According to research from EBRI, only 0.2% of savers have managed to sock away more than $1 million in their 401(k)s. Most people are closer to the average balance of roughly $60,000.
What are they doing differently? They don't necessarily have high incomes or brilliant investing skills, experts say. Instead, they're putting a larger percentage of money away, on a more frequent basis, than their peers. A $1 million balance is manageable even for someone who makes $35,000 a year, they say. Though the recession has weakened returns and made saving harder for families, many people still aren't taking full advantage of 401(k) benefits, with less than 10% reaching the max annual contribution cap.
