Buffalo Lodging Associates, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Buffalo Lodging Associates LLC Retirement Savings Plan
Canton, MAAccommodation & Food Services1,335 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$683Employer $ per active participant
$1,317Employee $ saved per active participant
0.40%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$20.3MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity40.3 / 5081th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost7.7 / 2531th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving10.7 / 1572th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score62 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Accommodation & Food Services plans with 500–2,499 active participants (458 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 81th |
| Lower admin cost | 31th |
| Employee saving | 72th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 17% |
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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
- Buffalo Lodging Associates put in about $683 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($266). 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.
- Direct plan expenses (0.40% 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 | $911,313 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $1,758,150 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $908,918 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $72,894 |
| Contract administrator fees | $70,995 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $1,899 |
| Benefits paid out | $1,953,894 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $16.5M / $20.3M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,273 / 1,397 |
| Participants with account balances | 524 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Brock, Schechter and Polakoff |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| John Hancock | $70,995 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251010105344NAL0012892112001, received 2025-10-10, EIN 16-1585175, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.