Post-Effective Amendment to Registration Statement by Investment Company (Form 485BPOS)

Table of Contents 

important Information you should consider about the policy	4
Overview of the Policy	7
Purpose	7
Premiums	7
Policy Features	7
Death benefit.	7
Surrender of the policy.	7
Partial Withdrawals.	7
Policy loans.	8
Supplementary benefit riders.	8
Fee Table	9
General Description of the Policy	11
Policy Rights	11
Owner and beneficiary.	11
Allocation of Premiums	11
Transfers of Account Value	11
Limitations on transfers to or from a variable investment account.	12
Frequent transfers among variable investment accounts.	12
Limitations on transfers out of the fixed investment option.	13
Potential additional limitations.	13
Dollar cost averaging and asset allocation balancer programs.	13
General Account	13
The fixed investment option.	14
Premiums	15
Purchase Procedures	15
Premium Amount	15
Premium Due Dates	15
No Lapse Guarantee Feature	16
Standard Death Benefits	17
Standard Death Benefits	17
Effectiveness and Policy Date.	17
Temporary insurance coverage.	17
Option A and Option B.	17
The minimum insurance amount.	17
Calculation and payment of the death benefit.	18
Changes you may make.	18
Additional Information About Standard Death Benefits	18
Requesting an increase or decrease in coverage.	18
Change of death benefit option.	18
Tax consequences of coverage changes.	18
Limitations on payment of death benefit.	18
Surrenders and Withdrawals	19
Surrender and Partial Withdrawals	19
Additional Information Regarding Surrender and Partial Withdrawal	19
Loans	20
Availability of Loans, Limitations and Interest	20
Effect of Loans on Cash Value and Death Benefit	20
Other Effects of Loans	20
Loan Repayments	20

important Information you should consider about the policy 

FEES AND EXPENSES
Charges for Early Withdrawals	There are partial withdrawal charges assessed upon a partial withdrawal of account value. A "surrender" is when you return your policy to us and we pay you the policy's account value, if any. If a policy "lapses" it terminates without any value. The maximum partial withdrawal charge is the lesser of $20 or 2% of the withdrawal amount. For example, if the partial withdrawal is $10,000, the maximum partial withdrawal charge is $20.			FEE TABLE   Deductions from account value
Transaction Charges	In addition to partial withdrawal charges (if applicable), you may also be charged for the following transactions:   A tax charge will be deducted from each premium paid.   A transfer charge may be deducted upon transfers into or out of a variable investment option after you have made more than 12 such transfers in a year.			FEE TABLE   Deductions from premium payments   Deductions from account value
Ongoing Fees and Expenses (annual charges)	In addition to partial withdrawal and transaction charges, you will also be subject to certain ongoing fees and expenses, including an insurance charge, asset-based risk charge, policy loan costs, and supplementary benefit rider charges. Some of these fees and expenses are based wholly or in part on the characteristics of the insured persons (e.g., age, sex, and underwriting classification).   You should view the "policy specifications" page of your policy for rates applicable to your policy.			FEE TABLE   Deductions from account value
	You will also bear expenses associated with the portfolios under the policy, as shown in the following table:			Charges at the portfolio level   APPENDIX
	Annual Fee	Minimum	Maximum
	Variable investment accounts (portfolio fees and expenses)	0.39%	1.08%

 

RISKS
Risk of Loss	You can lose money by investing in this policy.	PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN A POLICY
Not a Short- Term Investment	This policy is not a short-term investment and is not appropriate for an investor who needs ready access to cash. The policy is unsuitable as a short-term savings vehicle because of substantial policy-level charges, including the premium charge and the partial withdrawal charge, as well as potential adverse tax consequences from such short-term use.	Early Surrender or Withdrawal Risk/Not a Short-Term Investment
Risks Associated with Investment Options	An investment in this policy is subject to the risk of poor performance and can vary depending on the performance of the account allocation options available under the policy (e.g., portfolios). Each such option (including the fixed investment option) will have its own unique risks, and you should review these options before making an allocation decision. You can find the prospectuses and other information about the portfolios at dfinview.com/JohnHancock/TAHD/eVariableLife.	Investment Risk/Risk of Loss

RISKS
Insurance Company Risks	Your investment in the policy is subject to risks related to John Hancock USA, including that the obligations (including under the fixed investment option), guarantees, or benefits are subject to the claims-paying ability of John Hancock USA. Information about John Hancock USA, including its financial strength ratings, is available upon request from your John Hancock USA representative. Our current financial strength ratings can also be obtained by contacting the Service Office at 1-800-732-5543.	Depositor   Registrant
Policy Lapse	Unless the no lapse guarantee feature is in effect, this policy will go into default if the account value of your policy is insufficient to pay the charges when due. The "surrender value" is your account value, less any policy debt. This can happen as a result of insufficient premium payments, poor performance of the variable or general account options you have chosen, withdrawals, or unpaid loans or loan interest. If a default is not cured within a 61- day grace period, your policy will lapse without value, and no death benefit or other benefits will be payable.	Lapse and Reinstatement

 

RESTRICTIONS
Investments	There are restrictions that may limit the variable investment account options and general account options (including the fixed investment option) that you may choose, as well as limitations on the transfer of account value among those options. These restrictions may include a monthly limit on the number of transfers you may make. We may also impose additional restrictions to discourage market timing and disruptive trading activity.   In particular, your allocation options will be affected if you elect to take a loan or receive benefits under certain supplementary benefit riders.   Among other things, the policy also allows us to eliminate the shares of a portfolio or substitute shares of another new or existing portfolio, subject to applicable legal requirements.	Limitations on transfers to or from a variable investment account   Limitations on transfers out of the fixed investment option   Effect of Loans on Cash Value and Death Benefit     Portfolios
Optional Benefits	There are restrictions and limitations relating to optional benefits, as well as conditions under which an optional benefit may be modified or terminated by us. For example, certain supplementary benefit riders may be subject to underwriting, and your election of an option may result in restrictions upon some of the policy benefits, including availability of investment options.	More About Certain Optional Benefits

 

TAXES
Tax Implications	You should consult with a tax professional to determine the tax implications of an investment in and payments received under the policy. There is no additional tax benefit to you if the policy is purchased through a tax-qualified plan. If we pay out any amount of your account value upon surrender or partial withdrawal, all or part of that distribution would generally be treated as a return of the premiums you've paid and not subjected to income tax, with any portion not treated as a return of your premiums includible in your income. Distributions also are subject to tax penalties under some circumstances.	Tax Consequences of Owning a Policy

 

Overview of the Policy

Purpose

The purpose of the policy is to provide lifetime protection against economic loss due to the death of the insured person, to help you accumulate assets through variable investment and fixed investment options that we make available, and to provide or supplement your retirement income. The policy may be appropriate for persons seeking both life insurance protection and the potential for the accumulation of cash values. However, fees, expenses and tax implications can make variable life insurance unsuitable as a short-term savings vehicle.

Premiums

We call the investments you make in the policy "premiums" or "premium payments." The Minimum Initial Premiu is a dollar amount that is stated in your policy specifications and that must be paid to us in full before your policy will take effect. Premium payments after the initial premium may not be required, but you must pay enough premium to keep the policy in force. That's why the policy is called a "flexible premium" policy. After the payment of the initial premium, premiums may be paid at any time and in any amount until the insured person's attained age 121, subject to the need to pay enough premium to keep the policy in force, and to limitations on maximum premium amount.

Federal tax law limits the amount of premium payments you can make relative to the amount of your policy's insurance coverage. We will not knowingly accept any amount by which a premium payment exceeds this limit. In addition, in order to limit our investment risk exposure under certain market conditions, we may refuse to accept additional premium payments. From each premium payment you make, we deduct the applicable premium charges identified in the FEE TABLE. We invest the rest (the "net premium") in the variable investment accounts or any fixed investment option you've elected.

The policy offers a number of variable investment accounts. You can find some important information about each portfolio in the APPENDIX, but for a full description of each portfolio, including the investment objectives and strategies, policies, restrictions, and risks, you should read the portfolio's prospectus carefully before investing in the corresponding variable investment account.

You can also allocate account value to the "fixed investment option" (where it is credited with rates of interest that we declare from time to time but will never be less than a minimum rate guaranteed in your policy specifications).

If the surrender value is insufficient to pay the charges when due, your policy can terminate (i.e. "lapse"). This can happen because you haven't paid enough premium, because the investment performance of the variable investment accounts you've chosen has been poor or because of a combination of all factors.

Policy Features

Death benefit. When the insured person dies, we will pay the "death benefit" minus any outstanding loans. The "Sum Insured" is the amount of life insurance coverage as set forth in your policy. You choose which one you want in the application.

• Option A. The "death benefit" will equal the greater of (1) the Sum Insured, or (2) the minimum insurance amount, as set forth in your policy.

• Option B. The "death benefit" will equal the greater of (1) the Sum Insured plus your policy's account value on the date of death, or (2) the minimum insurance amount under the "guideline premium and cash value corridor test."

Surrender of the policy. You may surrender the policy in full while the insured person is alive. If you do, we will pay you the account value less any outstanding policy debt. This is called your "surrender value."

Partial Withdrawals. You may make a partial withdrawal of your surrender value at any time after the first policy year. Each withdrawal must be at least $1,000. There is a charge for each partial withdrawal. The charge is equal to the lesser of 2% of the withdrawal amount or $20. Your account value is automatically reduced by the amount of the withdrawal and the charge. We reserve the right to refuse a withdrawal if it would reduce the surrender value or the Sum Insured below certain minimum amounts.

Policy loans. If your policy is in force and has sufficient account value, you may borrow from it at any time by completing the appropriate form. Generally, the minimum amount of each loan is $1,000. The maximum amount you can borrow is determined by a formula as described in your policy. Interest is charged on each loan. If there is an outstanding loan the amount of the loan and accrued interest will be deducted from the death benefit and other policy proceeds.

Supplementary benefit riders. When you apply for the policy, you can request any of the below-listed supplementary benefit riders that we make available. Availability of riders varies from state to state. Charges for most riders will be deducted monthly from the account value. Some riders may not be available in combination with other riders or benefits.

• Living Care Benefit Rider

• Age 100 Maintenance of Death Benefit Rider

• Long-Term Care Acceleration Rider

You can find information about the fees we charge for these riders under "Optional Benefit Charges" in the Fee Table below. We also offer, at no charge, a dollar cost averaging ("DCA") program and an asset allocation balancer program.

Fee Table

The following tables describe the fees and expenses that you will pay when buying, owning, and surrendering or making withdrawals from the policy. Please refer to your policy specifications for information about the specific fees you will pay each year based on the options you have elected.

The first table describes the fees and expenses that you will pay at the time that you buy the policy, surrender or make withdrawals from the policy, or transfer account value between investment options. 

TRANSACTION FEES
Charge	When Charge is Deducted	Amount Deducted
Tax charge	Upon payment of premium	3.60% of each premium paid
Maximum partial withdrawal	Upon a partial withdrawal	Lesser of $20.00 or 2% of withdrawal amount
Maximum transfer charge(1)	Upon each transfer into or out of a variable investment option beyond an annual limit of twelve	$25.00 (currently $0)
Living Care Benefit Rider	Only if benefit exercised	Charge is imbedded in discounting of death benefit paid in advance

(1) This charge is not currently imposed, but we reserve the right to do so in the policy.

