John Hancock Wants You Alive (It’s Good for Business)

This is part of a series from our April 2025 issue on longevity.

John Hancock president and CEO Brooks Tingle recently attended an event where the speaker asked the audience a simple question: “How many of you would like to live to 100?” Only three people raised their hands. When he reframed the question as, “What if I could assure you of good health until age 100?” though, suddenly every hand shot up into the air.

Tingle explains a revelation he had about a decade ago when he realized the importance of becoming a partner in keeping his clients healthy, especially as the fastest-growing American demographic is people over 85. Back then, “we would issue policies and say, ‘Here’s your life insurance. Hope you live a long, healthy life,’ because that would be good for us and good for you. But we did almost nothing to achieve that outcome.” The manifestation of Tingle’s awakening was the John Hancock Vitality program, which uses “education, tools, technology, incentives, and rewards to help [our clients] live a longer, better, happier life.”

Loath as anyone is to draw comparisons between their company and the airline industry, Tingle explains that Vitality operates somewhat similarly to a frequent flier or other loyalty program, “except the points you earn are for doing things that correlate with a longer, healthier, better life.” Customers accrue points for racking up a certain number of daily steps, getting a good night’s sleep, working out, buying healthier food, and getting a preventative screening (colonoscopy or mammogram). With these points you achieve bronze, silver, gold, or platinum status, each of which earns you discounts on your premium.

Tingle says that a deal they struck with Apple in 2016 is illustrative of the program’s success. “Customers claim an Apple Watch for a small fee, basically sales tax, and over the next 24 months, they repay 1/24 of the retail cost per month.” But John Hancock provides a list of physical-activity targets that allow you to waive that cost (about $15.50), and you wouldn’t believe what people will do to avoid making that monthly watch payment. Tingle tells us of a customer who said, “‘I don’t think twice about paying $25 for a glass of wine at my favorite restaurant, but I’ll be damned if I’m making that $15.50 watch payment.’ It’s gamified.”

Tingle hopes other companies will follow suit in creating programs similar to Vitality. “We all benefit if Americans live longer, healthier, better lives,” he says. “Why isn’t the whole industry trying to help? I think it will change in time.”

In fact, the most refreshing part of John Hancock’s approach to the aging and longevity revolution is Tingle’s willingness to say the quiet part out loud. “We want you to live a long life, and we have your back because we care about you, but also because it’s good for business,” he says. “I’ve found that honesty to be enormously positive and powerful.”

This piece was first published as part of a package in the print edition of the April 2025 issue with the headline: “Live Long and Prosper.”