Year end usually presents a good time for personal reflection back to previous excesses that may have lasting consequences. Seldom do ordinarily conscientious folks look back for times in which they could have done more. Only here we are not talking about office parties, but rather retirement savings in the form of 401(k), 403(b), 457 and IRA accounts. Retirement savings habits, however, do present a case where more action attendant to savings, variety, costs and trading could have brought better investment returns in 2011 and beyond.

Consider the following retirement regrets where more, rather than less, would have been warranted in 2011:

Saving too little too late: Financial planners recommend individuals save at least 10 to 15 percent of pay each year for retirement, and more if you are older. When you save under an employer-sponsored 401(k), 403(b), 457 or IRA retirement savings plan, you may not only be able to defer taxes on the portion of your pay you contribute to your account, but you may also get the benefit of a company match on some or all of your contributions.