Aaron's, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Aaron's 401(k) Retirement Plan
Atlanta, GARetail Trade8,271 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$740Employer $ per active participant
$1,398Employee $ saved per active participant
0.18%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$186.0MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity27.5 / 5055th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost9.8 / 2539th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving5.4 / 1536th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score46 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (183 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 55th |
| Lower admin cost | 39th |
| Employee saving | 36th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 42% |
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Red flags from the filing
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Aaron's put in about $740 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($650). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $6,124,279 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $11,560,649 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $786,125 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $317,527 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $43,626 |
| Benefits paid out | $30,653,686 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $176.3M / $186.0M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 8,573 / 7,969 |
| Participants with account balances | 3,137 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Baker Tilly US, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Milliman, Inc. | $273,901 reported compensation |
| Charles Schwab Trust Bank | $43,626 reported compensation |
| Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. | $0 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251015134902NAL0009912370001, received 2025-10-15, EIN 58-0687630, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.