The Average 401k Balance By Your Age (a.k.a. you're screwed)

[Grand Magus]

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I wanted to work until I was 80 years old anyways.
... only about 31% of the labor force participates in a 401k due to
lack of access or a lack of foresight [ url = an easy to dismiss blog with unsupportable tables]

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[NobodysHome]

Considering the table has entries for 60 and 65 (38 and 43 years worked, respectively) and 401(k)'s were only enacted in 1978 (36 years ago), I question the research abilities of this blogger...

(Yes, yes. "Years worked" does not equal "Years contributed", but it's similar to my situation where I was silly enough to get a Ph.D. and then work in a public school system with a pension plan, so my "years worked while having a 401(k) available to me" has little resemblance to that table.)

[GM Bold Strider]

His assumptions are laughable. "In these certain, increasingly rare circumstances... you can be a millionaire!"

[thejeff]

It's also definitely aimed at the upper crust. The assumption that everyone should and could be putting the maximum $17,500 into a 401K when the median income is ~$39000. That's almost half the median salary and of course, the median being the median, it's much harder for almost half the population. Assuming they even have access to 401K.
Comes with the usual advice along the lines of "just have a roommate for the first couple years out of college" and "don't eat out so often".