Archer Daniels Midland Company 401(k) Review & Grade
Adm 401(k) and Employee Stock Ownership Plan for Salaried Employees
Decatur, ILManufacturing8,518 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$5,239Employer $ per active participant
$10,708Employee $ saved per active participant
0.01%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$2.3BNet plan assets, end of year
$202,135Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity35.9 / 5072th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost24.2 / 2597th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving12.9 / 1586th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score80 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (566 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 72th |
| Lower admin cost | 97th |
| Employee saving | 86th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 70% |
Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $58,562 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Archer Daniels Midland put in about $5,239 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($3,452). 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 | $44,631,276 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $91,215,290 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $18,288,382 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $287,581 |
| Contract administrator fees | $3,300 |
| Other admin expenses | $61,966 |
| Benefits paid out | $226,898,869 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $2.2B / $2.3B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 8,289 / 8,748 |
| Participants with account balances | 11,450 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Ernst & Young LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $225,615 reported compensation |
| Curcio Webb, LLC | $60,000 reported compensation |
| Wealth Management Systems Inc | $0 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250917103152NAL0000188563001, received 2025-09-17, EIN 41-0129150, plan #029, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.
Other 401(k) plans filed under this employer's EIN
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