The next table describes the fees and expenses that you will pay periodically during the time that you own the policy, not including portfolio fees and expenses. 

PERIODIC CHARGES OTHER THAN ANNUAL PORTFOLIO EXPENSES
Charge	When Charge is Deducted	Amount Deducted
Base Policy Charges:
Insurance charge(1):	Monthly
Minimum charge		$0.08 per $1,000 of AAR
Maximum charge		$83.33 per $1,000 of AAR
Charge for a representative insured person		$0.14 per $1,000 of AAR
Asset-based risk charge(2)	Monthly	0.075% (monthly rate) of account value
Maximum policy loan interest rate(3)	Accrues daily Payable annually	4.75% annual rate
Optional Benefit Charges:
Age 100 Maintenance of Death	Monthly
Benefit Rider(4)
Minimum charge		$0.0001 per $1,000 of amount at risk
Maximum charge		$2.30 per $1,000 of amount at risk
Charge for representative insured person		$0.0003 per $1,000 of amount at risk
Long-Term Care Acceleration Rider(5)	Monthly
Minimum charge		5% of all other monthly charges
Maximum charge		14% of all other monthly charges
Charge for representative insured person		9% of all other monthly charges

(1) The insurance charge is determined by multiplying the amount of insurance for which we are at risk (the amount at risk or "AAR") by the applicable cost of insurance rate. The rates vary widely depending upon the Sum Insured, the length of time the policy has been in effect, the insurance risk characteristics of the insured person and (generally) the gender of the insured person. The "minimum" rate shown in the table is the rate in the first policy year for a $250,000 policy issued to cover a 20 year old female preferred underwriting risk. The "maximum" rate shown in the table is the rate in the twentieth policy year for a $500,000 policy issued to cover an 80 year old male substandard tobacco underwriting risk. This includes the so-called "extra mortality charge." The "representative insured person"

referred to in the table is a 35 year old male preferred non-tobacco underwriting risk with a $250,000 policy. The charges shown in the table may not be particularly relevant to your current situation. For more information about cost of insurance rates, talk to your John Hancock USA representative.

(2) This charge only applies to that portion of account value held in the variable investment options. The charge does not apply to the fixed investment option.

(3) 4.75% is the maximum effective annual interest rate we can charge and applies only during policy years 1-10. The effective annual interest rate is 4.50% for policy years 11-20 and 4.25% thereafter. The amount of any loan is transferred from the investment options to a special loan account which earns interest at an effective annual rate of 4.00%. Therefore, the true cost of a loan is the difference between the loan interest we charge and the interest we credit to the special loan account.

(4) The charge for this rider is determined by multiplying the amount of insurance for which we are at risk by the applicable rate. The rates vary by the issue age, the insurance risk characteristics and gender of the insured person. The "minimum" rate shown in the table is for a 20 year old male tobacco underwriting risk. The "maximum" rate shown in that table is for an 85 year old female preferred non-tobacco underwriting risk. The "representative insured person" referred to in the table is a 35 year old male standard non-tobacco underwriting risk. account value

(5) The charge for this rider is determined by multiplying the total amount of all other monthly charges by the applicable rate. The rates vary by the LTC insurance risk characteristics of the insured person, the extent of underwriting involved and the rider benefit level selected. The "minimum" rate shown in the table is for a fully underwritten standard underwriting risk with a 1% Monthly Acceleration Percentage. The "maximum" rate shown in that table is for a guaranteed issue standard underwriting risk with a 4% Monthly Acceleration Percentage. The "representative insured person" referred to in the table is a fully underwritten standard underwriting risk with a 4% Monthly Acceleration Percentage.

The next item shows the minimum and maximum total operating expenses charged by the portfolios that you may pay periodically during the time that you own the policy. A complete list of the portfolios available under the policy, including their annual expenses, may be found at the back of this document. 

Annual Portfolio Expenses	Minimum	Maximum
Range of expenses that are deducted from portfolio assets, including management fees, distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees, and other expenses	0.39%	1.08%

General Description of the Policy

Policy Rights

Owner and beneficiary. The owner of the policy is the person who can exercise most of the rights under the policy, such as the right to choose the accounts in which to invest or the right to surrender the policy. In many cases, the person buying the policy is also the person who will be the owner. However, the application for a policy can name another person or entity (such as a trust) as owner. It is possible to name so-called "joint owners" of the policy. If more than one person owns a policy, all owners must join in most requests to exercise rights under the policy. Whenever we've used the term "you" in this prospectus, we've assumed that the reader is the person who has whatever right or privilege is being discussed. There may be tax consequences if the owner and the insured person are different, so you should discuss this issue with your tax adviser.

While the insured person is alive, you will have a number of options under the policy. These options include:

• Determine when and how much you allocate to the variable investment accounts and any fixed investment option

• Borrow or withdraw amounts you have in the variable investment account and any fixed investment option

• Change the beneficiary who will receive the death benefit

• Change the amount of insurance

• Turn in (i.e., "surrender") the policy for the full amount of its surrender value

• Choose the form in which we will pay out the death benefit or other proceeds

You name your beneficiary when you apply for the policy. The beneficiary is entitled to the proceeds we pay following the insured person's death. Until the death of the insured person you can change your beneficiary by written request. Such a change requires the consent of any named irrevocable beneficiary. A new beneficiary designation will not affect any payments we make before we receive it. If no beneficiary is living when the insured person dies, we will pay the insurance proceeds to the owner or the owner's estate.

Allocation of Premiums

All premiums received prior to the Issue Date of the policy will be held in the general account and credited with interest from the date of receipt at the rate of return then being earned on amounts allocated to the Money Market variable investment account. After the Issue Date but prior to the Allocation Date, net premiums received are allocated to the Money Market variable investment account. The "Allocation Date" of the policy is the tenth day after the Issue Date. The Issue Date is shown in your policy specifications. On the Allocation Date, the net premiums paid plus return credited, if any, will be allocated among the variable investment accounts or the fixed investment option in accordance with the policy owner's instructions. Any net premium received on or after the Allocation Date will be allocated among variable investment accounts or the fixed investment option as of the business day on or next following the date the premium is received at the Service Office. In your application for a policy, you give us your initial instructions as to how you wish your initial and future premium payments to be allocated among the variable investment and fixed investment options. Your instructions must be in percentages that add up to 100%. By written request and at any time, you may change the variable investment accounts or any fixed investment option in which future premium payments will be invested.

There are restrictions that may limit the variable investment and fixed investment option options that you may choose, as well as limitations on the transfer of account value among those options.

Transfers of Account Value

You may transfer your account value from one variable investment account or any fixed investment option to another, subject to the limitations discussed below. To do so, you must tell us how much to transfer, either as a whole number percentage or as a specific dollar amount. A confirmation of each transfer will be sent to you. Without our approval, the maximum amount you may transfer to or from any variable investment account or any fixed investment option in any policy year is $1,000,000.

We have adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent transfers of account value among variable investment accounts.

Limitations on transfers to or from a variable investment account. Our current practice is to restrict transfers into or out of variable investment accounts to two per calendar month (except with respect to those policies described in the following paragraphs). For purposes of this restriction, and in applying the limitation on the number of free transfers, any transfers made during the period from the opening of a business day (usually 9:00 a.m. Eastern time) to the close of that business day (usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) are considered one transfer. You may, however, transfer to the Money Market variable investment account even if the two transfers per month limit has been reached, but only if 100% of the account value in all variable investment accounts is transferred to the Money Market variable investment account. If such a transfer to the Money Market variable investment account is made, then for the 30 calendar day period after such transfer no transfers from the Money Market variable investment account to any other variable investment account or any fixed investment option may be made. If your policy offers a dollar cost averaging or automatic asset allocation rebalancing program, any transfers pursuant to such program are not considered transfers subject to these restrictions on frequent trading.

Policies such as yours may be purchased by a corporation or other entity as a means to informally finance the liabilities created by an employee benefit plan, and to this end the entity may aggregately manage the policies purchased to match its liabilities under the plan. Policies sold under these circumstances are subject to special transfer restrictions. In lieu of the two transfers per month restriction, we will allow the policy owner under these circumstances to rebalance the variable investment accounts in its policies within the following limits: (i) during the 10 calendar day period after any account values are transferred from one variable investment account into a second variable investment account, the values can only be transferred out of the second variable investment account if they are transferred into the Money Market variable investment account; and (ii) any account values that would otherwise not be transferable by application of the 10 day limit described above and that are transferred into the Money Market variable investment account may not be transferred out of the Money Market variable investment account into any other variable investment account or any fixed investment option for 30 calendar days.

Subject to our approval, we may offer policies purchased by a corporation or other entity that has purchased policies to match its liabilities under an employee benefit plan, as described above, the ability to electronically rebalance the variable investment accounts in its policies. Under these circumstances, in lieu of imposing any specific limit upon the number and timing of transfers, we will monitor aggregate trades among the subaccounts for frequency, pattern and size for potentially harmful investment practices. If we detect trading activity that we believe may be harmful to the overall operation of any variable investment account or underlying portfolio, we may impose conditions on policies employing electronic rebalancing to submit trades, including setting limits upon the number and timing of transfers, and revoking privileges to make trades by any means other than written communication submitted via U.S. mail. While we seek to identify and prevent disruptive frequent trading activity, it may not always be possible to do so. Therefore no assurance can be given that the restrictions we impose will be successful in preventing all disruptive frequent trading and avoiding harm to long-term investors. The restrictions described in these paragraphs will be applied uniformly to all policy holders subject to the restrictions.

We will apply these limitations uniformly to each class of policies.

Frequent transfers among variable investment accounts. Variable investment accounts in variable life insurance products can be a prime target for abusive transfer activity because these products value their variable investment accounts on a daily basis and allow transfers among variable investment accounts without immediate tax consequences. As a result, some investors may seek to frequently transfer into and out of variable investment accounts or to make large transfers in reaction to market news or to exploit a perceived pricing inefficiency. Whatever the reason, long-term investors in any variable investment account can be harmed by large or frequent transfer activity. For example, such activity may expose the variable investment account's portfolio to increased portfolio transaction costs and/or disrupt the portfolio manager's ability to effectively manage the portfolio's investments in accordance with the portfolio's investment objectives and policies. This could include causing the portfolio to maintain higher levels of cash than would otherwise be the case, or liquidating investments prematurely. Accordingly, frequent or large transfers may result in dilution with respect to interests held for long-term investment and adversely affect policy owners, beneficiaries and the portfolios.

To discourage market timing and disruptive trading activity, we impose restrictions on transfers and reserve the right to change, suspend or terminate telephone, facsimile and internet transaction privileges. We also reserve the right to impose a fee of up to $25 for any transfer beyond an annual limit (which would be 12 or more). No transfer fee will be imposed on any transfer from a variable investment account into any fixed investment option if the transfer occurs during the following periods:

• within 18 months after the policy's Issue Date, or

• within 60 days after the later of the effective date of a material change in the investment objectives of any variable investment account or the date you are notified of the change.

While we seek to identify and prevent disruptive trading activity, it may not always be possible to do so. Therefore, no assurance can be given that the restrictions we impose will be successful in preventing all disruptive trading and avoiding harm to long-term investors.

