401(k)s hit records as workers sock away more, stocks jump

STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — How's your 401(k) doing? President Donald Trump likes to ask that question around the country, sometimes throwing out big gains like 90% or 95%. The average 401(k) did indeed hit a record last year, although its growth was considerably less than that. The average 401(k) balance rose 17% last year to $112,300 from the end of 2018, according to a review of 17.3 million accounts by Fidelity Investments. The average individual retirement account, or IRA, balance rose the same percentage to $115,400. Those figures are averages, not medians, and the typical 401(k) might be closer to a quarter of that. The top 1% of 401(k) savers has more than $1 million in each of their accounts, which skews the average higher. Surging markets around the worl