Retirement Data: Fidelity Plan Balances Q2 2017

Source: Fidelity Press Release Aug 3, 2017

From the Fidelity release: "The average 401(k) account balance triples for long-term savers. People in their 401(k) for 10 years straight saw their balance increase to a record average of $266,100, up from $78,800 in Q2 2007.

August 2017 Market Update - Bull Trade Hits New Highs

The S&P 500 July index added 1.93% (2.06% with dividends) in July, and posted a double-digit gain of 10.34% YTD (11.59% with dividends). The S&P 500 returned 13.65% gain for the one-year period (with a 16.04% total return with dividends). From the U.S. election on Nov. 8, 2016, the index was up 15.46% and up 17.15% with dividends. It was a month of new closing highs, the S&P 500 posted five new closing highs in July. All 11 sectors gained for the month, up from five last month and seven in May. Large cap stocks continued to outperform mid and small cap stocks in 2017. Let's review price, sentiment, and valuation as we start the month of August.