I'm guessing people regret having kids for more than financial reasons.  Some people simply aren't cut out for it or their lifestyles are too hectic.  Either they give up their fast paced dream job for the kid and are miserable or don't and have to try to balance it and are miserable.  

I too am childless by choice and while I'm sure that kids are the best thing that happen to some people for others they are the worst.  I know I'd fall into the latter category and it needs to be ok to say that so that there aren't so many unhappy/neglected children.  

Richest country? Borrowing from Aisa? @ bil a week?  Wake up.

The worst financial mistake we  made was remodeling our 1963 house - new windows, doors (solid interior and insulated exterior), added crown molding, chair rails, new baseboards, finished the basement, refinished all of the hardwood floors (which were originally carpeted), remodeled all of the bathrooms and the kitchen with new vanities, sinks, showers, fixtures, appliances, added bamboo flooring, etc.  We relocated, put the house on the market and received an appraisal that was the same as if we had never done anything to the darn thing!  We will never do that again!

Well lets see , never been married , took care of and raised NUMEROUS castaway kids , some turned out pretty well ,others were just too far gone to get them even close to back on the right track . I am now 43 and the last one is off on his own , you guys are going to have to raise your own kids from now on , no regrets neccessarily just more grey hairs than most people my age. It's time to take care of myself for a while ..

I agree with not keeping up with what other folks do. If I have to have a designer handbag as a pass to have lunch with someone who complains that I don't keep up with the latest style, or that they think my haircut needs to be updated, NO THANKS!! I stay home for lunch now, and it's been much more peaceful.

credit cards - lenders were way too free with credit limits and now they are facing mega default rates

mortgages - lenders made them too easy to get - same result as credit cards

stock market - bunch of greedy investors wondering when the other shoe is going to drop and how to escape before the youknowwhat hits the fan

average consumer - in the middle of the whole mess!

Kids - priceless!

Me too...no children and extremely happy. 48 yrs old and have never wanted any, and never experienced a 'maternal feeling' in my life - so why do parents insist on saying having kids is the greatest thing in the world? Plus, when this is stated 9 times out of 10 there is an almost desperate air about it - as if it's the politically correct thing to say. Maybe these parents discovered after the fact, that it's not quite what it's cracked up to be?  Now....Freedom of choice....that's the ticket!

I think one of the worst things people do is to compare themselves to each other in general. This is how you get people who are not academically inclined going to colleges (even state colleges) that they cannot afford and aren't willing to pay for later, people having babies because it is in fashion, and twenty-somethings driving cars that cost more than their parents houses. At 28 I do not have a car loan, but I have student loan debt. My parents could not pay for college and I learned my money mistakes the hard way. If you do have children, teach them about money early and don't let them make the mistakes kids make now. I don't have children and as one of six kids, I may never have children. If you can't afford it, don't do it. There is no excuse.

I'm just out of college and $85,000 in debt from tuition and other college expenses.  It's overwhelming to think about, but I don't regret it.  There needs to be a better way for people like me.  I come from a middle class family and I have 3 siblings.  My parents are not by any means poor, but they couldn't afford to pay for all four of us to go to college.  Therefore, I borrowed my way through school and did recieve aid from scholarships, but not nearly enough.  You think the housing market is bad now, just wait until my generation, "the debt generation", is out there.  We're too overwhelmed with student loans and credit card debt to ever buy a house.  

I don't regret having a child on my own and being poor. I regret that the richest country in the world can't provide me with employment that earns a reasonable income for someone with a college degree and cannot provide working hours that are flexible enough for those struggling to be "supermoms." Instead, it provides us with worthless free programs that don't do much for us, and allows single and poor parents to carry a stigma. People complaining that they are supporting needy America, obviously have been very lucky, and have never had to go a day hungry in their life. Those people shouldn't have children. They love money, not humanity. They are worthless to the entire world. The rest of us have learned that the true currency is faith.