Investors are so spooked by the market's recent gyrations that some have begun to regard it as off limits — for good. Advisors may have their work cut out for them. In an online survey of 929 investors with $100,000 or more in investable assets last fall, 29 percent agreed with the statement, “I will never feel comfortable investing in the stock market.” That number was up from 26 percent in February, according to the survey, sponsored by MFS Investment Management. Last year's proverbial wall of worry appeared as broad as it was tall; the number of investors classifying various asset classes as “excellent” or “very good” places to invest fell steadily across the board and throughout the year; even regard for cash and cash equivalents declined from February to the fall, the survey noted. “As we begin 2012, investors and their financial advisors need to reconsider their asset allocation, assess their true risk tolerance, separate out fear, and re-think their overall approach to investing for their long-term goals,” William Finnegan, senior managing director and head of U.S. retail marketing for MFS, said in the report.
