Amidst the current financial crisis, more than half of financial planners say their clients are changing or delaying their plans for retirement age, and also are making worse financial decisions than usual, a new survey says.

NAVA, the Association for Insured Retirement Solutions, announced the results of the survey on investor changes in financial planning earlier this year at the 2009 NAVA Marketing Conference, in New York City. The organization conducted the client-behavior survey via electronic polling of more than 1,500 financial advisers.

Among the survey results:

•More than half of advisers said their clients are changing or delaying their planned retirement age.

•More than half said their clients have made unwise decisions more often than usual.

•Nearly all advisers say they've noticed an increase in clients' level of anxiety about future financial security.

•Nearly 85 percent of advisers said their clients believe their future quality of life will be lowered.

"Rapidly changing and highly volatile market dynamics challenge even the most savvy of clients and the most experienced advisers," says Cathy Weatherford, NAVA's president and CEO. NAVA's 2009 Marketing Conference featured a heavy emphasis on assisting the adviser who is on the front lines helping consumers who have lost confidence in the financial markets and need to find a solution for security in retirement.

Additional survey findings highlighted how the current economic crisis is affecting client behavior specific to product offerings.

For example, more than 30 percent of financial advisers said they anticipate a significant increase in their clients' interest in financial vehicles that offer guaranteed lifetime income.

"We're experiencing an extraordinary period in the financial services industry," Weatherford says.

NAVA is a nonprofit trade association based near Washington, D.C.