Your oh-no moment could come minutes, months or years after you make a financial misstep.
Almost everyone has financial regrets, ranging from too high a spend on restaurant food to not investing in something that turned out to have a super high return.
Not saving for retirement is a top one, according to a 2018 survey by Bankrate, followed by inadequate emergency savings. Credit card debt was cited by just 10 percent.
Whether you got a late start on saving or you racked up credit card debt, you're not alone in making some ill-advised financial decisions.
Common regrets
One of the most common regrets is not saving enough or starting too late (or both), says Joe Wirbick, a certified financial planner and president of an advisory in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
These are the money decisions you could regret forever 
Most Americans don't start saving for their later years till they are in their early 50s, Wirbick says. But starting to save earlier means you can save in slower amounts.
A person who delays saving until age 30 would have to sock away $460 a month to save up $79,700 in 10 years, assuming a 7 percent return. Starting at 25, you'd need to save far less – $250 each month – to hit that same goal at age 40 .
"I find that using higher returns makes the example unbelievable, even though historical figures would say you should use 7.75 percent or 8 percent," he said.
A misguided loan
Ashley Patrick, 34, regrets a 401(k) plan loan she and her husband took. The couple, who live in Charlotte, North Carolina, wanted money for a home remodeling project, and it seemed like a sensible strategy.
They were years from retirement. They had one child and were expecting a second, and they needed the extra space. Her husband's coworkers, who seemed financially savvy, said it was a perfectly reasonable option.
Things snowballed, and not in a good way.
The first problem: The couple didn't fully understand the loan. Patrick assumed it would use the 401(k) account as collateral – instead of an actual withdrawal. She was shocked to see that the account balance had dipped by $25,000.
Then, about a year into making payments, Patrick's husband was laid off – and informed he had 30 days to pay back the outstanding balance. That amounted to nearly $20,000, a large sum to have to suddenly come up with. They could not do it.
"I didn't know a lot, till it all happened to me." -Ashley Patrick
Since they did not repay the loan on time, the IRS counted it as income, boosting their bottom line on the following year's tax return. They wound up with an unexpectedly large tax bill.
The couple decided to put the remainder on a 0 percent interest balance transfer credit card. They threw all their muscle into paying it off in 18 months. "I didn't know a lot, till it all happened to me," Patrick said.
For people who find themselves also regretting a debt they took on, Patrick recommends paying it off as quickly as possible.
Silver lining: Patrick determined to educate herself about her finances, and today she blogs about her expertise on her own personal finance site, where she helps other people get a grip on their money.
'Paralysis by analysis'
Robert Bonardi, 38, says he is a diligent researcher. He is also a procrastinator. "I looked into investing years ago, but never pulled the trigger," he said.
Bonardi, who lives in the Charlotte area, found himself tripped up by the staggering number of options. He'd look into dividend-paying stocks, such as Coca Cola, and then not be able write a check.
More from Invest in You:
On the fence about a Roth IRA? Here's what surprises most people
Make it spring break, not spring broke, with some simple money moves
Five easy ways to save $1,000 in three months
"The incredible amount of options tripped me up," Bonardi said. "I would see an option, and I would look into it again, and find pros and cons."
Research led him to entirely different investment possibilities, and then he'd feel the need to do a deep dive into those investments. "It turns out, you can research forever if you really want to," Bonardi said. "I guess it's paralysis by analysis."
Silver lining: Bonardi says his choices were sound. He scouted gold when it was about $700 an ounce. Recently, the price was $1,291. "At least I know I am good at the research portion."
