Average 401(k) Balance Fell 3% in First Quarter: Fidelity

'Forgotten' 401(k) account fees can cost workers thousands in lost savings

With more Americans job hopping in the wake of the Great Resignation, the risk of “forgetting” a 401(k) plan with a previous employer has jumped, recent studies show.

Americans’ 401(k) Savings Rate Just Hit a Record High. See How You Compare

Despite saving a bigger portion of their incomes, workers saw their account balances dip over the first few months of 2025.

Fidelity: 401(k) Plans Down Due to 'Market Swings'

Investment firm Fidelity reported in its first-quarter report for 2025 that 401(k) balances are down 3% on average and IRA accounts are down about 4%.

Average 401(k) balance fell 3% in first quarter: Fidelity

(The Hill) -- Dramatic market shifts this year amid President Donald Trump's fluctuating tariff policies and growing recession fears have taken a toll on retirement accounts, according to a first-quarter investment analysis released Thursday. Fidelity Investments, the largest provider of 401(k) plans in the U.S., found average 401(k) balances fell 3 percent, hitting $127,100, even as savings rates rose, and the average individual retirement acco…

401(K) Plan Sponsors Expected to Favor Blend Target Date Funds, according to PIMCO Consultant Survey

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., June 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nearly two-thirds of institutional consultants and 80 percent of aggregators say they expect plan sponsors to increase their implementation of blend target date funds, retirement asset allocation vehicles that blend active…

I’m 65 with $2.5 million stashed in a 401(k) - is it time to stop contributing and avoid a tax nightmare down the road?

Key Points Depending on what one’s Safe Withdrawal Rate (SWR) is, income tax on retirement funds, especially when Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) age is reached, can get onerous.  There are strategies that can be used to minimize taxes that may be worth consideration, depending on one’s specific circumstances. FIRE adherents who plan to retire while still in their 50s will require the larger retirement savings accumulation in order for th…