Profitability/Fall Out Benefits. In considering the costs of the services to be provided and the profits to be realized by the Advisor and its affiliates (including the Subadvisor that is affiliated with the Advisor) from the Advisor’s relationship with the Trust, the Board:
(a)reviewed financial information of the Advisor;
(b)reviewed and considered information presented by the Advisor regarding the net profitability to the Advisor and its affiliates, of each Fund;
(c)received and reviewed profitability information with respect to the John Hancock fund complex as a whole and with respect to each Fund;
(d)received information with respect to the Advisor’s allocation methodologies used in preparing the profitability data and considered that the Advisor hired an independent third-party consultant to provide an analysis of the Advisor’s allocation methodologies;
(e)considered that the John Hancock insurance companies that are affiliates of the Advisor, as shareholders of the Trust directly or through their separate accounts, receive certain tax credits or deductions relating to foreign taxes paid and dividends received by certain Funds of the Trust and noted that these tax benefits, which are not available to participants in qualified retirement plans under applicable income tax law, are reflected in the profitability analysis reviewed by the Board;
(f)considered that the Advisor also provides administrative services to the Funds on a cost basis pursuant to an administrative services agreement;
(g)noted that the Funds’ Subadvisor is an affiliate of the Advisor;
(h)noted that the Advisor also derives reputational and other indirect benefits from providing advisory services to the Funds;
(i)noted that the subadvisory fees for the Funds are paid by the Advisor;
(j)with respect to each Fund, the Board noted that the advisory fee is in addition to the fees received by the Advisor and its affiliates with regard to the underlying portfolios in which the Funds may invest;
(k)considered the Advisor’s ongoing costs and expenditures necessary to improve services, meet new regulatory and compliance requirements, and adapt to other challenges impacting the mutual fund industry; and
(l)considered that the Advisor should be entitled to earn a reasonable level of profits in exchange for the level of services it provides to each Fund and the risks that it assumes as Advisor, including entrepreneurial, operational, reputational, litigation and regulatory risk.
Based upon its review, the Board concluded that the level of profitability, if any, of the Advisor and its affiliates (including the Subadvisor, which are affiliated with the Advisor), from their relationship with each Fund was reasonable and not excessive.
Economies of Scale. In considering the extent to which economies of scale would be realized as a Fund grows and whether fee levels reflect these economies of scale for the benefit of Fund shareholders, the Board:
(a)considered that with respect to the John Hancock underlying portfolios in which the Funds invest, the Advisor has agreed to waive a portion of its management fee for such fund and for each of the other John Hancock funds in the complex (except as discussed below) (the Participating Portfolios) or otherwise reimburse the expenses of the Participating Portfolios (the Reimbursement). This waiver is based on upon the aggregate net assets of all the Participating Portfolios. The Board also noted that the Advisor had implemented additional breakpoints to the complex-wide fee waiver in recent years. The Funds that are not Participating Portfolios as of the date of this annual report are each Fund and each other of the funds of funds of the Trust and John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust and John Hancock Collateral Trust. These funds of funds also benefit from such overall management fee waiver through their investment in underlying portfolios that include certain of the Participating Portfolios, which are subject to the Reimbursement;
(b)reviewed the Trust’s advisory fee structure and concluded that (i) the Funds’ fee structures contain breakpoints at the advisory fee level and (ii) although economies of scale cannot be measured with precision, these arrangements permit shareholders of the Funds to benefit from economies of scale if those Funds grow. The Board also took into account management’s discussion of the Funds’ advisory fee structure; and
(c)the Board also considered the effect of the Funds’ growth in size on their performance and fees. The Board also noted that if the Funds’ assets increase over time, the Funds may realize other economies of scale.
Approval of Subadvisory Agreements
In making its determination with respect to approval of the Subadvisory Agreement, the Board reviewed:
(1)information relating to the Subadvisor’s business, including current subadvisory services to the Trust (and other funds in the John Hancock family of funds);
(2)the historical and current performance of each Fund and comparative performance information relating to the Fund’s benchmark and comparable funds; and
(3)the subadvisory fee for each Fund and comparative fee information, where available, prepared by an independent third-party provider of mutual fund data.
Nature, Extent and Quality of Services. With respect to the services provided by the Subadvisor with respect to each Fund, the Board received information provided to the Board by the Subadvisor, including the Subadvisor’s Form ADV, as well as took into account information presented throughout the past year. The Board considered the Subadvisor’s current level of staffing and its overall resources, as well as received information relating to the Subadvisor’s compensation program. The Board reviewed the Subadvisor’s history and investment experience, as well as information regarding the qualifications, background and responsibilities of the Subadvisor’s investment and compliance personnel who provide services to the Funds. The Board also considered, among other things, the Subadvisor’s compliance program and
