How Big Is Your 401K Balance?

broknowrchlatr responds:
Posted: May 31st, 2007 at 4:21 pm

$31,191.22 over 3.5 years at current employer. I rolled over previous emplores to IRS totalling $59k

mapgirl responds:
Posted: May 31st, 2007 at 5:12 pm

oh oh. you should include English Major. She just broke the $10K mark. She said so in her comment on my post.

burn responds:
Posted: May 31st, 2007 at 6:02 pm

I’m not a blogger, but mine is ate $8k in 1 year (my first year out of college). I also set up a Roth IRA this year and put in the maximum contribution of $4k without cutting down on my monthly 401k contribution.

dong responds:
Posted: May 31st, 2007 at 6:16 pm

210k over 7 years. Company match and a good stock market can do wonders. The 1st 2 years at my 1st 401k employer, I actually contributed closes to 12k and ended up with 6k at the end of it. But it’s been a nice climb over the last 5.

Punny Money responds:
Posted: May 31st, 2007 at 8:01 pm

$20k in 18 months contributing only up to the company match, thanks mostly to the company stock soaring about 50% in one year.

anon e. mouse responds:
Posted: May 31st, 2007 at 8:11 pm

Over the last 9 years:
my contributions have grown to $130K
employer contributions have grown to $70K

my wife’s contributions have grown to $136K
employer contributions for her have grown to $90K

Mike responds:
Posted: May 31st, 2007 at 8:52 pm

$6k, 16 months, lol.

Mike responds:
Posted: May 31st, 2007 at 8:53 pm

I should add though, both wife and I just out of college with a kid and only 1 income!

Tired of working responds:
Posted: June 1st, 2007 at 12:00 am

$1.1M, over 25 years.

shaz responds:
Posted: June 1st, 2007 at 12:29 am

im so small at only $1.4

andyaluba responds:
Posted: June 1st, 2007 at 12:36 am

9 months, 9.3K (just out of school)

Tim responds:
Posted: June 1st, 2007 at 4:27 am

$26k 1yr me
$26k 1yr spouse

Shadox responds:
Posted: June 1st, 2007 at 4:54 am

$38K - 24 months.

fivecentnickel.com responds:
Posted: June 1st, 2007 at 6:07 am

Weekly Roundup - 06/01/07

Another week, another weekly roundup… But before we jump into the links, I just wanted to let you a heads up about something… In case you haven’t noticed, FiveCentNickel has been loading somewhat slowly recently. This is primarily due…

MrSmith responds:
Posted: June 1st, 2007 at 8:26 am

NetworthIQ.com has probably hundreds of people submitting their 401K info within the “retirement” category of assets. While they do not split out 401k (as opposed to 403b, Roth IRA, IRA, Roth 401K, other pension) they do provide the age range of the users of NetworthIQ.com

…and what I think may be the coolest part:There’s also people who enter their data from other countries. (so I suppose one day someone can do the research and determine which country saves the most towards their retirement)

$289k 8y (others in other forms of retirement assets)

Chris responds:
Posted: June 1st, 2007 at 8:27 am

Punny, you should be careful not to include too much of your 401k in your company’s stock - it’s like putting all your eggs in one basket. If you lose your job & your company goes downill - you lose twice.

Mapgirl’s Fiscal Challenge / Welcome New Readers! responds:
Posted: June 1st, 2007 at 11:52 am

[...] to Flexo, Jim and Single Ma for the link [...]

Scott responds:
Posted: June 1st, 2007 at 2:53 pm

Mike, you should be proud. You obviously have some good discipline. Most people I know in a similar personal situation (and even a couple years more removed from college) haven’t saved a dime (they don’t even take the company match - gasp!).

Personal Finance and Investing Blog » Blog Archive » Weekly Blog Roundup: Minimum Wage, Life Insurance, and Milk responds:
Posted: June 1st, 2007 at 4:11 pm

[...] How Big is our 401(k) Balance? Jim from Blueprint for Financial Prosperity wants readers to whip out their statements and lay them on the table to compare. [...]

