Mutual fund giant Vanguard has officially crunched the numbers. As of last year, the average balance for people aged 65 and older participating in one of its employer-sponsored 401(k) retirement plans stood at $279,997. Not bad.

Most people would likely prefer more, and plenty of people certainly have less. Either way, an average nest egg of this size isn't too shabby given that most of these individuals will also be collecting at least some Social Security retirement benefits.

You can do better than the average, though, particularly if you're closer to the beginning of your career than the end of it. Here are the four most important actions to take right now -- if you haven't taken them yet -- if you'd like to give yourself a chance at beating the average by age 65.

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Source Fool.com