Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Investment and Retirement Plan
Fort Worth, TXTransportation & Warehousing6,220 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$8,013Employer $ per active participant
$9,633Employee $ saved per active participant
0.00%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$2.5BNet plan assets, end of year
$313,841Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity45.5 / 5091th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost24.9 / 25100th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving13.3 / 1589th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score84 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Transportation & Warehousing plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (123 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 91th |
| Lower admin cost | 100th |
| Employee saving | 89th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 46% |
Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $171,398 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Burlington Northern Santa Fe put in about $8,013 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($1,834). 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.
- 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 | $49,835,520 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $59,911,093 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $19,783,129 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $11,500 |
| Other admin expenses | $11,500 |
| Benefits paid out | $216,846,387 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $2.3B / $2.5B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 6,424 / 6,015 |
| Participants with account balances | 8,105 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Whitley Penn LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | $48,500 reported compensation |
| Qdro Consultants | $11,500 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013105550NAL0000511907001, received 2025-10-13, EIN 27-1754839, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.
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