J.P. Morgan goes live with online target date tool for advisers

J.P. Morgan Funds is rolling out an online version of its target date evaluation program for advisers. The firm also is discussing developing a similar tool to help advisers analyze target risk funds. With the tool, advisers can get an analysis of target date funds' various asset allocations, how many asset classes are represented within the funds, and which funds fit best with an employer's specific 401(k) plan, said David Musto, head of J.P. Morgan's retail-investment-only retirement business. “We have narrowed it down to five different questions an adviser and their clients can ask to determine which of the target date types make the more sense,” Mr. Musto said. Though J.P. Morgan last year introduced a target date fund evaluation tool — Target Date Compass — to advisers directly through its representatives, the online tool also allows advisers access to archived reports and more in-depth analysis, he said. An online tool will make it easier for advisers to help their plan sponsor clients understand the differences among the various funds, said Michael Mosse, president of retirement services at Mosse & Mosse Associates, a registered investment adviser with $1 billion in assets under management. “This is the first tool that helps us explain the difference in target date funds and why one 2010 fund might [have lost] 30% in 2008 and another might [have lost] 8%,” he said. After conducting a pilot program with the tool for the past month, J.P. Morgan Funds is now rolling it out to all adviser clients, Musto said. It is available at www.jpmorganfunds.com/compass The company also is thinking about developing a similar tool around target risk funds to accommodate advisers and plan sponsors who prefer these funds as their default options, Mr. Musto said. “A certain segment of the plan sponsor community has viewed risk-based funds as more acceptable as a qualified-default-investment alternative,” he said. “We think there is an application there and we will assess with clients and might pursue it.”