Average 401(k), IRA balances hit record highs - but more workers are raiding their accounts, Fidelity says

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  "detected_at": "2026-09-03T13:54:17+00:00",
  "company": {
    "name": "Fidelity Investments",
    "domain": "fidelity.com"
  },
  "data": {
    "url": "https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/03/401k-ira-retirement-balances-leakage-fidelity.html",
    "title": "Average 401(k), IRA balances hit record highs - but more workers are raiding their accounts, Fidelity says",
    "excerpt": "Retirement account balances hit record highs in the second quarter, recovering from a dip at the beginning of the year, according to data published Thursday by Fidelity Investments, the nation's largest provider of 401(k) savings plans. But there were signs that workers also used their accounts as a piggy bank to ease financial pressures amid a broader affordability crunch , experts said. The average 401(k) balance rose 13.1% year-over-year to $155,800, an all-time high, according to Fidelity data. The average individual retirement account balance also gained 10% from a year ago to a record $144,523 in the second quarter, Fidelity found. Rising balances were buoyed by recent market gains, which followed a selloff earlier in the year sparked by the Iran war. As of Wednesday's market close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stock index was up roughly 10% year to date, while the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 have each risen more than 12%. Positive savings behaviors helped, as well. The average 401(k) contribution rate, including employer and employee contributions, held steady at 14.4%, Fidelity found, just shy of Fidelity's recommended 15% annual savings benchmark. \"When you combine positive market performance with steady and consistent savings rates, that's when you see these positive gains,\" said Mike Shamrell, Fidelity's vice president of thought leadership. Still, savers also...",
    "product": "Q2 2026 Retirement Account Balance Report",
    "summary": "Fidelity Investments published a report indicating that average 401(k) and IRA balances reached record highs in the second quarter of 2026.",
    "planning": false,
    "image_url": "https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/108272046-1772465653357-gettyimages-2187330836-a7403348.jpeg?v=1772465684&w=1920&h=1080",
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    "product_data": {
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      "full_text": "data published Thursday by Fidelity Investments",
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      "release_type": "report"
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      "report"
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    "published_at": "2026-09-03T13:54:17Z",
    "effective_date": "2026-09-03",
    "article_sentence": "Retirement account balances hit record highs in the second quarter, recovering from a dip at the beginning of the year, according to data published Thursday by Fidelity Investments, the nation's largest provider of 401(k) savings plans."
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