Learning from retirees' mistakes

[Personal Finance]

Learning from retirees' mistakes
People who've already retired know what they would have done differently. Take a cue from them.
NEW YORK (MONEY Magazine) - What's better than learning from your own mistakes? Learning from someone else's. You get the gain without the pain.

This month's column will give you that chance -- specifically, the opportunity to improve your own retirement prospects by applying lessons from today's retirees.

In two surveys conducted within the past year, Fidelity Investments and Putnam Investments asked recent retirees what they wished they had done differently.

Now, I wouldn't say the answers represent blindingly new revelations. But even if the responses aren't a total surprise, the fact that these people have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight makes their insights all the more compelling. Here are four lessons I drew up based on those regrets.

Lesson 1: Look beyond the 401(k)

Those of us still on this side of the retirement divide know we ought to be putting the maximum in company plans like 401(k)s. But what we may not appreciate is that a 401(k) alone probably won't be sufficient. Few of us get started early enough or stick with it our entire career.

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