Marc responds:
Posted: June 1st, 2007 at 5:06 pm

I love my 401k and do everything possible to max out…. I’m at
$258K in 10years, age 38y.

Lazy Man and Money responds:
Posted: June 2nd, 2007 at 12:20 am

I’m at 71K with about 8 years in the working world - 2 of which I was unemployed for.

Thoughts From Around the Blogosphere responds:
Posted: June 2nd, 2007 at 12:07 pm

[...] Blueprint for Financial Prosperity has saved $71,000 in his 401K plan I’m very close with $74,000. I’m a year or two older I think, but I also was unemployed [...]

The Digerati Life responds:
Posted: June 2nd, 2007 at 10:01 pm

I’ve never revealed any numbers before but this sure is interesting! Here are mine:

$50K in 3 years.

zen responds:
Posted: June 3rd, 2007 at 4:14 am

Okay I see numbers and years - what about ages and salaries?

Someone having 30k in two years when they are 24 and making 30k a year is much more impressive than a 40 year old making half a mill.

Posts I Enjoyed Last Week | The Sun’s Financial Diary | A Personal Finance Blog on Saving and Investing responds:
Posted: June 3rd, 2007 at 9:17 am

[...] at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity ran a list of sizes of 401(k) from people who are interested in sharing their numbers. The last time I checked, I have a little [...]

Will You Change Your Oil As Often As Recommended? My Weekend Roundup » Silicon Valley Blog About Money responds:
Posted: June 3rd, 2007 at 10:20 am

[...] For Financial Prosperity asks How Big Is Your 401K Balance? If you want to know how a lot of people responded, then check it out! He lists everyone who’s [...]

db responds:
Posted: June 3rd, 2007 at 2:42 pm

Rebuilding my 401(k) from $0 after the layoff:

$26K in 4 years. Building slow, my money’s been going to debt repayment.

savvy responds:
Posted: June 4th, 2007 at 5:19 pm

link

106k, just celebrated 6 years last week.

Unfortunately, my employer puts a limit on what we can contribute that is way less than the federal max.

Itwillcome responds:
Posted: June 5th, 2007 at 9:58 am

49200 approx 5 1/2 yrs

J.D. responds:
Posted: June 5th, 2007 at 2:04 pm

I don’t have a 401k. My family owns a small family business and our retirement program is a profit-sharing plan (that I don’t wholly understand). Employees make no contributions. Instead, we decide as officers to contribute between 0% and 15% of each employee’s salary every year (all percentages must be the same for every employee each year). Usually, we choose 10%, though I always lobby for 15%.

Last year we considered moving to a 401k so that employees could make contributions, but I was the only one in favor of it. My brother didn’t want it because he wants the cash *now*. My cousin didn’t want it because he doesn’t expect to live long enough to take advantage of it. They argued that the employees wouldn’t want it either. So: no 401k.

In the 11-1/2 years since we started our non-401k retirement plan, my balance has grown to $79,623.26. That’s not very much.

pronto responds:
Posted: September 27th, 2007 at 10:37 pm

I have $223k after 12 years with current employer, wife has $170k after 11 years with current employer. Also have another $30k in IRA.

azphx1972 responds:
Posted: September 29th, 2007 at 9:05 am

$286k in 12 years, age 35. Started maxing out at age 23 on a $31k salary. Here’s my 401k story.

alex responds:
Posted: October 5th, 2007 at 10:25 pm

Wife and I are both 56 years old and both retired last year. I have 1.9 million in tax deferred retirement accounts, 1.5 million in liquid accounts, wife has approx 980k in her 401k. We have been saving for about 30 years. I have approx $3 million in commercial real esate investments. I was a pharmacist, wife was an architect. We inherited $9.2 million from my father’s estate last year. (He was a plastic surgeon for 30 years in Beverly Hills) We summer in the Adirondacks and winter in the Carribean. We own a beach house in the Cayman Islands. We are relocating to there at the end of 2007 as we love to Scuba dive. We have no children, allowing us to accelerate our retiremnt savings. We were given a house as a wedding present from my dad, and so we never had to pay a mortgage.

