Brunswick Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
Brunswick Retirement Savings Plan
Mettawa, ILManufacturing1,458 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,942Employer $ per active participant
$4,433Employee $ saved per active participant
0.09%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$162.5MNet plan assets, end of year
$83,733Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity21.0 / 5042th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost18.9 / 2575th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving6.5 / 1543th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score46 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 42th |
| Lower admin cost | 75th |
| Employee saving | 43th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
Get the monthly 401(k) report card
The best and worst plans, new grades as filings post. One email a month, no spam.
Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $7,587 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Brunswick put in about $1,942 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,320). 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 | $2,830,970 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $6,461,514 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $204,399 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $148,600 |
| Other admin expenses | $148,600 |
| Benefits paid out | $14,707,910 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $152.3M / $162.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,532 / 1,383 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,941 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Grant Thornton LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | $93,186 reported compensation |
| Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting | $37,481 reported compensation |
| Vanguard Advisers Inc. | $24,602 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250905105416NAL0017129297001, received 2025-09-05, EIN 36-0848180, plan #154, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.