Updated
Updated · The Motley Fool · Sep 16
Vanguard Says Average 65-Plus 401(k) Hits $300,000 as Median Stays Near $95,000
Updated
Updated · The Motley Fool · Sep 16

Vanguard Says Average 65-Plus 401(k) Hits $300,000 as Median Stays Near $95,000

3 articles · Updated · The Motley Fool · Sep 16

Summary

  • Vanguard’s 2025 How America Saves report puts the average 401(k) balance for savers 65 and older at about $300,000, the highest among the age groups it tracks.
  • The gap to the median is wide: the typical 65-plus account holds about $95,000, showing how large balances skew the average upward.
  • Balances rise steadily with age in Vanguard’s data, from roughly $7,000 on average for savers under 25 to just over $270,000 for those aged 55 to 64.
  • Vanguard says comparisons have limits and points instead to a personal benchmark such as saving 10 times salary by age 67.

Insights

If average 401(k) balances are an illusion, what withdrawal strategy actually guarantees lifelong retirement income amidst 2026 market swings?
Why are so many retirees hoarding their 401(k) wealth instead of spending it, and what hidden tax traps await them?
With hardship withdrawals tripling, could tapping your 401(k) early silently destroy your chances of reaching the ultimate retirement benchmark?