J.P. Morgan Asset Management announced this week the launch ofthe 2013 edition of its Guide to Retirement, a freeinformational tool designed to help financial advisors have moreeffective retirement planning conversations with their clients.

The Guide to Retirement featuresuser-friendly charts on retirement planning topics to helpfinancial advisors engage clients, explain complex topics andencourage informed decisions.

The expanded 2013 edition of the guide includes:

• A retirement savings checkpoint grid that lets investors checkwhether they’re on track to meet retirement savings goals
• Portfolio-construction models that lay out retirement incomestreams
• Analysis of tax considerations for Roth versus traditionalIRAs
• Additional content on health care costs, saving trends andspending analysis

“The Guide toRetirement can be a versatile tool for financial advisorsin showing clients how demographics and data trends fit into theirown personal retirement savings picture,” said Katherine Roy, chiefretirement strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, in astatement.

The new and improved 2013 retirement guide provides visuals andgraphics organized in one place so clients can absorb complexconcepts, yet it also allows advisors to layer on their ownplanning and investment perspectives, Roy added.

“With the new 2013 edition, we’ve incorporated feedback fromhundreds of financial advisors to hone our focus on issues of mostimportance to their clients, particularly around individualretirement income planning where advisors are playing anincreasingly critical role,” she said.

The nonprofit Retirement Income Industry Association awarded the2012 edition of the guide an Excellence in Retirement IncomeCommunications designation.

Read about the2012 launch of the JPAM retirement guide atAdvisorOne.