Brunswick Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
Brunswick Rewards Plan
Mettawa, ILManufacturing9,818 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$2,817Employer $ per active participant
$5,405Employee $ saved per active participant
0.06%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$1.8BNet plan assets, end of year
$124,062Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity20.8 / 5042th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost18.6 / 2574th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving6.3 / 1542th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score53 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (566 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 42th |
| Lower admin cost | 74th |
| Employee saving | 42th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 70% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $1,689 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Brunswick put in about $2,817 per active participant, below the typical peer ($3,452). 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.
- 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 | $27,652,731 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $53,068,422 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $4,081,290 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $1,019,235 |
| Other admin expenses | $1,019,235 |
| Benefits paid out | $186,208,757 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $1.7B / $1.8B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 10,284 / 9,351 |
| Participants with account balances | 14,600 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Grant Thornton LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | $654,626 reported compensation |
| Vanguard Advisers Inc. | $309,929 reported compensation |
| Aon Investments USA, Inc. | $49,150 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250905105407NAL0017129169001, received 2025-09-05, EIN 36-0848180, plan #170, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.