Bowl New England, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Bowl New England, Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan
Colchester, VTArts, Entertainment & Recreation1,000 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$405Employer $ per active participant
$497Employee $ saved per active participant
0.75%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$8.9MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity14.1 / 5028th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost2.8 / 2511th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving1.1 / 157th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score18 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Arts, Entertainment & Recreation plans with 500–2,499 active participants (225 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 28th |
| Lower admin cost | 11th |
| Employee saving | 7th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 38% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $125,632 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Bowl New England put in about $405 per active participant, below the typical peer ($995). 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 (0.75% 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.
- 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 | $404,895 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $496,714 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | – |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $66,621 |
| Contract administrator fees | $49,661 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $16,960 |
| Benefits paid out | $1,747,856 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $8.8M / $8.9M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,014 / 985 |
| Participants with account balances | 152 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Mcsoley Mccoy & Co., Cpa's |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Future Planning Associates, Inc | $20,818 reported compensation |
| Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC | $16,960 reported compensation |
| Plan Integrity Partners, LLC. | $14,475 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250728135254NAL0000947427001, received 2025-07-28, EIN 03-0267492, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.