The average retirement plan participants between the ages of 45 and 54 had an average balance of $168,646 in 2023, according to Vanguard. How does your savings balance compare?

The average self-directed brokerage account within workplace 401(k)s finished at $335,857, down 4.7% from Q4 in 2024, according to Charles Schwab’s SDBA Indicators Report.

History shows that consistent, disciplined investing far outweighs any attempt at market timing, so focus on long-term growth ...

Saving for retirement can seem daunting, especially if you are young and starting from scratch, or older and realize that you ...

If you’re someone who doesn’t like to research individual stocks to generate long-term returns, exchange-traded funds can be ...

You may be curious to know how your 401(k) balance compares to the average saver's. To that end, Fidelity has some new data. And it may surprise you.

Key Points Both a 401 (k) and IRA offer tax-deferred retirement savings options. The 401 (k) has two key advantages over an IRA that could sway some to use it as their sole retirement account.

Fidelity found that 401(k) balances dipped slightly due to volatility, but that savings rates remained consistent. So what advice does it have for 401(k)s?

The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF has a solid track record of generating positive returns, but it has underperformed the S&P 500 since its inception in 2011, as you can see in the chart below.

Learn about the average 401(k) balance by age, income, and gender, and how this data can inform your retirement savings strategy for 2025.