance from you.
Understanding John Hancock Target Date Funds
A target-date fund from John Hancock Investment Management is designed to be a one-step investment, providing a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, and other assets in a single fund.
John Hancock Investment Management believes a multi-asset investment approach is best suited to provide an appropriate level of diversification and risk-adjusted return potential that can help retirement savers pursue their long-term goals.
Each target-date fund is normally part of a collection of funds called a target-date fund suite, with each fund having a year in its name, such as 2030 or 2055.
Target-date funds, like those from John Hancock, are meant to be held for an extended period, either to the date investors plan to retire or through their retirement years.
Low Expense Ratios
John Hancock target date funds have been found to have low expense ratios. This is a significant advantage for investors, as it means they get to keep more of their hard-earned money.
In fact, the total expense ratios for these funds are below average, according to Morningstar's 2023 data. This is a testament to John Hancock's commitment to keeping costs low.
Here's a breakdown of the operational fees for John Hancock's JHRPX fund:
As you can see, the expense ratio is the largest component of the operational fees, but it's still relatively low compared to other funds in the category. The management fee is also reasonable, and the 12b-1 fee is a welcome zero.
Performance and Analysis
The John Hancock Target Date Funds have shown impressive returns across various time periods. Here are some key statistics:
- The 1-year return for the funds is 17.5%, with a category return low of 3.2% and a high of 20.6%.
- The 3-year return is 7.5%*, with a category return low of 2.1% and a high of 10.3%, ranking the fund at 73.60% in its category.
- The 5-year return is 9.4%*, with a category return low of 5.5% and a high of 11.1%, ranking the fund at 37.58% in its category.
These returns are impressive, especially considering the fund's ranking in its category. The 3-year return, for example, ranks the fund at 73.60% in its category, indicating strong performance over the long term.
Here are the key performance metrics for the John Hancock Target Date Funds:
Investment Strategy
A target-date fund is designed to be a one-step investment, providing a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, and other assets in a single fund.
John Hancock Investment Management believes a multi-asset investment approach is best suited to provide an appropriate level of diversification and risk-adjusted return potential for retirement savers.
The investment time horizon is the span of time between when someone begins saving for retirement and the date they expect to retire and no longer make contributions.
As an investor gets close to retirement, the fund focuses more on protecting savings by shifting from stocks to assets with greater potential capital preservation properties, such as bonds and other income-generating assets.
The resulting pattern is called the fund's glide path, which is the first level of investment management in a target-date fund.
Fund Strategy
A target-date fund is a one-step investment that provides a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, and other assets in a single fund. It's designed to balance growing savings long term while also protecting it against the risk of loss.
The investment time horizon is the span of time between when someone begins saving for retirement to the date they expect to retire and no longer make contributions. The fund's glide path is the pattern of automatically adjusting the relative balance of equities, bonds, and other assets in the fund based on the investor's horizon.
The glide path is similar to the maneuver pilots make in landing a plane, shifting from stocks to bonds and other income-generating assets as the investor gets close to and enters retirement. The green line in the glide path represents the expected percentage of stocks the TDF's portfolio is expected to include along the investment time horizon.
Asset class layering is the second level of investment management in a TDF, where fund managers pick broad categories of stocks, bonds, and other assets that will form part of the overall mix of assets in the glide path. This is done to create layers of investments, each with a specific purpose, to compose a target-date fund.
Here's a breakdown of the asset allocation in a target-date fund:
The stock sector breakdown in a target-date fund is also important, with categories like Technology, Financial Services, and Healthcare making up a significant portion of the portfolio.
Bond Geographic Breakdown

When it comes to bonds, geographic breakdown can play a significant role in investment strategy.
In the Bond Geographic Breakdown, we see that US bonds have a weighting of 1.33%, with a return range of 0.00% to 9.02%.
The US bond's JHRPX % Rank is 3.33%, indicating its relative performance.
Non-US bonds, on the other hand, have a weighting of 0.00%, with a return range of 0.00% to 0.17%.
The Non-US bond's JHRPX % Rank is 18.33%, showing a significant difference in performance compared to US bonds.
Here's a breakdown of the Bond Geographic Breakdown:
Additional Features and Options
John Hancock target date funds offer a range of features and options to help you plan for retirement. You can choose from two in-plan advice options: John Hancock Personalized Retirement Advice and advisor-managed accounts.
These strategies are tailored to your individual needs, taking into account your age, finances, spousal assets, and other personal information. This personalized approach can help you make the most of your retirement savings.
One-stop shopping is also available with John Hancock Investment Management, which provides access to multiple target-date fund offerings. This can be especially helpful if you have a diverse investment portfolio.
As of February 1, 2023, John Hancock's Multi-Index Lifetime suites have been replaced by the Lifetime Blend suites. This change may affect your target-date fund investments.
