Ascend Performance Materials Holdings Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Ascend Savings & Investment Plan
Houston, TXManufacturing2,060 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$5,250Employer $ per active participant
$14,325Employee $ saved per active participant
0.01%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$548.3MNet plan assets, end of year
$207,514Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity42.0 / 5084th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost24.5 / 2598th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving14.6 / 1597th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score91 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 84th |
| Lower admin cost | 98th |
| Employee saving | 97th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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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 Performance Materials Holdings put in about $5,250 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,320). 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 | $10,818,240 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $29,517,192 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,016,651 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $52,528 |
| Benefits paid out | $91,121,872 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $524.5M / $548.3M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 2,294 / 1,827 |
| Participants with account balances | 2,642 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | KPMG LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | −$115,979 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251205122336NAL0003583393001, received 2025-12-05, EIN 27-0219853, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.