You might think having a lot of money means you don’t have a care in the world, but that isn’t necessarily true. A recent study by the Spectrem Group shows that even though rich people have fewer regrets than those with average incomes, they still have concerns about money. When asked what they would have done differently before the recession, about 17% of America’s top earners (those earning incomes of $750,000 or more), said they wished they had saved more money.  Among those with incomes below $100,000, 42% agree.
Not surprisingly, the lower the income, the higher the regret. The least wealthy of high net worth investors surveyed indicated regret over taking on too much debt and not contributing more to tax-deferred retirement accounts such as a 401(k).
In addition, 11% of respondents said they wished they had consulted with a financial advisor more (or used a different advisor), and taken greater investment risk.
In another survey of wealthy investors, Spectrem found that one’s age also plays a factor in financial regret. Older investors cite regrets over their amount of retirement savings, and young investors express regret over credit card debt.