Limitations on transfers out of the fixed investment option. Transfers out of the fixed investment option are currently subject to the following restrictions.

• You can only make such a transfer once in each policy year.

• Any transfer request received within 6 months of the last transfer out of the fixed investment option will not be processed until such 6 month period has expired.

• The most you can transfer at any one time is the greater of (i) $500, (ii) 20% of the assets in your fixed investment option or (iii) the amount transferred out of your fixed investment option during the previous policy year.

We reserve the right to impose limits on the minimum amount of each transfer out of the fixed investment option and the maximum amount of any transfer into the fixed investment option after the second policy year.

If there is a default as described in the "Lapse and reinstatement" provision and a "grace period" is triggered, you will be prohibited from making any transfers among investment options while the grace period remains in effect.

Potential additional limitations. We reserve the right to take other actions to restrict transfers, including, but not limited to: (i) restricting the number of transfers made during a defined period, (ii) restricting the dollar amount of transfers, (iii) restricting transfers into and out of certain variable investment accounts, (iv) restricting the method used to submit transfers, and (v) deferring a transfer at any time we are unable to purchase or redeem shares of the portfolio. We may also impose additional administrative conditions upon or prohibit a transfer request made by a third party giving instructions on behalf of multiple policies, whether owned by the same owner or different owners. If you engage a third party for asset allocation services, then you may be subject to these transfer restrictions because of the actions of that party in providing those services. We will notify the third party you have engaged if we exercise this right. A portfolio also may require us to impose additional trading restrictions if violations of its policies against frequent or disruptive trading in its shares are discovered.

Dollar cost averaging and asset allocation balancer programs. We may offer policy owners a dollar cost averaging ("DCA") program. Under the DCA program, you will designate an amount that will be transferred monthly from one variable investment account into any other variable investment account or a fixed investment option. If insufficient funds exist to effect a DCA transfer, the transfer will not be effected and you will be so notified. We do not apply any minimum amount requirements for participation in the DCA program. You can participate in both the dollar cost averaging and asset rebalancing programs at the same time. Under the asset allocation balancer program you will designate an allocation of account value among variable investment accounts. We will move amounts among the variable investment accounts at specified intervals you select-annually, semi-annually, quarterly or monthly. A change to your premium allocation instructions will automatically result in a change in asset allocation balancer instructions so that the two are identical unless you either instruct us otherwise or have elected the dollar cost averaging program. This asset allocation balancer program only applies to account value in the variable investment accounts. No fee is charged for these programs. We reserve the right to cease to offer these programs as of 90 days after written notice is sent to you.

General Account

The fixed investment option is part of our general account. Our general account consists of all assets owned by us other than those in the Separate Account and any other separate accounts which we have established and may establish. Any interest credited to a policy owner from an investment in a fixed investment option and any guaranteed benefits we may provide under the policy that exceed the value of amounts held in the Separate Account will be paid from the Company's general account and will be subject to the Company's financial strength and claims paying ability. Subject to applicable law, John Hancock USA has sole discretion over the investment of the assets of the general account and policy owners do not share in the investment experience of, or have any preferential claim on, those assets. John Hancock USA bears full investment risk for all amounts allocated to the fixed investment option.

Because of exemptive and exclusionary provisions, interests in our fixed investment option have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933 and our general account has not been registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 ("1940 Act"). Accordingly, neither the general account nor any interests therein are subject to the provisions of these acts. Disclosures regarding the general account, however, are subject generally to applicable provisions of federal securities laws relating to the accuracy and completeness of statements made in the prospectus.

The fixed investment option. Account value allocated to any fixed investment option will accrue interest daily at an effective annual rate that we determine and that depends on a number of significant considerations in addition to the actual investment experience we expect for the general account. We currently offer only one fixed investment option-the standard fixed investment option. The effective annual rate we declare for the standard fixed investment option will never be less than 4%. We reserve the right to offer one or more additional fixed investment optons with characteristics that differ from those of the current fixed investment option, but we are under no obligation to do so. Any interest we credit in excess of the guaranteed interest crediting rate will be based on our sole discretion. Additionally, interest credited on a non-guaranteed basis varies over time is rarely the same year-over-year and there may be extended periods of time during which no interest above the guaranteed minimum is declared.

Premiums

Purchase Procedures

Generally, the policy is available with a minimum Sum Insured at issue of $250,000. At the time of issue, the insured person must have an attained age of no more than 85. All insured persons must meet certain health and other insurance risk criteria called "underwriting standards."

Policies issued in Montana or in connection with certain employee plans will not directly reflect the sex of the insured person in either the premium rates or the charges or values under the policy.

The Minimum Initial Premium is set forth in your policy specifications. Factors that determine the minimum initial premium amount generally include the insured person's age, sex and risk classification, including any additional ratings; the Sum Insured at issue; choice of Death Benefit Option A vs. Option B; and any selected supplementary benefit rider. Premium payments after the initial premium may not be required, but you must pay enough premium to keep the policy in force. That's why the policy is called a "flexible premium" policy.

If you pay premiums by check or money order, they must be drawn on a U.S. bank in U.S. dollars and made payable to "John Hancock." We will not accept credit card checks. We will not accept starter or third party checks if they fail to satisfy our administrative requirements. Premiums after the first must be sent to the John Hancock USA Service Office at the appropriate address shown on the back cover of this prospectus. We will also accept premiums by wire or by exchange from another insurance company, or via an electronic funds transfer program (any owner interested in making monthly premium payments must use this method).

Premium Amount

In addition to the Minimum Initial Premium, your policy specifications will also show the "Planned Premium" that you chose for the policy. Payment of Planned Premiums is not necessarily required, however. You need only pay enough premium to keep the policy in force.

The amount and frequency of the Planned Premium are determined by you, in consultation with your financial advisor, based upon your financial objectives for the policy. Depending upon the amount and timing of your actual premium payments, investment results, changing objectives and other factors, you may need to change the amount and frequency of your premium payments from the Planned Premium amount in order for the policy to continue to support your financial objectives. You may be required to pay additional premiums beyond the Planned Premium amount in order to keep your policy from lapsing. You should request in-force illustrations periodically in order to help assure that you are keeping on track with your objectives.

Federal tax law limits the amount of premium payments you can make relative to the amount of your policy's insurance coverage. Also, in order to limit our exposure to unanticipated investment risk, we may refuse to accept additional premium payments. For example, with large premium payments in an environment of decreasing interest rates, we may not be able to acquire investments for our general account that will sufficiently match the liabilities we are incurring under our fixed investment option guarantees. Excessive allocations may also interfere with the effective management of our variable investment accounts, if we are unable to make an orderly investment of the additional premium into the variable investment accounts. Also, we may refuse to accept or limit an amount of premium if the amount of the premium would increase our insurance risk exposure, and the insured person doesn't provide us with adequate evidence that he or she continues to meet our requirements for issuing insurance.

We will notify you in writing of our refusal to accept premium and will promptly thereafter take the necessary steps to return the premium to you. Notwithstanding the foregoing limits on the premium that we will accept, we will not refuse to accept any premium necessary to prevent the policy from terminating.

Premium Due Dates

Unless no lapse guarantee feature is in effect, a policy will go into default if at the beginning of any policy month the policy's surrender value is not sufficient to pay the charges. Therefore, a policy could lapse eventually if increases in account value (prior to deduction of policy charges) are not sufficient to cover policy charges. We will notify you of how much you will need to pay to keep the policy in force. You will allow a 61-day "grace period" to make that payment. If you pay these amounts during the grace period, you may also continue the no lapse guarantee feature by paying the necessary NLG Premiums

described in your policy. If the no lapse guarantee feature is not in effect and the insured person dies during the grace period, we will deduct any unpaid monthly charges from the death benefit. If the required payment is not received by the end of the grace period, the policy will terminate (i.e., "lapse") with no value.

No Lapse Guarantee Feature

This feature guarantees that your Sum Insured will not terminate (i.e., "lapse"), regardless of adverse investment performance, if on each "grace period testing date" the amount of cumulative premiums you have paid (less all withdrawals from the policy and all outstanding loans) equals or exceeds the sum of all No Lapse Guarantee Premiums ("NLG Premiums") due to date. If the no lapse guarantee test is not satisfied on any grace period testing date, the no lapse guarantee feature will not be "in effect" on that date. We currently test on a quarterly basis, but reserve the right to test on each monthly deduction date.

The NLG Premium will never be greater than the so-called "guideline premium" for the policy as defined in Section 7702 of the Internal Revenue Code.

The no lapse guarantee feature applies only to the Sum Insured in effect when we issue the policy. It will not be in effect if you increase the Sum Insured. The amount of the Sum Insured that is guaranteed will be reduced to the extent that we pay it to you under a living care or life-time care additional benefit rider while the insured is living. If there are monthly charges that remain unpaid because of this feature, we will deduct such charges when there is sufficient surrender value to pay them.

If an insufficient amount of NLG Premiums have been paid on a grace period testing date, and your policy would lapse for failure to pay charges then due, we will provide you with a notification as described in the preceding section, "Lapse and Reinstatement".

Standard Death Benefits

Standard Death Benefits

Effectiveness and Policy Date. After you apply for a policy, we gather and evaluate all the information we need to decide whether to issue a policy to you and, if so, what the insured person's risk classification should be. After we approve an application for a policy and assign an appropriate insurance risk classification, we will prepare the policy for delivery. The policy will take effect only if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

• The policy is delivered to and received by the applicant.

• The Minimum Initial Premium is received by us.

• The insured person is living and there has been no deterioration in the insurability of the insured person since the date of the application.

If all of the above conditions are satisfied, the policy will take effect on the date shown in the policy as the "Policy Date." That is the date on which we begin to take monthly deductions. Policy months, policy years and policy anniversaries are all measured from the Policy Date. Under limited circumstances, we may backdate a policy, upon request, by assigning a Policy Date earlier than the date the application is signed. However, in no event will a policy be backdated earlier than the earliest date allowed by state law, which is generally three months to one year prior to the date of application for the policy. The most common reasons for backdating are to preserve a younger age at issue for the insured person or to retain a common monthly deduction date in certain corporate-owned life insurance cases involving multiple policies issued over time. If used to preserve age, backdating will result in lower insurance charges. However, monthly deductions will begin earlier than would otherwise be the case.

Temporary insurance coverage. If a specified amount of premium is paid with the application for a policy and other conditions are met, we will provide temporary term life insurance coverage on the insured person for a period prior to the time coverage under the policy takes effect. Such temporary term coverage will be subject to the terms and conditions described in the Temporary Life Insurance Agreement and Receipt attached to the application for the policy, including conditions to coverage and limits on amount and duration of coverage.

Option A and Option B. When the insured person dies, we will pay the death benefit minus any outstanding loans. There are two ways of calculating the death benefit. You must choose which one you want in the application. The two death benefit options are described below.

• Option A. The death benefit will equal the greater of (1) the Sum Insured, or (2) the minimum insurance amount, as set forth in your policy.

• Option B. The death benefit will equal the greater of (1) the Sum Insured plus your policy's account value on the date of death, or (2) the minimum insurance amount under the "guideline premium and cash value corridor test."

For the same premium payments, the death benefit under Option B will tend to be higher than the death benefit under Option A. On the other hand, the monthly insurance charge will be higher under Option B to compensate us for the additional insurance risk. Because of that, the account value will tend to be higher under Option A than under Option B for the same premium payments.