Stable value funds, target-date funds, collective investment trusts, and in-plan advice options are all available through John Hancock. If you're looking to learn more about these options, here are some key offerings:
- Stable value funds
- Target-date funds
- Collective investment trusts
- In-plan advice options
Target Date Funds and Retirement Strategy
Target-date funds can be a simple solution for investors trying to figure out how to invest their money. They provide a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, and other assets in a single fund.
Market downturns can be stressful, but historical data shows that participants are often rewarded with higher long-term returns. This means that even if you're retiring during a downturn, you may have a chance to recoup losses.
A target-date fund is designed to be held for an extended period, either until you retire or through your retirement years. This means you can focus on growing your savings without worrying about constantly adjusting your investments.
Market Downturns Can Boost Retirement Savings
Market downturns can be stressful, but they can also provide an opportunity to grow your retirement savings.
Historical data shows that participants are often rewarded with higher long-term returns during periods of market downturns.
Even if you're retiring as markets enter a downturn, you have a chance to recoup losses.
A target-date fund can help you navigate market downturns and grow your retirement savings over the long term.
These funds are designed to balance growing your savings while protecting it against the risk of loss.
Role of a Fund in Retirement Strategy
A target-date fund can supply a simple answer to the question of how to invest retirement money. It's a one-step investment that provides a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, and other assets in a single fund.
Each target-date fund is designed to be held for an extended period, either until the investor retires or through their retirement years. This means investors don't need to constantly adjust their investments.
Individual TDFs are part of a collection of funds called a target-date fund suite. Each fund has a year in its name, and investors simply choose the one closest to their expected retirement date.
A target-date fund can help balance growing savings long term while protecting it against the risk of loss. This is especially important for retirement savers who want to pursue their long-term goals.
Investment Analysis and Tools
John Hancock target date funds offer a range of investment options to suit different risk tolerance levels.
The funds are managed by experienced investment professionals who regularly review and adjust the asset allocation to ensure it remains aligned with the target date.
Investors can choose from a variety of investment tools, including online account access and mobile apps, to stay on top of their investments and make informed decisions.
Concentration Analysis
Concentration Analysis is a key aspect of investment analysis. It helps investors understand how concentrated a fund's portfolio is, which can impact its overall risk and performance.

One way to measure concentration is to look at the number of holdings a fund has. In the case of JHRPX, it has 39 holdings, which is relatively low compared to Category High, which has 593 holdings. This suggests that JHRPX has a more concentrated portfolio.
The percentage of net assets in the top 10 holdings is another important metric. For JHRPX, this percentage is 53.33%, which is relatively high. This means that a significant portion of the fund's assets are invested in just a few holdings.
Here's a summary of the concentration analysis metrics for JHRPX:
The top holdings in JHRPX's portfolio are also worth noting. The fund's largest holdings are JHF II US STRAT EQUITY ALLOC MUTUAL FUND and JHF II INTL STRAT EQUITY ALLO MUTUAL FUND. These holdings make up a significant portion of the fund's assets and are worth paying close attention to.
Dividend Yield Analysis
When analyzing investments, understanding dividend yield is crucial.
A dividend yield of 3.00% was observed for JHRPX, indicating a relatively stable return on investment.
The category average for dividend yield is between 0.00% and 5.32%, with JHRPX ranking 20.56% above the category low.
Here's a comparison of JHRPX's dividend yield to its category:
This analysis suggests that JHRPX offers a higher dividend yield compared to its category peers.
Net Income Ratio Analysis
The Net Income Ratio Analysis is a crucial tool for investors to evaluate a company's financial health.
The JHRPX company has a Net Income Ratio of 0.64%, which is significantly lower than the Category High of 4.43%.
This suggests that JHRPX is not generating as much profit as its peers in the same industry.
Let's take a look at the Category Low, High, Average, and Mode to put this number into perspective.
As you can see, JHRPX's Net Income Ratio is well below the Category Average and Mode, indicating that it's performing poorly in this area.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is one disadvantage of a target-date fund?
One disadvantage of a target-date fund is that it often comes with higher fees compared to other mutual funds. This is due to the fund's management fee and the fees from underlying investments being passed on to investors.
What is a target-date fund in a traditional IRA?
A target-date fund in a traditional IRA is a type of investment that automatically adjusts its asset allocation based on your retirement date, helping you reach your long-term goals. By investing in a target-date fund within an IRA, you can potentially reduce taxes and grow your retirement savings.
Sources
- https://retirement.johnhancock.com/us/en/retirement-products/investments/target-date.html
- https://www.schwab.wallst.com/Prospect/Research/mutualfunds/Summary.asp
- https://www.dividend.com/funds/jhrpx-jhancock-multimanager-2050-lifetime-i/
- https://retirement.johnhancock.com/us/en/viewpoints/retirement-readiness/what-does-a-target-date-fund-invest-in-
- https://retirement.johnhancock.com/us/en/retirement-products/investments
Featured Images: pexels.com