Brother International Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
Brother USA Retirement Plan
Bridgewater, NJWholesale Trade870 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$5,251Employer $ per active participant
$9,573Employee $ saved per active participant
0.08%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$265.6MNet plan assets, end of year
$227,576Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity44.9 / 5090th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost19.6 / 2578th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving13.9 / 1593th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score88 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Wholesale Trade plans with 500–2,499 active participants (603 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 90th |
| Lower admin cost | 78th |
| Employee saving | 93th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 53% |
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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
- Brother International put in about $5,251 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($1,792). 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 | $4,565,782 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $8,323,857 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,572,845 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $211,482 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $52,065 |
| Benefits paid out | $30,586,518 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $246.5M / $265.6M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 872 / 867 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,167 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Eisneramper, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company O | $107,967 reported compensation |
| Capfinancial Partners LLC DBA Captr | $52,065 reported compensation |
| Eisner Advisory Group LLC | $51,450 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251015141056NAL0006372272001, received 2025-10-15, EIN 22-3142007, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.