AdvisorCensus / Financial advisors / Massachusetts / Boston / John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC
John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC
Filed as JOHN HANCOCK VARIABLE TRUST ADVISERS LLC
John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm in Boston, MA, registered since 1987, reporting over $5 billion in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated March 25, 2026.
Quick answers
From the filingHow is John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC compensated?
On its Form ADV (Item 5.E, October 2026), John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC reports these compensation arrangements: a percentage of assets under its management.
What does John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC's brochure say about its fees?
Its Form ADV Part 2A brochure dated March 25, 2026 states: Asset-based fee: 0.34% to 1.05% a year (a range, as the brochure states it). Fees can differ by service and may be negotiable; the brochure is the complete statement.
Where is John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC located?
John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC's principal office is in Boston, MA, according to its Form ADV.
Is John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC registered with the SEC or a state?
John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm, registered since 1987. Status as filed: Approved. CRD 16009.
How much does John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC manage?
John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC reports $68,590,778,624 in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated March 25, 2026 (100% discretionary).
How have John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC's assets and staff changed since 2021?
In the Form ADV data for John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC: Regulatory assets under management: $76,566,818,503 in the October 2021 data and $68,590,778,624 in the October 2026 data, down 10%. Total employees: 208 in October 2021 and 192 in October 2026. Assets under management move with markets as well as with clients coming and going.
What types of clients does John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC serve?
By number of clients on Form ADV Item 5.D: investment companies (50).
Does John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC report any disciplinary disclosures?
Reports 3 disclosure items on Form ADV Item 11: yes answers to 11.D(1) (another regulator's finding of a false statement or omission, or of dishonest, unfair, or unethical conduct), 11.D(2) (another regulator's finding of a violation), and 11.D(4) (another regulator's order in the past ten years). Each question covers the firm and its advisory affiliates, and one event can produce several yes answers. The detail of any item is on the firm's SEC record: https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/16009
What changed in John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC's recent Form ADV filings?
In the April 2026 filing data: Item 11 disclosure answers changed: 3 yes answers, previously 2 (now yes: 11.D(1)).
From the Form ADV filing
Every figure below is as the firm filed it with regulators, as of October 2026.
How the firm is compensated
Item 5.E- A percentage of assets under your management
Item 5.E lists how the firm is compensated for its advice; Items 5.B, 6.A, and 7.A show whether its people or related companies can also earn commissions. Percentage of assets, fixed, hourly, subscription, and performance-based fees come from clients (a performance-based fee depends on investment results); commissions come with a sale or a trade, often from the company behind the product. How fees, commissions, and other arrangements differ
Fees and minimums
Form ADV Part 2AAsset-based fee: 0.34% to 1.05% a year (a range, as the brochure states it)
The brochure's wording
The advisory fees charged by John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers to the Funds in the Trust range from 0.34% to 1.05% of assets under management.
As stated in the firm's Form ADV Part 2A brochure dated March 25, 2026. Fees can differ by service and may be negotiable; the brochure is the complete statement. Read the brochure on the SEC's IAPD site
Regulatory assets under management
Item 5.F$68,590,778,624 as of October 2026, filing dated March 25, 2026.
A measure of scale, not skill or returns. Discretionary means the firm decides trades; non-discretionary means clients approve each one. What assets under management means
Who the firm serves
Item 5.DA firm with no individual clients is an institutional manager even if it manages billions; the mix tells you whom the practice is built around.
Advisory services
Item 5.G- Portfolio management for investment companies (and business development companies)
Registration and firm details
Items 1, 2, 5- Registration
- SEC-registered investment adviser. Status as filed: Approved.
- Registered since
- 1987 (39 years)
- Employees
- Total: 192. Performing investment advisory functions: 28.
- Wrap fee program participation
- No.
- States registered or notice-filed
- Not reported.
SEC-registered investment advisers are examined by the SEC. SEC, state, and exempt registration
Disclosures
Item 113 Reports 3 disclosure items on Form ADV Item 11. View on IAPD.
Questions answered yes on this filing
Regulatory matters Items 11.C to 11.G
- 11.D(1) Has another federal regulator, a state regulator, or a foreign financial regulator ever found that the firm or an advisory affiliate made a false statement or omission, or was dishonest, unfair, or unethical?
- 11.D(2) Has another federal regulator, a state regulator, or a foreign financial regulator ever found that the firm or an advisory affiliate was involved in a violation of investment-related regulations or statutes?
- 11.D(4) In the past ten years, has another federal regulator, a state regulator, or a foreign financial regulator entered an order against the firm or an advisory affiliate in connection with investment-related activity?
Each question covers the firm and its advisory affiliates: its current employees other than clerical staff, its officers, partners, and directors, and anyone who controls the firm or is controlled by it. One event can produce yes answers to several questions. SEC-registered advisers and exempt reporting advisers may leave out events more than ten years old, and may answer 11.A(2) and 11.B(2) for pending charges only. What happened, and who was involved, is on the Disclosure Reporting Pages of the IAPD record. Reading a firm's disclosures
Assets and staff over time
Items 5.A, 5.F| Data period | Assets under management | Employees | Filing dated |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | $68,590,778,624 | 192 | March 25, 2026 |
| October 2025 | $67,607,139,485 | 194 | June 27, 2025 |
| October 2024 | $65,090,895,426 | 209 | June 10, 2024 |
| October 2023 | $60,258,933,303 | 223 | June 20, 2023 |
| October 2022 | $78,613,828,551 | 200 | July 28, 2022 |
| October 2021 | $76,566,818,503 | 208 | March 30, 2021 |
Regulatory assets under management: $76,566,818,503 in the October 2021 data and $68,590,778,624 in the October 2026 data, down 10%.
Total employees: 208 in October 2021 and 192 in October 2026.
As filed in each year's data for the same month. Assets under management move with markets as well as with clients coming and going; they measure scale, not skill or returns. Most firms update these figures once a year.
Changes in the filing
Last 12 months- April 2026
- Item 11 disclosure answers changed: 3 yes answers, previously 2 (now yes: 11.D(1)).
Compared month to month from the SEC's monthly adviser data and the state compilation feed. Owners and control persons are summarized, never named.
Websites listed on Form ADV
Item 1.ISource: Form ADV, as of October 2026. Values appear as filed; a value the firm did not report is shown as "Not reported."
Cite this page
AdvisorCensus. John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC (CRD 16009): Form ADV filing data as of October 2026. https://advisorcensus.com/firm/john-hancock-variable-trust-advisers-llc-boston-ma-16009