Poor investment performance of the portfolios, expenses, and deduction of charges under the policy all will reduce the policy value and net cash surrender value and may also reduce the death benefit. However, favorable investment performance may increase the policy value, net cash surrender value, and death benefit. Therefore, if you experience better investment performance or lower expenses and charges than you assumed, you may be able to reduce your premium payments while maintaining the death benefit and other values under your policy; or if you continue to pay premiums at the same level, the death benefit and other values under your policy may increase. Conversely, if the investment performance falls short of what you assumed, or the expenses or charges are higher, the death benefit and other values under your policy may decrease unless you pay additional premiums.

The minimum insurance amount. In order for a policy to qualify as life insurance under Federal tax law, there has to be a minimum amount of insurance in relation to account value. There are two tests that can be applied under Federal tax law- the "guideline premium and cash value corridor test" and the "cash value accumulation test." When you elect the Option A death benefit, you must also elect which test you wish to have applied. If you elect the Option B death benefit, the guideline

premium and cash value corridor test will automatically be applied. Under the guideline premium and cash value corridor test, we compute the minimum insurance amount each business day by multiplying the account value on that date by the death benefit factor (called "corridor factor" in the policy) applicable on that date. In this case, the factors are derived by applying the guideline premium and cash value corridor test. The factor starts out at 2.50 for ages at or below 40 and decreases as attained age increases, reaching a low of 1.0 at age 95. A table showing the factor for each policy year will appear in the policy. Under the cash value accumulation test, we compute the minimum insurance amount each business day by multiplying the account value on that date by the death benefit factor applicable on that date. In this case, the factors are derived by applying the cash value accumulation test. The factor decreases as attained age increases. A table showing the factor for each age will appear in the policy.

As noted above, you have to elect which test will be applied if you elect the Option A death benefit. The cash value accumulation test may be preferable if you want an increasing death benefit in later policy years and/or want to fund the policy at the "7 pay" limit for the full 7 years. The guideline premium and cash value corridor test may be preferable if you want the account value under the policy to increase without increasing the death benefit as quickly as might otherwise be required.

Calculation and payment of the death benefit. We will ordinarily pay any death benefit within seven days after we receive the last required form or request and any other documentation that may be required. You may choose to receive proceeds from the policy as a single sum. If we do not have information about the desired manner of payment within seven days after the date we receive documentation of the insured person's death, we will pay the proceeds as a single sum. As permitted by state law and our current administrative procedures, death claim proceeds may be placed into an interest-bearing John Hancock retained asset account in the beneficiary's name. The interest earned in a John Hancock retained asset account is normally subject to income tax. You should consult with your tax advisor if you have any questions regarding taxation of the interest earned. We will provide the beneficiary with a checkbook, so checks may be written for all or a part of the proceeds. The retained asset account is part of our general account and is subject to the claims of our creditors. It is not a bank account and it is not insured by the FDIC. We may receive a benefit from managing proceeds held in a retained asset account. Alternatively, you can elect to have proceeds of $1,000 or more applied to any of the other payment options we may offer at the time. You cannot choose an option if the monthly payments under the option would be less than $50. We will issue a supplementary agreement when the proceeds are applied to any alternative payment option. That agreement will spell out terms of the option in full. Please contact our Service Office for more information.

Changes you may make. Subject to certain limitations and conditions, you may request a change from death benefit Option 2 to Option 1 or a reduction in your policy's Face Amount. However, you may not request a change from Option 1 to Option 2 or a Face Amount increase.

Additional Information About Standard Death Benefits

Requesting an increase or decrease in coverage. You may request an increase in the Sum Insured. Generally, each such increase must be at least $50,000. However, you will have to provide us with evidence that the insured person still meets our requirements for issuing insurance coverage. The Sum Insured generally cannot be decreased after policy issue.

Change of death benefit option. If the "guideline premium and cash value corridor test" applies to your policy, you may change your coverage from death benefit Option A to Option B or vice-versa on any policy anniversary, but only if there is no change in the federal tax law test used to determine the minimum insurance amount. If you change from Option A to Option B, we will require evidence that the insured person still meets our requirements for issuing coverage. This is because such a change increases our insurance risk exposure.

If the "cash value accumulation test" applies to your policy, you can never change to either Option A under the "guideline premium and cash value corridor test" or to Option B.

Tax consequences of coverage changes. A change in the death benefit option or face amount will often change the policy's limits under the Federal tax law test. To avoid having the policy cease to qualify as life insurance for tax purposes, we reserve the right to refuse or limit a change in the death benefit option or a reduction in face amount.

Limitations on payment of death benefit. If the insured person commits suicide within certain time periods (generally within two years from the Issue Date of the policy), the amount payable will be equal to the premiums paid, less the amount of any policy debt on the date of death, and less any withdrawals. Also if an application misstated the age or sex of the insured person, we will adjust, if necessary, the Face Amount and every other benefit to that which would have been purchased at the correct age or sex by the most recent cost of insurance charge.

Surrenders and Withdrawals

Surrender and Partial Withdrawals

You may surrender the policy in full at any time, in which case we will pay you the policy's full account value less any policy debt and coverage under the policy and any riders and other benefits under the policy will cease. The amount of payment you will receive upon a surrender is based on values calculated as of the day we receive your request in good order or, if that is not a business day, on the next day that is. We generally pay that amount to you within seven days thereafter.

Additional Information Regarding Surrender and Partial Withdrawal

The surrender of the policy terminates the life insurance coverage and other policy benefits. If you surrender your policy, we will pay you the account value, less any policy debt and less any policy debt. You must return your policy when you request a full surrender.

You may make a partial withdrawal of your surrender value at any time after the first policy year. Each partial withdrawal must be at least $1,000. There is a charge (usually $20) for each partial withdrawal. We will automatically reduce the account value of your policy by the amount of the withdrawal and the related charge. Unless we agree otherwise, each investment option will be reduced in the same proportion as the account value is then allocated among them. We will not permit a partial withdrawal if it would cause your surrender value to fall below 3 months' worth of monthly charges. We also reserve the right to refuse any partial withdrawal that would cause the policy's Sum Insured to fall below $250,000. Under the Option A death benefit, the reduction of your account value occasioned by a partial withdrawal could cause the minimum insurance amount to become less than your Sum Insured. If that happens, we will automatically reduce your Sum Insured. The calculation of that reduction is explained in the policy. If the reduction in Sum Insured would cause your policy to fail the Internal Revenue Code's definition of life insurance, we will not permit the partial withdrawal.

Loans

Availability of Loans, Limitations and Interest

You may borrow from your policy at any time by completing a form satisfactory to us or, if the telephone transaction authorization form has been completed, by telephone. The maximum amount you can borrow is determined as follows:

• We first determine the surrender value of your policy.

• We then subtract an amount equal to 12 times the monthly charges then being deducted from account value.

• We then multiply the resulting amount by .75% in policy years 1 through 10, .50% in policy years 11 through 20, and .25% thereafter.

• We then subtract the third item above from the result of the second item above.

The minimum amount of each loan is $1,000. The interest charged on any loan is an effective annual rate of 4.75% in the first 10 policy years, 4.50% in policy years 11 through 20, and 4.25% thereafter. Accrued interest will be added to the loan daily and will bear interest at the same rate as the original loan amount. The amount of the loan is deducted from the investment options in the same proportion as the account value is then allocated among them and is placed in a special loan account. This special loan account will earn interest at an effective annual rate of 4.0%.

Effect of Loans on Cash Value and Death Benefit

Unless otherwise specified by you, the amount of the loan is deducted from the variable investment accounts and any fixed investment option in the same proportion as the account value is then allocated among them. Amounts in the loan account do not participate in the investment experience of the variable investment accounts or the fixed investment option, and therefore loans can affect the account value and death benefit whether or not the loan is repaid. The account value, the surrender value, and any death benefit above the Sum Insured are permanently affected by any loan, whether or not it is repaid in whole or in part. This is because the amount of the loan is deducted from the investment options and placed in a special loan account. The investment options and the special loan account will generally have different rates of investment return.

Other Effects of Loans

Taking a loan on the policy increases the risk that the policy may lapse because of the difference between the interest rate charged on the loan and the interest rate credited to the special loan account. When a loan is outstanding, the amount in the loan account is not available to help pay for any policy charges. If, after deducting your policy loan, there is not enough surrender value to cover the policy charges, your policy could lapse. Also, whenever the outstanding loan equals or exceeds your surrender value, the policy will terminate 31 days after we have mailed notice of termination to you (and to any assignee of record at such assignee's last known address) specifying the amount that must be paid to avoid termination, unless a repayment of at least the amount specified is made within that period.

The tax consequences of a loan interest credited differential of 0% are unclear. You should consult a tax adviser before effecting a loan to evaluate possible tax consequences. If we determine that a loan will be treated as a distribution from your policy because of the differential between the loan interest rate and the rate being credited on the special loan account, we reserve the right to decrease the rate charged on the loan to a rate that would, in our reasonable judgment, result in the transaction being treated as a loan under Federal tax law. The right to increase the rate charged on the loan is restricted in some states.

Loan Repayments

You can repay all or part of a loan at any time. Unless we agree otherwise, each repayment will be allocated among the investment options as follows:

• The same proportionate part of the loan as was borrowed from the fixed investment option will be repaid to the fixed investment option.

• The remainder of the repayment will be allocated among the investment options in the same way a new premium payment would be allocated.

Other Benefits Available Under the Policy

In addition to the standard death benefits associated with your policy, other standard and/or optional benefits may also be available to you. The following tables summarize information about those benefits. Information about the fees associated with each benefit included in the tables may be found in the FEE TABLE. 

STANDARD BENEFITS
Name of Benefit	Purpose	Brief Description of Restrictions/Limitations
Dollar cost averaging	Under the dollar cost averaging program, you will designate an amount that will be transferred monthly from one variable investment account into any other variable investment account, or a fixed investment option.	We reserve the right to cease to offer this program after written notice to you.
Asset allocation balancing	Under the asset allocation balancer program, you will designate a percentage allocation of account value among variable investment accounts. We will automatically transfer amounts among the variable investment accounts at intervals you select (annually, semi-annually, quarterly, or monthly) to reestablish your chosen allocation.	We reserve the right to cease this program after written notice to you.

 

OPTIONAL BENEFITS
Name of Benefit	Purpose	Brief Description of Restrictions/Limitations
Living Care Benefit Rider	Provides for an advance payment to you of a portion of the death benefit if the insured person becomes terminally ill, as defined in the rider, with death expected within 24 months.	Advances under the rider are discounted for interest at the rates specified in the rider, and we may use a portion of any advance to repay loans under your policy. The maximum advance is $1,000,000.
Age 100 Maintenance of Death Benefit Rider	Provides for the continuation of the Sum Insured in force when the insured person attains age 100, without charge, if the policy's account value at the time is greater than zero.	The monthly charge for this rider currently begins in the 6th policy year.
Long-Term Care Acceleration Rider	This rider provides for periodic advance payments to you of a portion of the death benefit if the insured person becomes "chronically ill" so that such person: (1) is unable to perform at least 2 activities of daily living without substantial human assistance or has a severe cognitive impairment; and (2) is receiving certain qualified services described in the rider.	Intended only for policies where the death benefit is determined under Option A and the "cash value accumulation test" described under "The minimum insurance amount" is elected. Benefits under the Long-Term Care Acceleration Rider will not begin until we receive proof that the insured person qualifies and has received 100 days of "qualified long- term care service" as defined in the rider, while the policy was in force. You must continue to submit evidence during the insured person's lifetime of the insured person's eligibility for rider benefits.

