Cardinal Group Management & Advisory LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Cardinal Group Management 401(k) Plan
Denver, COReal Estate & Rental1,746 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$953Employer $ per active participant
$1,930Employee $ saved per active participant
0.61%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$20.5MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity19.7 / 5039th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost4.3 / 2517th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving3.7 / 1524th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score31 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Real Estate & Rental plans with 500–2,499 active participants (291 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 39th |
| Lower admin cost | 17th |
| Employee saving | 24th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 47% |
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
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Cardinal Group Management & Advisory put in about $953 per active participant, below the typical peer ($1,279). 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.
- Direct plan expenses (0.61% 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 | $1,663,470 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $3,369,461 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $855,432 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $108,851 |
| Other admin expenses | $44,705 |
| Benefits paid out | $3,267,051 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $15.3M / $20.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,024 / 2,467 |
| Participants with account balances | 740 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Bdo USA, P.C. |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $64,146 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251030105119NAL0001154131001, received 2025-10-30, EIN 26-3023643, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.