Babcock & Wilcox Company 401(k) Review & Grade
The B & W Thrift Plan
Akron, OHManufacturing978 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$4,221Employer $ per active participant
$10,174Employee $ saved per active participant
0.04%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$457.4MNet plan assets, end of year
$244,876Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity38.5 / 5077th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost22.9 / 2592th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving13.5 / 1590th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score82 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 77th |
| Lower admin cost | 92th |
| Employee saving | 90th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $19,050 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Babcock & Wilcox put in about $4,221 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 | $4,129,993 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $9,955,007 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,394,983 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $157,514 |
| Other admin expenses | $157,514 |
| Benefits paid out | $47,978,068 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $434.0M / $457.4M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 963 / 994 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,868 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Forvis Mazars, LLP |
| Employer stock held by plan | $40,102 |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | $127,403 reported compensation |
| Forvis | $15,000 reported compensation |
| Troutman Sanders LLP | $12,403 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250923084859NAL0006593520001, received 2025-09-23, EIN 13-2933685, plan #033, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.