Retirement Regrets

If you could go back to the beginning of your career and begin planning for retirement again, would you do anything differently? Would you start saving at age 20? Choose different investments?

A recent survey asked affluent seniors who retired in 2003 or earlier to describe what they wish they had done differently, both before and after the financial crisis began. Not surprisingly, the retirees between ages 55 and 75 with at least $500,000 in investable assets had more financial regrets after the market downturn. The retirees wish they had:

                                                                                                                           August                       October

Taken fewer risks with investing                                                              9 percent                    17 percent

Invested in principal protection or income guarantee products     9 percent                    12 percent

Spent less in retirement                                                                              6 percent                    11 percent

Invested less in company stock                                                                 6 percent                    9 percent

Source: MFS Investment Management

Tell us, if you could go back and plan your retirement over again, what would you do differently?