Ashland Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Ashland Employee Savings Plan
Wilmington, DEManagement of Companies1,471 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$8,902Employer $ per active participant
$11,148Employee $ saved per active participant
0.05%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$1.3BNet plan assets, end of year
$275,540Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity46.2 / 5092th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost21.7 / 2587th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving13.2 / 1588th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-10 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score81 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Management of Companies plans with 500–2,499 active participants (172 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 92th |
| Lower admin cost | 87th |
| Employee saving | 88th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 58% |
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Red flags from the filing
Benefits not paid when due: the plan reported failing to pay some benefits on time.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Ashland put in about $8,902 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,492). 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 | $13,095,081 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $16,399,009 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $4,721,072 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $668,301 |
| Contract administrator fees | $3,600 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $94,284 |
| Other admin expenses | $359,327 |
| Benefits paid out | $172,976,671 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $1.3B / $1.3B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,405 / 1,537 |
| Participants with account balances | 4,742 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Blue and Company, LLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $172,605 reported compensation |
| Fiducient Advisors | $89,176 reported compensation |
| Thompson Hine | $42,695 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251008133033NAL0005619473001, received 2025-10-08, EIN 81-2587835, plan #010, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.