More About Certain Optional Benefits

When you apply for a policy, you can request any of the optional supplementary benefit riders that we then make available. Availability of any rider, the benefits it provides and the charges for it may vary by state. Our rules and procedures will govern eligibility for any rider and, in some cases, the configuration of the actual rider benefits. Each rider contains specific details that you should review before you decide to choose the rider. You may request an example illustrating the operation of any of the following optional supplementary benefit riders by contacting the Service Office at 1-800-732-5543. Charges for most riders will be deducted from the policy value. We may change these charges (or the rates that determine them), but not above any applicable maximum amount stated in your policy specifications. We may add to, delete from or modify the list of optional supplementary benefit riders.

• Living Care Benefit Rider. Provides for an advance payment to you of a portion of the death benefit if the insured person becomes terminally ill, as defined in the rider, with death expected within 24 months. Advances under the rider are discounted for interest at the rates specified in the rider, and we may use a portion of any advance to repay loans under your policy. The maximum advance is $1,000,000.

• Age 100 Maintenance of Death Benefit Rider. Provides for the continuation of the Sum Insured in force when the insured person attains age 100, without charge, if the policy's account value at the time is greater than zero. The monthly charge for this rider currently begins in the 6th policy year.

• Long-Term Care Acceleration Rider. Intended only for policies where the death benefit is determined under Option A and the "cash value accumulation test" described under "The minimum insurance amount" is elected. This rider provides for periodic advance payments to you of a portion of the death benefit if the insured person becomes "chronically ill" so that such person: (1) is unable to perform at least 2 activities of daily living without substantial human assistance or has a severe cognitive impairment; and (2) is receiving certain qualified services described in the rider.

Benefits under the Long-Term Care Acceleration Rider will not begin until we receive proof that the insured person qualifies and has received 100 days of "qualified long-term care service" as defined in the rider, while the policy was in force. You must continue to submit evidence during the insured person's lifetime of the insured person's eligibility for rider benefits.

We determine a maximum amount of death benefit that we will advance for each month of qualification. This amount, called the "Maximum Monthly Benefit" is based on the percentage of the policy's death benefit that you select when you apply for the policy, and the death benefit amount in effect when the insured person qualifies for benefits. The actual amount of any advance is based on the expense incurred by the insured person, up to the Maximum Monthly Benefit, for each day of qualified long-term care service in a calendar month. The first 100 days of qualified long-term care service, however, are excluded in any determination of an advance. We will recalculate the Maximum Monthly Benefit if you make a partial withdrawal of account value, and for other events described in the rider. Each advance reduces the remaining death benefit under your policy, and causes a proportionate reduction in your policy's account value. If you have a policy loan, we will use a portion of each death benefit advance to repay indebtedness.

We restrict your account value's exposure to market risk when benefits are paid under the Long-Term Care Acceleration Rider. We do this in several ways. First, before we begin paying any Monthly Benefit or waiving monthly deductions, we will transfer all account value from the variable investment options to the fixed investment option. (The amount to be transferred will be determined on the business day immediately following the date we approve a request for benefits under the rider.) In addition, you will not be permitted to transfer account value or allocate any additional premium payment to a variable investment option while rider benefits are paid. Your participation in any of the automatic investment plans will also be suspended during this period.

If the insured person no longer qualifies for rider benefits and your policy remains in force, you will be permitted to invest new premium payments or existing account value in the variable investment options. (The restriction on transfers from the fixed account described under "Transfers of existing account value" will continue to apply.) Benefits under this rider do not reduce the No Lapse Guarantee Premium payment requirements described under "No lapse quarantee feature" that may be necessary for the no lapse guarantee feature to remain in effect after a termination of rider benefits.

If you purchase this rider:

• you and your immediate family will also have access to a national program designed to help the elderly maintain their independent living by providing advice about an array of elder care services available to seniors, and

Taxes

Tax Consequences of Owning a Policy

Tax consequences will vary based on your own particular circumstances, and for further information you should consult a qualified tax adviser. This material does not constitute tax or legal advice and neither John Hancock USA nor any of its agents, employees or registered representatives are in the business of offering such advice.

Federal, state and local tax laws, regulations and interpretations can change from time to time. As a result, the tax consequences to you and the beneficiary may be altered, in some cases retroactively. The policy may be used in various arrangements, including non- qualified deferred compensation or salary continuation plans, split dollar insurance plans, executive bonus plans, retiree medical benefit plans and others. The tax consequences of such plans may vary depending on the particular facts and circumstances of each individual arrangement. Therefore, if the value of using the policy in any such arrangement depends in part on the tax consequences, a qualified tax adviser should be consulted for advice.

Generally, death benefits paid under policies such as yours are not subject to income tax unless policy ownership has been transferred in exchange for payment. Earnings on your account value are ordinarily not subject to income tax as long as we don't pay them out to you. If we do distribute any amount of your account value, all or part of that distribution would generally be treated as a return of the premiums you've paid and not subjected to income tax. Any portion not treated as a return of your premiums would be includible in your income.

Distributions for tax purposes include amounts received upon surrender or partial withdrawals and may include the charges for certain supplementary benefit riders as described below. You may also be deemed to have received a distribution for tax purposes if you assign all or part of your policy rights or change your policy's ownership. Amounts you borrow are generally not taxable to you. If you use policy value to pay down a policy loan, the amount so applied will be treated as a distribution.

Please note that certain distributions associated with a reduction in death benefit or other policy benefits within the first fifteen years after issuance of the policy are ordinarily taxable in whole or in part.

Some of the tax rules change if your policy becomes a "modified endowment contract." This can happen if you've paid premiums in excess of limits prescribed by the tax laws. In that case, additional taxes and penalties may be payable for policy distributions of any kind, including loans.

We expect the policy to receive the same Federal income and estate tax treatment as fixed benefit life insurance policies. Section 7702 of the Internal Revenue Code (the "Code") defines a life insurance contract for Federal tax purposes. For a policy to be treated as a life insurance contract, it must satisfy either the cash value accumulation test or the guideline premium test. We will monitor compliance with these standards. If we determine that a policy does not satisfy the definition of life insurance under section 7702, we may take whatever steps are appropriate and reasonable to bring it into compliance with section 7702.

It is possible that, despite our monitoring, a policy might fail to qualify as a life insurance contract under section 7702 of the Code. This could happen, for example, if we inadvertently failed to return to you any premium payments that were in excess of amounts permitted under section 7702, or if any of the funds failed to meet certain investment diversification or other requirements of the Code. If this were to occur, you would be subject to income tax on the income credited to the policy from the date of issue to the date of the disqualification and for subsequent periods.

If the policy complies with section 7702, the death benefit proceeds under the policy ordinarily should be excludible from the beneficiary's gross income under section 101 of the Code. (As noted above, a transfer of the policy for valuable consideration may limit the exclusion of death benefits from the beneficiary's income.)

Tax consequences of ownership or receipt of policy proceeds under Federal, state and local estate, inheritance, gift and other tax laws will depend on the circumstances of each owner or beneficiary. If the person insured by the policy is also its owner, either directly or indirectly through an entity such as a revocable trust, the death benefit will be includible in his or her estate for purposes of the Federal estate tax. If the owner is not the person insured, the value of the policy will be includible in the owner's estate upon his or her death. Even if ownership has been transferred, the death proceeds or the account value may be includible in the former owner's estate if the transfer occurred less than three years before the former owner's death or if the former owner retained certain kinds of control over the policy. You should consult your tax adviser regarding these possible tax consequences.

Increases in account value as a result of interest or investment experience will not be subject to Federal income tax unless and until values are received through actual or deemed distributions. In general, unless the policy is a modified endowment contract, the owner will be taxed only on the amount of distributions that exceed the premiums paid under the policy. An exception to this general rule occurs in the case of a decrease in the policy's death benefit or any other change that reduces benefits under the policy in the first fifteen years after the policy is issued and that results in a cash distribution to the policy owner. Changes that reduce benefits include partial withdrawals and reductions in face amount that result in a distribution that is required to keep the policy in compliance with section 7702. For purposes of this rule any distribution within the two years immediately before a reduction in benefits will also be treated as if it were a result of the reduction. A cash distribution that reduces policy benefits will be taxed in whole or in part (to the extent of any gain in the policy) under rules prescribed in section 72(e) of the Code. The taxable amount is subject to limits prescribed in section 7702(f)(7). Any taxable distribution will be ordinary income to the owner (rather than capital gain).

Tax Consequences of Electing Certain Supplementary Benefit Riders

Long-term care riders. If you have elected a Long-Term Care Acceleration Rider, monthly deductions from account value to pay the rider charges will reduce your investment in the contract but will not be included in income even if you have recovered all of your investment in the contract.

In addition, if you have elected a long-term care rider, the rider's benefits generally will be excludible from gross income under the Code. The tax-free nature of these accelerated benefits is contingent on the rider meeting specific requirements under section 101 and/or section 7702B of the Code. The riders are intended to meet these standards.

We caution you that there is a significant risk that ownership by anyone other than the person insured by the policy will cause adverse tax consequences. If the owner of the policy is not the insured person, benefit payments may be included in the owner's income, and the death benefit may be part of the insured person's estate for purposes of the Federal estate tax. A policy with a long-term care rider should not be purchased by or transferred to a person other than the insured person unless you have carefully reviewed the tax implications with your tax adviser.

Living Care Benefit Rider. If you have elected the Living Care Benefit Rider, we intend for the rider's benefits to be excludible from gross income under Section 101 of the Code. Nevertheless, you should consult your tax adviser as to the income tax consequences to you.

Effect on the Company's Taxes

We are taxed as a life insurance company. Under current tax law rules, we include the investment income (exclusive of capital gains) of the Separate Account in our taxable income and take deductions for investment income credited to our policy holder reserves. We are also required to capitalize and amortize certain costs instead of deducting those costs when they are incurred. We do not currently charge the Separate Account for any resulting income tax costs, other than a charge we may impose against the Separate Account to compensate us for the cost of a delay in the deductibility of deferred acquisition costs (the "DAC tax" adjustment) pursuant to section 848 of the Code. We also claim certain tax credits or deductions relating to foreign taxes paid and dividends received by the series funds. These benefits can be material. We do not pass these benefits through to the Separate Account, principally because: (i) the deductions and credits are allowed to us and not the policy owners under applicable tax law; and (ii) the deductions and credits do not represent investment return on the Separate Account assets that is passed through to policy owners.

The policies permit us to deduct a charge for any taxes we incur that are attributable to the operation or existence of the policies or the Separate Account. Currently, we do not anticipate making any specific charge for such taxes other than any DAC tax charge and premium taxes where applicable. If the level of the current taxes increases, however, or is expected to increase in the future, we reserve the right to make a charge in the future.

