Average 401(k) Balance For US Workers Hits $80,900 In Q1

According to Fidelity Investments (via Yahoo.com), the average 401(k) retirement balance for US workers hit an all-time high of $80,900 in the first quarter of 2013.

The investors who hung tight during the darkest days of the "Great Recession" were nicely rewarded, as the average 401(k) balance has rebounded 75% since March of 2009. Don't forget that the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is currently sitting well north of 15,000 points, dropped to about 6,600 points in March of 2009.

Workers aged 55 and older who have been with the same employer for ten years or longer have done even better since March of 2009, as their 401(k) balances have surged from an average of $130,700 to $255,000.

There were, of course, some people who elected to toss in the towel on stocks during the darkest days of the market, never to return.

According to Fidelity, workers 55 and older who didn't return to the equity markets currently have 401(k) balances of just $101,000.

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The Federal Reserve has pumped trillions of dollars into the system over the past number of years to keep interest rates low. This has helped propel the DJIA and S&P 500 to all-time highs, which has translated into some very healthy 401(k) balances across the nation.

The big question at this point is - what happens when the Fed turns off the tap?

Source: Yahoo! Finance - Average U.S. 401(k) balance tops $80,000, up 75 percent since 2009

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