A 401(k) plan is a tax-advantaged retirement account offered that's by many employers. There are two basic types: traditional and Roth. Here’s how they work.

Key Takeaways Only 14% of participants max out their defined contribution retirement plans (such as 401(k)s), a Vanguard study shows.High-income earners are more likely to max out their 401(k)s, but ...

With more defined contribution retirement plans offering automatic features and increasing default deferral rates, Vanguard found that participant outcomes remained strong in 2024. Driven primarily by ...

You probably checked your 401(k) at some point last year and liked what you saw. Markets were up. Balances were climbing. The number on the screen looked like progress. But as I worked through the ...

A 2026 side-by-side analysis ranked Fidelity Investments slightly ahead of Vanguard in overall 401(k) performance, scoring 9.5/10 versus Vanguard’s 9.3/10. Fidelity’s edge came from zero-expense-ratio ...

Recent college grads face a tough entry-level job market, and average 401(k) balances show it. See how your savings compare.

Steve Holman has been a leader in Vanguard’s retirement business since 2004. He currently serves as principal and head of Vanguard’s Workplace Solutions Distribution Enablement division, which aims to ...

If all workers had access to a defined contribution plan, retirement readiness would rise to 61%, according to Vanguard analysis. Forty-two percent of Americans are on track to maintain their ...

Adam Hayes, Ph.D., CFA, is a financial writer with 15+ years Wall Street experience as a derivatives trader. Besides his extensive derivative trading expertise, Adam is an expert in economics and ...

Where do your retirement savings stand compared to your peers? It's not too tough to find out. Mutual fund company and retirement plan administrator Vanguard regularly publishes aggregate data for the ...