Principal Risks of Investing in the Policy

Lapse Risk

If the account value of your policy is insufficient to pay the charges when due, your policy (or part of it) can terminate (i.e. "lapse"). This can happen because you haven't paid enough premiums or because the investment performance of the investment options you've chosen has been poor or because of a combination of both factors. You'll be given a "grace period" within which to make additional premium payments to keep the policy in effect. If lapse occurs, you'll be given the opportunity to reinstate the policy by making the required premium payments and satisfying certain other conditions.

Since withdrawals reduce your account value, withdrawals increase the risk of lapse. Loans also increase the risk of lapse.

Investment Risk/Risk of Loss

The policy offers a number of variable investment accounts, as listed in the APPENDIX. The investment performance of any variable investment account may be good or bad, and you may lose money on amounts you invest in a policy. Your account value will increase or decrease based on the investment performance of the variable investment accounts you've chosen. The variable investment accounts cover a broad spectrum of investment styles and strategies, some variable investment accounts are riskier than others. These risks (and potential rewards) are discussed in detail in the prospectuses of the portfolios. The death benefit may also increase or decrease with investment experience.

An investment in a policy is also subject to risks related to John Hancock USA, including that the obligations (including under the fixed investment option option), guarantees, or benefits are subject to the claims-paying ability of John Hancock USA. Information about John Hancock USA, including its financial strength ratings, is available upon request from your John Hancock USA representative. Our current financial strength ratings can also be obtained by contacting the Service Office at 1-800-732-5543.

Transfer Risk

There is a risk that you will not be able to transfer your account value from one variable investment account to another because of limitations on the dollar amount or frequency of transfers you can make. The limitations on transfers out of the fixed investment option are more restrictive than those that apply to transfers out of variable investment accounts. If you purchase certain supplementary benefit riders you will be subject to special transfer restrictions.

To discourage market timing and disruptive trading activity, we impose restrictions on transfers and reserve the right to change, suspend or terminate telephone, facsimile and internet transaction privileges. While we seek to identify and prevent disruptive trading activity, it may not always be possible to do so. Therefore, no assurance can be given that the restrictions we impose will be successful in preventing all disruptive trading and avoiding harm to long term investors.

Early Surrender or Withdrawal Risk/Not a Short-Term Investment

This policy is not a short-term investment and is not appropriate for an investor who needs ready access to cash. There are withdrawal charges assessed if you make a partial withdrawal. Depending on the account value at the time you are considering surrender, there may be little or no surrender value payable to you.

Tax Risks

In order for you to receive the tax benefits extended to life insurance under the Code, your policy must comply with certain requirements of the Code. We will monitor your policy for compliance with these requirements, but a policy might fail to qualify as life insurance in spite of our monitoring, which can have adverse tax consequences. If the policy were determined not to qualify as life insurance under the Code, you would be taxed on any income or gains those assets generate. In other words, you would lose the value of the so-called "tax-deferred inside build-up" that is a major benefit of life insurance.

There is a tax risk associated with policy loans. Although no part of a loan is treated as income to you when the loan is made unless your policy is a "modified endowment contract," surrender or lapse of the policy with a loan outstanding would result in the loan being treated as a distribution at the time of lapse or surrender. This could result in a considerable tax bill. Under

certain circumstances involving large amounts of outstanding loans and an insured person of advanced age, you might find yourself having to choose between high premium requirements to keep your policy from lapsing and a significant tax burden if you allow the lapse to occur.

Tax consequences of ownership or receipt of policy proceeds (including surrender or withdrawal proceeds) under Federal, state and local estate, inheritance, gift and other tax laws can vary greatly depending upon the circumstances of each owner or beneficiary. There can also be unfavorable tax consequences on such things as the change of policy ownership or assignment of ownership interests. For these and all the other reasons mentioned above, we recommend you consult with a qualified tax adviser before buying the policy and before exercising certain rights under the policy.

There are tax risks associated with the election of certain supplementary benefit riders (See "Tax Consequences of Electing Certain Supplementary Benefit Riders").

Cybersecurity Risks

Our business and operations are highly dependent upon the effective operation of our computer systems and those of our third-party business partners. As a result, there are potential operational and information security risks associated with attack, damage, or unauthorized access to the technologies and systems on which our business depends. These risks include, among other things, the unauthorized access, theft, loss, misuse, corruption, and destruction of data maintained online or digitally, denial of service on websites and other operational disruption, and unauthorized release of confidential customer information. Cyber-attacks affecting us, any third-party administrator, the underlying portfolios, intermediaries, and other affiliated or third-party service providers may adversely affect us and your policy value. For instance, cyber-attacks may interfere with the processing of actions taken on your policy, including the processing of transactions and orders from our website or with the underlying portfolios, impact our ability to calculate unit values or an underlying portfolio to calculate a net asset value, or cause the release and possible destruction of confidential customer or business information. Cybersecurity risks may also impact the issuers of securities in which the underlying portfolios invest, which may cause the portfolios underlying your policy to lose value. While measures have been implemented that are designed to reduce cybersecurity risks, there can be no guarantee or assurance that we, the underlying portfolios, or our service providers will not suffer losses affecting your policy due to cyber-attacks or information security breaches in the future.

Additional Information Regarding the Policy

Charges

Under the policies, we deduct the charges discussed immediately below under "Deductions from premium payments" and "Deductions from account value." Although the Fee Table in this prospectus provides disclosure about the maximum rates we are permitted to charge, we currently deduct some of the charges at less than those maximum rates. As a general matter, however, we also are permitted to increase or decrease the rate at which we are deducting any charge, provided that the rate can never exceed the maximum set forth in your policy (including in any applicable supplementary benefit rider) and as disclosed in the Fee Table. By contacting the John Hancock USA Service Office or your John Hancock USA representative at any time, you can obtain information about the then-current rate of any charges that are applicable to your particular circumstances and/or obtain a personalized illustration that will demonstrate the manner in which those specific current charges impact the values under your policy.

Deductions from premium payments.

Tax charge. A charge to cover state premium taxes we currently expect to pay, on average, and the increased Federal income tax burden that we currently expect will result from receipt of premiums. This charge is currently 3.60% of each premium.

Deductions from account value.

Insurance charge. A monthly charge for the cost of insurance. To determine the charge, we multiply the amount of insurance for which we are at risk by a cost of insurance rate. The rate is derived from an actuarial table. The table in your policy will show the maximum cost of insurance rates. The cost of insurance rates that we currently apply are generally less than the maximum rates. We will review the cost of insurance rates at least every 5 years and may change them from time to time. However, those rates will never be more than the maximum rates shown in the policy. The table of rates we use will depend on the insurance risk characteristics and (usually) gender of the insured person, the Sum Insured and the length of time the policy has been in effect. Regardless of the table used, cost of insurance rates generally increase each year that you own your policy, as the insured person's attained age increases. (The insured person's "attained age" on any date is his or her age on the birthday nearest that date.) We currently apply three "bands" of insurance rates, based on a policy's Sum Insured on the date of issue, but continuation of that practice is not guaranteed. The lowest band of rates is for policies of $1 million or more, next lower for policies between $500,000 to $999,999, and the highest band is for policies between $250,000 to $499,999. The insurance charge for death benefit Option B will tend to be higher than the insurance charge for death benefit Option A.

Asset-based risk charge. A monthly charge for mortality and expense risks we assume. The charge is a percentage of that portion of your account value allocated to variable investment options. The current percentages are .062% for policy years 1-15, .033% for policy years 16-30, and .016% for policy year 31 and each policy year thereafter. These percentages equate to effective annual rates of .75% for policy years 1-15, .40% for policy years 15-30, and .20% for policy years 31 and thereafter. The reductions after policy year 15 have not occurred yet under any policy, since no policy has been outstanding for 15 years. We guarantee that this charge will never exceed .075% of that portion of your account value allocated to variable investment options. This percentage equates to an effective annual rate of .90%. This charge does not apply to the fixed investment option.

Supplementary benefit rider charges. A charge for any supplementary insurance benefits added to the policy by means of a rider. Maximum charges for the various riders are shown in the Fee Table above under "Transaction Fees" or "Periodic Charges Other than Annual Portfolio Expenses," as appropriate. These charges are also specified in the rider's provisions or the policy specifications. The charges that we currently apply to the Long-Term Care Acceleration Rider are less than the maximum charges and are subject to change; however, the current charges will never be more than the maximum charges shown. You can obtain information about the specific charges applicable to you from your John Hancock USA representative.

Partial withdrawal charge. A charge for each partial withdrawal of account value to compensate for the administrative expenses of processing the withdrawal. The charge is equal to the lesser of 2% of the withdrawal amount or $20.

Loan interest rate. The maximum loan interest charged on any loan is shown in the Fee Tables and described under "Policy loans" in this prospectus.

Transfer fee. We currently do not impose a fee upon transfers of account value among the investment options, but reserve the right to do so in the policy.

Charges at the portfolio level. The portfolios must pay investment management fees and other operating expenses from portfolio assets. These fees and expenses are different for each portfolio and reduce the investment return of each portfolio. Therefore, they also indirectly reduce the return you will earn on any variable investment accounts you select. Expenses of the portfolios are not fixed or specified under the terms of the policy, and those expenses may vary from year to year. See APPENDIX.

Additional Information About How Certain Policy Charges Work

The premium, surrender and face amount charges help to compensate us for the cost of selling our policies. The amount of the charges in any policy year does not specifically correspond to sales expenses for that year. We expect to recover our total sales expenses over the life of the policies. To the extent that the premium, surrender and Face Amount charges do not cover total sales expenses, the sales expenses may be recovered from other sources, including the asset-based risk charge and other charges with respect to the policies, or from our general assets. Similarly, administrative expenses not fully recovered by the administrative charge may also be recovered from such other sources. We also may make a profit from any charge and can use any such profits to defray any of our expenses under the policies or for any other proper corporate purpose.

Unless we agree otherwise or you do not have sufficient funds in any fixed investment option or variable investment accounts, we deduct the monthly deductions from your policy's variable investment accounts and any fixed account in proportion to the amount of account value you have in each of those accounts.

You may structure the timing and amount of premium payments. Delaying the payment of premiums to later policy years could increase the risk that the no lapse guarantee feature will not be in effect and the account value will be insufficient to pay policy charges as they come due. As a result, the policy may lapse and eventually terminate. Conversely, accelerating the payment of premiums to earlier policy years could cause aggregate premiums paid to exceed the policy's 7-pay premium limit and, as a result, cause the policy to become a modified endowment contract, with adverse tax consequences to you upon receipt of policy distributions

Other Charges We Could Impose in the Future

Except for the tax charge, we currently make no specific charge for our Federal income taxes. However, if we incur, or expect to incur, income taxes attributable to any subaccount of the Separate Account or this class of policies in future years, we reserve the right to make a charge for such taxes. Any such charge would reduce what you earn on any affected accounts. However, we expect that no such charge will be necessary.

Under current laws, we may incur state and local taxes (in addition to premium taxes) in several states. At present, these taxes are not significant. If there is a material change in applicable state or local tax laws, we may make charges for such taxes.

Our right to increase any charge up to the maximum rate shown in the policy specifications applies to then outstanding policies, as well as to policies issued after the increase.

