POV: realizing only 1%

POV: realizing only 1% of the population has a 401k account Overview As of September 2025, Americans held $10.0 trillion in 401(k) plans across about 730,000 plans, serving about 70 million active participants and additional millions of retirees. Savings rolled over from 401(k)s and other employer-sponsored retirement plans also account for about half of the $18.9 trillion held in individual retirement account (IRA) assets as of September 2025. DOES AMERICA HAVE A RETIREMENT PROBLEM? Half of American workers aged between 21 and 64 have $955 or less saved for retirement, according to a report from the National Institute on Retirement Security. Of those with access to an employer-provided retirement, such as a 401(k), half have less than $40,000 saved. That is a fraction of what they will need, experts suggest. Respondents to a 2025 survey by asset manager BlackRock said they would need $2 million to retire comfortably. "Almost no one is close," CEO Larry Fink wrote in his annual letter to investors.