American Greetings Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
American Greetings Retirement Savings Plan
Cleveland, OHInformation2,632 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$3,975Employer $ per active participant
$6,316Employee $ saved per active participant
0.04%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$1.1BNet plan assets, end of year
$227,871Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity27.1 / 5054th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost20.4 / 2582th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving4.8 / 1532th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score62 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Information plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (60 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 54th |
| Lower admin cost | 82th |
| Employee saving | 32th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 63% |
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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
- American Greetings put in about $3,975 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($3,691). 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.
- The plan auto-enrolls employees. Check your default contribution rate. Defaults are often lower than what it takes to get the full match.
- 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 | $10,463,155 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $16,627,669 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $2,778,840 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $459,953 |
| Other admin expenses | $459,953 |
| Benefits paid out | $108,960,989 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $1.0B / $1.1B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 2,534 / 2,731 |
| Participants with account balances | 4,726 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Bdo USA P.C. |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | $306,500 reported compensation |
| Vanguard Advisers Inc. | $64,000 reported compensation |
| Creative Planning | $52,500 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251014083111NAL0005096018001, received 2025-10-14, EIN 34-0065325, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.