Commissions Paid to Dealers

We pay compensation to broker-dealers for the promotion and sale of the policies, and for providing ongoing service in relation to policies that have already been purchased. We may also pay a limited number of broker-dealers commissions or overrides to "wholesale" the policies; that is, to provide marketing support and training services to the broker-dealer firms that do the actual selling. The compensation paid to broker-dealers may vary depending on the selling agreement. The compensation paid is not expected to exceed 10% of a certain portion of the premium paid in the first policy year. The maximum commission on any premium paid in excess of such portion in the first policy year is 2%. In addition, the maximum trail commission payable at the end of each policy year is equal to 0.35% of the account value for the policy years 1-30. This compensation schedule is exclusive of additional compensation and revenue sharing and inclusive of overrides and expense allowances paid to broker-dealers for sale of the policies (not including riders). Under their own arrangements, broker-dealers determine how much of any amounts received from us is to be paid to their registered representatives.

To the extent permitted by SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") rules and other applicable laws and regulations, we may enter into special compensation or reimbursement arrangements ("revenue sharing"), either directly or through JH Distributors, with selected broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries. In consideration of these

arrangements, a firm may feature our policy in its sales system, give us preferential access to sales staff, or allow JH Distributors or its affiliates to participate in conferences, seminars or other programs attended by the firm's sales force. We hope to benefit from these revenue sharing and other arrangements through increased sales of our policies.

Selling broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries may receive, directly or indirectly, additional payments in the form of cash, other compensation or reimbursement. These additional compensation or reimbursement arrangements may include, for example, payments in connection with the firm's "due diligence" examination of the policies, payments for providing conferences or seminars, sales or training programs for invited registered representatives and other employees, payment for travel expenses, including lodging, incurred by registered representatives and other employees for such seminars or training programs, seminars for the public or client seminars, advertising and sales campaigns regarding the policies, payments to assist a firm in connection with its systems, operations and marketing expenses and/or other events or activities sponsored by the firms. We may contribute to, as well as sponsor, various educational programs, sales promotions, and/or other contests in which participating firms and their sales persons may receive gifts and prizes such as merchandise, cash or other rewards as may be permitted under FINRA rules and other applicable laws and regulations.

You should contact your registered representative for more information on compensation arrangements in connection with your purchase of a policy. We provide additional information on special compensation or reimbursement arrangements involving broker- dealers and other financial intermediaries in the Statement of Additional Information ("SAI").

Lapse and Reinstatement

Lapse. Your entire policy can lapse for failure to pay charges due under the policy. If the no lapse guarantee feature is not in effect, the policy will lapse if the policy's surrender value is not sufficient to pay the charges due on a grace period testing date. We will notify you of how much you will need to pay to keep the policy in force. You will have a 61 day "grace period" to make these payments. If you pay these amounts during the grace period, you may also continue the no lapse guarantee feature by paying the necessary NLG Premiums described in your policy.

Reinstatement. If you don't pay at least the required amount by the end of the grace period, your policy will lapse. If your policy lapses, all coverage under the policy will cease. Even if the policy terminates in this way, you can still reactivate (i.e., "reinstate") it within 3 years from the beginning of the grace period. You will have to provide evidence that the insured person still meets our requirements for issuing coverage. You will also have to pay a minimum amount of premium and be subject to the other terms and conditions applicable to reinstatements, as specified in the policy. Reinstatement of a lapsed policy will take effect on the monthly deduction date on or next following the date we approve the reinstatement request.

If the no lapse guarantee feature is not in effect and the insured person dies during the grace period, we will deduct any unpaid monthly charges from the death benefit. During a grace period, you cannot make a partial withdrawal or policy loan.

Generally, the suicide exclusion and incontestability provision will apply from the effective date of the reinstatement. Your policy will indicate if this is not the case. A surrendered policy cannot be reinstated.

Variations

Insurance laws and regulations apply to us in every state in which our policies are sold. As a result, terms and conditions of your insurance coverage may vary depending on where you purchase a policy. Specific variations from the information appearing in this prospectus which are required due to insurance laws and regulations are contained in your policy, or in riders or endorsements attached to your policy. You should refer to your policy for these state specific features.

We may vary the charges and other terms of our policies where special circumstances result in sales or administrative expenses, mortality risks or other risks that are different from those normally associated with the policies, subject to the maximum charges described in this prospectus. For example, with respect to policies issued to a class of associated individuals or to a trustee, employer or similar entity where we anticipate that the sales to the members of the class will result in lower than normal sales or administrative expenses, lower taxes or lower risks to us, we may offer the policies with reduced charges or with additional or enhanced features or benefits. We will make these programs available in accordance with our established administrative procedures in effect at the time of the application for a policy. The factors we consider in determining the eligibility of a particular group for such a program are: (i) the nature of the association and its organizational framework; (ii) the method by which sales will be made to the members of the class; (iii) the facility with which premiums will be collected from the associated individuals and the association's capabilities with respect to administrative tasks; (iv) the anticipated lapse and surrender rates of the policies; (v) the size of the class of associated individuals and the number of years it has been in

existence; (vi) the aggregate amount of premiums paid; and (vii) any other such circumstances which result in a reduction in sales or administrative expenses, lower taxes or lower risks. Any reduction in charges or feature or benefit enhancement will be reasonable and will apply uniformly to all prospective policy investors in the class and will not unfairly discriminate

Policy or Separate Account Changes

We reserve the right to make any changes in the policy necessary to ensure the policy is within the definition of life insurance under the Federal tax laws and is in compliance with any changes in Federal or state tax laws.

In our policies, we reserve the right to make certain changes if they would serve the best interests of policy owners or would be appropriate in carrying out the purposes of the policies. Such changes include those listed below.

• Changes necessary to comply with or obtain or continue exemptions under the Federal securities laws

• Combining or removing investment options

• Changes in the form of organization of any separate account

Any such changes will be made only to the extent permitted by applicable laws and only in the manner permitted by such laws. When required by law, we will obtain your approval of the changes and the approval of any appropriate regulatory authority.

We also reserve the right, subject to compliance with applicable law, including approval of owners if so required, (1) to transfer assets determined by John Hancock USA to be associated with the class of policies to which your policy belongs from the Separate Account to another separate account or subaccount, (2) to deregister the Separate Account under the 1940 Act, (3) to substitute for the fund shares held by a subaccount any other investment permitted by law, and (4) to take any action necessary to comply with or obtain any exemptions from the 1940 Act. Any such change will be made only if, in our judgment, the change would best serve the interests of owners of policies in your policy class or would be appropriate in carrying out the purposes of such policies. We would notify owners of any of the foregoing changes and to the extent legally required, obtain approval of affected owners and any regulatory body prior thereto. Such notice and approval, however, may not be legally required in all cases.

When We Pay Policy Proceeds

We will ordinarily pay any death benefit, withdrawal, surrender value or loan within seven days after we receive the last required form or request (and, with respect to the death benefit, any other documentation that may be required). You may choose to receive proceeds from the policy as a single sum. If we do not have information about the desired manner of payment within seven days after the date we receive documentation of the insured person's death, we will pay the proceeds as a single sum. As permitted by state law and our current administrative procedures, death claim proceeds may be placed into an interest-bearing John Hancock retained asset account in the beneficiary's name. The interest earned in a John Hancock retained asset account is normally subject to income tax. You should consult with your tax advisor if you have any questions regarding taxation of the interest earned. We will provide the beneficiary with a checkbook, so checks may be written for all or a part of the proceeds. The retained asset account is part of our general account and is subject to the claims of our creditors. It is not a bank account and it is not insured by the FDIC. We may receive a benefit from managing proceeds held in a retained asset account. Alternatively, you can elect to have proceeds of $1,000 or more applied to any of a number of other payment options, including the following:

• Option 1 - Proceeds left with us to accumulate with interest

• Option 2A - Equal monthly payments of a specified amount until all proceeds are paid out

• Option 2B - Equal monthly payments for a specified period of time

• Option 3 - Equal monthly payments for life, but with payments guaranteed for a specific number of years

• Option 4 - Equal monthly payments for life with no refund

• Option 5 - Equal monthly payments for life with a refund if all of the proceeds haven't been paid out

We reserve the right to defer payment of that portion of your account value that is attributable to a premium payment made by check for a reasonable period of time (not to exceed fifteen days) to allow the check to clear the banking system. We will not delay payment longer than necessary for us to verify a check has cleared the banking system.

We reserve the right to defer payment of any death benefit, loan or other distribution that is derived from a variable investment account if (1) the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings) or trading on the NYSE is restricted; (2) an emergency exists, as determined by the SEC, as a result of which disposal of securities is not reasonably practicable or it is not reasonably practicable to fairly determine the account value; or (3) the SEC by order permits the delay for the protection of owners. Transfers and allocations of account value among the variable investment accounts may also be postponed under these circumstances. If we need to defer calculation of separate account values for any of the foregoing reasons, all delayed transactions will be processed at the next values that we do compute.

State laws allow us to defer payment of any portion of the surrender value derived from the fixed investment option for up to six months. These laws were enacted many years ago to help insurance companies in the event of a liquidity crisis.

When the insured person reaches 100

On the policy anniversary nearest the insured person's 100th birthday, the death benefit will become equal to the account value on the date of death. Death benefit Options A and B will cease to apply. Also, we will stop deducting any monthly charges (other than the asset-based risk charge) and will stop accepting any premium payments.

We describe an optional Age 100 Maintenance of Death Benefit Rider that provides for continuation of the Sum Insured after the insured person reaches 100.

General Description of Registrant, Depositor and Portfolios

Depositor

Your policy is issued by John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.), 200 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 02116.

Registrant

The "registrant" of the policies with the SEC is the John Hancock Variable Life Account U, a separate account operated by us under Michigan law (the "Separate Account"). Each subaccount of the Separate Account invests its assets in one of the portfolios shown in the APPENDIX.

The Separate Account's assets are our property. Each policy provides that amounts we hold in the Separate Account pursuant to the policies cannot be reached by any other persons who may have claims against us and can't be used to pay any obligations of John Hancock USA other than those arising out of policies that use the Separate Account. Income, gains and losses credited to, or charged against, the Separate Account reflect the Separate Account's own investment experience and not the investment experience of John Hancock USA's other assets. All obligations under the policies (including under any fixed investment option options), guarantees, or benefits are obligations of John Hancock USA and are subject to its claims paying ability.

We normally compute account values for each business day as of the close of the NYSE on that day (usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern time). In case of emergency or other disruption resulting in the NYSE closing at a time other than the regularly scheduled close, the close of our business day may be the regularly scheduled close of the NYSE or another time permitted by the SEC and applicable regulations. Over time, the amount you've invested in any variable investment account will increase or decrease the same as if you had invested the same amount directly in the corresponding portfolio and had reinvested all of that portfolio's dividends and distributions in additional portfolio shares, except that we will deduct certain additional charges which will reduce your account value. We describe these charges under "Charges at the portfolio level." For certain policy years, we also will apply a policy credit to your account value.

Portfolios

Information regarding each portfolio, including (i) its name; (ii) its investment objective; (iii) its investment adviser and any sub- investment adviser; (iv) current expenses; and (v) performance is available in the APPENDIX to this prospectus. Each portfolio has issued a prospectus that contains more detailed information about the portfolio.

You can obtain the prospectus (hard copy or electronic) and additional information about any portfolio, at the addresses or phone number set forth in the first paragraph of the APPENDIX. On each business day, shares of each series are purchased or redeemed by us for each subaccount based on, among other things, the amount of net premiums allocated to the subaccount, distributions reinvested, and transfers to, from and among subaccounts, all to be effected as of that date. Such purchases and redemptions are effected at each series fund's net asset value per share determined for that same date. A "business day" is any date on which the NYSE is open for trading.

