J.P. Morgan Asset Management today released the 11th edition of its annual Guide to Retirement, analyzing the most significant issues impacting retirement to help advisors and their clients, and DC plan participants make informed planning decisions and take positive actions to achieve a comfortable retirement.

"Retirement investors have experienced unprecedented volatility in the market throughout the last year, and face uncertainty for the year ahead. However, we feel optimistic for the future of retirement security as legislators and policy makers are emphasizing the need for broader access to retirement plans and an increase in savings rates." said Michael Conrath, Chief Retirement Strategist, J.P. Morgan Asset Management. "Our 2023 Guide to Retirement has been designed to help advisors navigate the evolving economic environment, take advantage of recent legislative changes, and provide long-term investing strategies to drive stronger retirement outcomes for clients."

Below is an overview of five key retirement themes featured in the 2023 Guide to Retirement:

1. Opportunities presented by SECURE 2.0 Act ("Act")

The Act will encourage small businesses to create retirement plans through increased tax credits. This provision specifically addresses nearly 50% of those private sector employees working for small businesses who have no employer-sponsored plans and those who have employer-sponsored plans are more likely to save towards retirement by two fold.

2. Importance of building an emergency reserve

Spending and income shocks are prevalent for workers and retirees alike. Retirees encounter more shocks in larger amounts than workers likely due to unpredictable healthcare costs. If people don't have an emergency reserve, they often tap their retirement portfolios prematurely and jeopardize their retirement success. We find from Chase consumer data that workers need about 2-3 months of pay in an emergency reserve and 3-6 months of pay for retirees.

3. Strategic adoption of tax-advantaged accounts

Individuals should consider diversifying their sources of retirement income. Maintaining a healthy mix of taxable, tax-free (Roth) and tax-deferred accounts can provide greater flexibility and control when managing income taxes over time.

4. Aligning your portfolio with your goals

Individuals may have different methods for funding their lifestyle in retirement, whether that's growing their portfolio, maintaining or spending some of their principal. For those who are spending principal, consider a dynamic spending strategy or protected income to meet current and future spending needs. Our research indicates spending on healthcare may increase in retirement but decrease in other categories such as food & beverage, and apparel & services in retirement.

5. Take a long-term view on inflation and the markets

Staying invested tends lead to a better retirement outcome as some of the market's best days occur very close to the worst days. Missing the ten best days over the past two decades reduced the annualized return by almost 50%; missing the top 40 days resulted in a negative annualized return on the original investment.

J.P. Morgan Asset Management helps financial advisors serve their individual clients and DC plan participants by offering industry-leading insights such as the Guide to Retirement, Guide to the Markets, Long-Term Capital Market Assumptions and spending and saving research in collaboration with the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). The firm also provides a one-stop-shop of digital tools and resources including Target Date Compass.