A survey sponsored by Nationwide Financial in the U.S. finds that high-income professionals say they haven’t made major changes in their investing behaviors in reaction to last year’s volatile market and terrorist attacks, but their attitudes about financial planning appear to have changed significantly.

Only 25% say they made a minor change in their investment plans due to September 11, and the majority reported no changes at all. Additionally, affluent investors’ stock market outlook has not changed much since last year. But, 61% said they are unwilling to take substantial financial risk for substantial gain, a 10 percentage point increase since last year.

“High-income professionals may not have changed their habits directly, but we’ve discovered some key changes in attitude that may be a result of the bear market of 2001,” said Michael Butler, senior vice president of NFS Distributors Inc. “They are clearly placing greater emphasis on protection, education, and expertise than they did last year.”

However, results of the third annual Nationwide Financial Survey of high-income professionals indicate that their need to feel more secure goes beyond risk-and-return decisions. “Advisors must make extra effort to help them feel secure in their financial plans,” Butler said. “Advisors need to be aware of these changes so they can better attract, retain and serve affluent clients.”

High-income professionals report an increased interest in education about products and markets. The data also indicates that affluent investors are turning to more experts for help with financial planning.

“The results show that affluent clients want to know more, need to know more, and they’re demanding to learn from the best sources available,” said Mathew Greenwald, president of Greenwald & Associates, the Washington D.C.-based independent polling firm that conducted the survey.

The survey polled 500 people with annual household incomes greater than $150,000 per year. Respondents were younger than age 60 and were either engaged in financial planning or intending to be involved in it in the near future.