NORMAL - Laurine Brown knew the balance in her retirement account would be bad, so she avoided looking at it for several months. When she finally did, she found out it had dropped about 40 percent, not unusual in these tough economic times.

A 52-year-old Normal resident, Brown doesn't have another three decades to recoup a market loss like younger investors might.

So, she and others like her are watching the U.S. recession with special interest. They continue to save for retirement but wonder how long it will take them to regain what they've lost. Experts, though, say people on the cusp of leaving the work force full time still have a range of options available and shouldn't panic.

For example, 51-year-old Theresa Speicker of Normal is considering delaying retirement after losing about 25 percent of her investments in this recession.

Speicker, a systems analyst at State Farm, had planned to retire at 57, but suspects that will now be stretched to 60.

But, true to the advice of the experts, she's not panicking. "I have a job I like and feel secure in it," she said.

Brown isn't panicking either, but, like Speicker, is concerned.

"It's hard to know where the (stock) market will go," Brown said.

Although she's in the stock market for the long-term, the visiting associate professor of health and environmental studies at Illinois Wesleyan University said it's hard to see money you've worked hard for lost.

But Carol Burroughs, a certified financial planner in Normal, said people in their 50s still have a number of years to recover.

"Anytime you let your emotions take over you may regret the decision you make," said Burroughs.

Investors should consider talking to financial advisers to "assess how risky people want their portfolios to be," said Illinois Wesleyan University economics professor Mike Seeborg.

Seeborg also advised against a knee-jerk reaction of moving investments completely out of stocks and into cash.

"When the market moves up, it does it quickly and you could miss out," he said.

Edgar Norton, a professor of finance at Illinois State University, acknowledged that people have reason for concern.

Brown, for instance, is a single mother of a junior high school student. Speicker has two grown children and a husband who's retired.

Though Norton hopes recovery is close, he added, "the more optimistic people say that by 2010 we should start seeing recovery."

These tough times are a good time to consider controlling spending, Norton said.

"Make sure you are living within your means and have an emergency cash reserve," echoed Burroughs.

Advisers suggest putting aside enough to live on for three to nine months.

Speicker has funds in reserve and has readjusted her investments slightly. However, she still has about 80 percent in stocks. "I don't want to sell my investments at a loss," she said.