We will purchase and redeem series fund shares for the Separate Account at their net asset value without any sales or redemption charges. Shares of a series fund represent an interest in one of the funds of the series fund which corresponds to a subaccount of the Separate Account. Any dividend or capital gains distributions received by the Separate Account will be reinvested in shares of that same fund at their net asset value as of the dates paid. We normally calculate the unit values for each variable investment account once every business day as of the close of that day, usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. Sales and redemptions within any variable investment account will be transacted using the unit value calculated as follows after we receive your request either in writing or other form that we specify. If we receive your request before the close of our business day, we'll use the unit value calculated as of the end of that business day. If we receive your request at or after the close of our business day, we'll use the unit value calculated as of the end of the next business day. If a scheduled transaction falls on a day that is not a business day, we'll process it as of the end of the next business day.

Voting Portfolio Shares

We will vote all portfolio shares that we hold in the Separate Account for policy owners in proportion to instructions timely received by us from policy owners from all our Separate Accounts that are registered with the SEC under the 1940 Act. We will vote all portfolio shares that we otherwise are entitled to vote (including our own shares and other shares for which we receive no instructions)) on any matter in proportion to the instructions timely received by us and any affiliated insurance companies with respect to the matter from policy owners in separate accounts of these insurance companies that are registered with the SEC under the 1940 Act. The effect of this proportional voting is that a small number of policy owners can determine the outcome of a vote. The voting privileges described above reflect our understanding of applicable Federal securities law requirements. To the extent that applicable law, regulations or interpretations change to eliminate or restrict the need for such voting privileges, we reserve the right to proceed in accordance with any such revised requirements.

We will determine the number of portfolio shares for which voting instructions may be given not more than 90 days prior to the meeting. Proxy material will be distributed to each person having the voting interest under the policy together with appropriate forms for giving voting instructions.

We determine the number of a portfolio's shares held in a subaccount attributable to each owner by dividing the amount of a policy's variable investment account value held in the subaccount by the net asset value of one share in the series fund. Fractional votes will be counted. We determine the number of shares as to which the owner may give instructions as of the record date for a series fund's meeting. Owners of policies may give instructions regarding the election of the Board of Trustees or Board of Directors of a series fund, ratification of the selection of independent auditors, approval of series fund investment advisory agreements and other matters requiring a shareholder vote.

Legal Proceedings

There are no legal proceedings to which the Depositor, the Separate Account or the principal underwriter is a party or to which the assets of the Separate Account are subject that are likely to have a material adverse effect on the Separate Account or the ability of the principal underwriter to perform its contract with the Separate Account or of the Depositor to meet its obligations under the policy.

Financial Statements

The financial statements of the Separate Account, as well as the consolidated financial statements of John Hancock USA are in the SAI. The financial statements of John Hancock USA have relevance for the policies only to the extent that they bear upon its ability to meet its obligations under the policies. You may request an SAI by contacting our Service Office at a phone number or address shown on the back cover of this prospectus.

Appendix: Portfolios Available Under The Policy

The following is a list of portfolios available under the policies. More information about the portfolios is available in the prospectuses for the portfolios, which may be amended from time to time. You can find the prospectuses and other information about the portfolios at dfinview.com/JohnHancock/TAHD/eVariableLife. You can also request this information at no cost by calling 1-800-732-5543 or by sending an email request to life_and_annuities_prospectuses@jhancock.com.

The current expenses and performance information below reflect fees and expenses of the portfolios, but do not reflect the other fees and expenses that your policy may charge. Expenses would be higher and performance would be lower if these other charges were included. Each portfolio's past performance is not necessarily an indication of future performance. 

Investment Objective	Portfolio and Adviser/Subadviser	Current Expenses	Average Annual Total Returns (as of 12/31/24) (%)
			1-Year	5-Year	10-Year
To approximate the aggregate total return of a broad-based U.S. domestic equity market index.	500 Index Trust - Series NAV   John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC/Manulife Investment Management (North America) Limited	0.25%*	24.67	14.23	12.81
To seek income and capital appreciation.	Active Bond Trust - Series NAV   John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC/Manulife Investment Management (US) LLC	0.65%*	2.16	0.31	1.93
To provide long-term growth of capital. Current income is a secondary objective.	Blue Chip Growth Trust - Series NAV   John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC/T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.	0.76%*	35.73	14.60	14.87
To seek long-term growth of capital.	Capital Appreciation Trust - Series NAV   John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC/Jennison Associates LLC	0.74%*	30.71	17.68	16.20
To seek total return consisting of income and capital appreciation.	Core Bond Trust - Series NAV   John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC/Allspring Global Investments, LLC	0.62%*	1.54	-0.19	1.30
To seek long-term growth of capital.	Disciplined Value International Trust - Series NAV   John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC/Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc.	0.78%	-0.35	5.89	4.45
To provide substantial dividend income and also long-term growth of capital.	Equity Income Trust - Series NAV   John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC/T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.	0.71%*	11.67	8.42	8.29
To seek growth of capital.	Financial Industries Trust - Series NAV   John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC/Manulife Investment Management (US) LLC	0.88%*	30.36	9.47	9.05
To seek long-term capital appreciation.	Health Sciences Trust - Series NAV   John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC/T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.	0.84%*	1.86	5.51	8.12

Investment Objective	Portfolio and Adviser/Subadviser	Current Expenses	Average Annual Total Returns (as of 12/31/24) (%)
			1-Year	5-Year	10-Year
To seek long-term capital appreciation.	Small Cap Stock Trust - Series NAV   John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC/Wellington Management Company LLP	1.07%*	11.55	6.53	7.82
Seeks to approximate the aggregate total return of a broad U.S. domestic equity market index.	Total Stock Market Index Trust - Series NAV   John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC/Manulife Investment Management (North America) Limited	0.51%*	23.53	13.33	11.93

* This portfolio's annual expenses reflect temporary fee or expense waivers or reimbursements.

General Information and History

Depositor

Under the Federal securities laws, the entity responsible for organization of the registered separate account underlying the variable life insurance policy is known as the "Depositor." John Hancock USA ("Depositor") is a stock life insurance company organized under the laws of Maine on August 20, 1955 by a special act of the Maine legislature and redomesticated under the laws of Michigan. The Depositor is a licensed life insurance company in the District of Columbia and all states of the United States except New York. Until 2004, the Depositor was known as The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.). The Depositor's ultimate parent is Manulife Financial Corporation ("MFC"), a publicly traded company based in Toronto, Canada. MFC is the holding company of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and its subsidiaries, collectively known as Manulife Financial.

Registrant

Under the Federal securities laws, the registered separate account underlying the variable life insurance policy is known as the "Registrant." John Hancock Variable Life Account U (the "Registrant" or "Separate Account"), is a separate account initially established by the Depositor under Massachusetts law on May 27, 1993. The Separate Account meets the definition of "separate account" under the Federal securities laws and is registered as a unit investment trust under the Investment Company Act of 1940 ("1940 Act"). Such registration does not involve supervision by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") of the management of the Separate Account or of the Depositor.

Separate Account U's subaccounts are made available as the variable investment accounts under variable life insurance and variable universal life insurance policies issued by John Hancock USA. New subaccounts may be added and made available to policy owners from time to time. Existing subaccounts may be modified or deleted at any time.

Services

Administration of policies issued by the Depositor and of registered separate accounts organized by the Depositor may be provided by other affiliates. Neither the Depositor nor the separate accounts are assessed any charges for such services.

Custodianship and depository services for the Registrant are provided by State Street Investment Services ("State Street"). State Street's address is State Street Financial Center, One Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02111.

Audit services are provided by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm. Ernst & Young LLP's address is 200 Clarendon Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02116.

Underwriters

Principal Underwriter

John Hancock Distributors LLC ("JH Distributors"), a Delaware limited liability company wholly owned by John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.), is the principal distributor and underwriter of the securities offered through the prospectus. JH Distributors acts as the principal distributor of a number of other life insurance and annuity products we and our affiliates offer or maintain. JH Distributors also acts as the principal underwriter of John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust (the "Trust"), whose securities are used to fund certain variable investment options under the policies and under other life insurance and annuity products we offer or maintain.

JH Distributors' principal address is 200 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116. JH Distributors is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Act of 1934 (the "1934 Act") and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA").

Offering and Commissions

We offer the policies for sale, on a continuous basis, through individuals who are licensed as insurance agents and who are registered representatives of broker-dealers that have entered into selling agreements with JH Distributors.

The aggregate dollar amount of underwriting commissions paid to JH Distributors by the Depositor and its affiliates in connection with the sale of variable life products in 2024, 2023, and 2022, was $133, 941,360, $100,002,438, and $110,625,049, respectively. JH Distributors did not retain any of these amounts during such periods.

The registered representative through whom your policy is sold will be compensated pursuant to the registered representative's own arrangement with his or her broker-dealer. Compensation to broker-dealers for the promotion and sale of the policies is not paid directly by policy owners but will be recouped through the fees and charges imposed under the policy.

Other Payments

Additional compensation and revenue sharing arrangements may be offered to certain broker-dealer firms and other financial intermediaries. The terms of such arrangements may differ among firms we select based on various factors. In general, the arrangements involve three types of payments or any combination thereof:

• Fixed dollar payments: The amount of these payments varies widely. JH Distributors may, for example, make one or more payments in connection with a firm's conferences, seminars or training programs, seminars for the public, advertising and sales campaigns regarding the policies, to assist a firm in connection with its systems, operations and marketing expenses, or for other activities of a selling firm or wholesaler. JH Distributors may make these payments upon the initiation of a relationship with a firm, and at any time thereafter.

• Payments based upon sales: These payments are based upon a percentage of the total amount of money received, or anticipated to be received, for sales through a firm of some or all of the insurance products that we and/or our affiliates offer. JH Distributors makes these payments on a periodic basis.

• Payments based upon "assets under management": These payments are based upon a percentage of the policy value of some or all of our (and/or our affiliates') insurance products that were sold through the firm. JH Distributors makes these payments on a periodic basis.

Additional Information

Sales Load

We expect to recover our total sales expenses over the life of the policies through policy charges, including the premium, surrender and face amount charges. The amount of the charges in any policy year does not specifically correspond to sales expenses for that year, and to the extent that the premium, surrender and face amount charges do not cover total sales expenses, the sales expenses may be recovered from other sources, including the asset-based risk charge and other charges with respect to the policies, or from our general assets.

Underwriting Procedures

A policy will not be issued until the underwriting process has been completed to our satisfaction. The underwriting process generally includes the obtaining of information concerning the insured person's age, medical history, occupation and other personal information. This information is then used to determine the cost of insurance charge.

Financial statements

The statutory-basis financial statements of John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.) as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2024, incorporated in this SAI by reference to report on Form N-VPFS filed April 11, 2025, have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors, as set forth in their report thereon, and are incorporated by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

The financial statements of HANCOCK JOHN VARIABLE LIFE ACCOUNT U (File No. 811-03068) as of December 31, 2024, and for the two years in the period then ended, incorporated in this SAI by reference to report on Form N-VPFS filed April 11, 2025, have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon, and are incorporated by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in auditing and accounting.