Anonymous responds:
Posted: October 12th, 2007 at 2:12 pm

rolled over 49k in 2005, worth 93k today,

Brian responds:
Posted: October 12th, 2007 at 11:13 pm

I have $37 million put away for retirement (won the Lottery last year)

nick responds:
Posted: October 21st, 2007 at 1:54 am

6500 in 401k, 4000 in roth ira. 25 years old and have been contributing for 18 months.

Jack responds:
Posted: November 6th, 2007 at 12:12 am

wife and I have $6.4 million in 401k and IRA combined. I am 57, she is 56. Also have $7.4 million in liquid accounts. Own antique autos valued at $900k. I am a Pathologist, wife is a Radiologist. I will retire in 3 years, wife to retire at end of 2007.

Louis responds:
Posted: November 27th, 2007 at 8:51 pm

I have 968k in my 401k. I’m 55. I am an investment banker. I just inherited $14 million from my mothers’s estate. She was an attorney. I own properties on both the East and West Coast, as well as a villa in Rome Italy. I own half of a Major Leagure baseball team. My wife is a physician (dermatolgist). She is 50, she has $4.3 million in retirement accounts. I will be retiring this year. Wife wants to keep working, she earns $750k per year. (We have twin sons, both in Medical school. One is going to be a Dermatologist, the other a Pediatrician.)
Quite frankly I don’t know how the people who have posted on this site will make it with their meager amounts saved for retirement. Even with what my wife and I have set aside, I’m still concered about our lifestyle post retirement. We may have to sell the Villa in Rome. I guess we all have to make sacrifices.

Joe responds:
Posted: December 19th, 2007 at 11:24 pm

I have 30 soda cans to return for deposit. That combined with my savings account gives me about $149 put away for my Golden years. I am 63 years old. Needless to say, I will work until I die.

ms responds:
Posted: February 2nd, 2008 at 8:14 pm

how do I check my current 401k balance
is there an online facility where I can regularly check my current 401k balance. I left US 7 years back and want to withdraw my 401k money

Barney responds:
Posted: February 17th, 2008 at 12:14 am

I have a 1 cent stamp and an old potatoe that resembles Richard Nixon that I’m trying to sell on e-bay. These are my retirement assets. My wife is a crack whore and brings in about $65 a week hooking at the local gas station. Fill ‘er up for $5. Our son works as a barker in a traveling carnival. He’s in line for a promotion to ticket seller for the Tilt-a-whirl next spring. Daughter has 6 fingers on her left hand and has a lip fingus. She sells maps to movie star’s homes and on weekends helps Mom at her gas station post.
Our future looks almost as bright as Louis, Jack and Alex who posted here.

Harold responds:
Posted: February 21st, 2008 at 10:31 pm

I have an apple core that Elvis threw in the trash just before he died. Also, I used to have a job at Yankee Stadium cleaning toilets in the clubhouse. I have one of Roger Clemens’ old jockstraps. I will be selling these items and investing the proceeds for my retirement. I also have $21.49 set aside in my Roth IRA. I’m quite a catch ladies…..

Belinda responds:
Posted: February 25th, 2008 at 10:08 pm

I peddle my sorry, sagging ass to crack addicts on the UES of Manhatten, and I’m setting this cash asside for my retirement. Also, I am thinking of bidding on Barney’s Nixon potatoe (see above post). That investment will certainly do better than any 401k with today’s stock market.

Cary responds:
Posted: March 1st, 2008 at 10:49 am

Well this article and bloggers seem to be a bunch of boaster loosers at a quick glance but I could be judging incorrectly!

It’s great that people are saving but don’t fixate of the balance. The reason I bring this up is point is that preople in this blog have frazes like ‘my balance is $x so I dropped my contribution rate so I could ???? spend more/leave employment/false taxable investment and I’m only X years old.

Just before you say I’m bitter and old, you cannot be more wrong in age or savings status however I know what retirement is and how long it will be.

Just remember the younger the savings the better, as any finacial advisor will tell you, you will be; However being googled eyed about your 401K balance should wait until you are closer to retirement