Balise Motor Sales Company 401(k) Review & Grade
Balise Motor Sales Company 401(k) Retirement Plan
Springfield, MARetail Trade1,305 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$482Employer $ per active participant
$2,912Employee $ saved per active participant
0.11%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$44.9MNet plan assets, end of year
$64,093Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity17.7 / 5035th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost17.8 / 2571th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving7.3 / 1549th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score43 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 500–2,499 active participants (719 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 35th |
| Lower admin cost | 71th |
| Employee saving | 49th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 48% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $130,768 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Balise Motor Sales put in about $482 per active participant, below the typical peer ($743). 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.
- 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.
- 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 | $629,066 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $3,800,002 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $105,979 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $46,811 |
| Benefits paid out | $3,175,490 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $38.3M / $44.9M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,364 / 1,246 |
| Participants with account balances | 701 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Baker Tilly US, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Sentinel Benefits Group, Inc. | $41,033 reported compensation |
| Reliance Trust | $5,778 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251008141915NAL0005978993001, received 2025-10-08, EIN 55-0811490, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.