Freaked Out by the Election? Check Your 401(k)

Take a break from the action to check your balance. Odds are it’s good news.

Simulacra at an NFL game last month in Glendale, Arizona.

Photographer: Norm Hall/Getty Images
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You know it's bad when you turn to your retirement balance to take the edge off.

Now's that kind of a time. The average 401(k) balance gained for the second quarter in a row, inching up 2 percent, to $90,600 for the third quarter. That amount is a 7 percent jump from 2015's third quarter and up from an average of $64,300 five years ago, according to Fidelity Investments. Fidelity administers 401(k) plans for more than 14 million plan participants.