Ascend Leasing, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Ascend Retirement Savings 401(k) Plan
Jackson, TNTransportation & Warehousing780 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$581Employer $ per active participant
$2,846Employee $ saved per active participant
1.43%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$14.4MNet plan assets, end of year
$16,015Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity15.3 / 5031th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost0.7 / 253th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving7.0 / 1547th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score33 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Transportation & Warehousing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (392 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 31th |
| Lower admin cost | 3th |
| Employee saving | 47th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 37% |
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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
- Ascend Leasing put in about $581 per active participant, below the typical peer ($1,070). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- 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.
- Direct plan expenses (1.43% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.23%). Check your annual fee disclosure, choose low-cost index funds if you can, and think about whether savings beyond the match belong in an IRA.
- 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 | $453,859 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $2,221,020 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $307,428 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $198,942 |
| Contract administrator fees | $148,942 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $50,000 |
| Benefits paid out | $3,595,989 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $13.5M / $14.4M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 851 / 710 |
| Participants with account balances | 897 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Ata, PC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| John Hancock Life Insurance Company | $76,627 reported compensation |
| Pension Consultants Inc | $50,000 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251008110457NAL0003219427001, received 2025-10-08, EIN 62-1148454, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.