Cargill, Incorporated 401(k) Review & Grade
The Cargill Partnership Plan
Wayzata, MNWholesale Trade28,136 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$3,200Employer $ per active participant
$7,283Employee $ saved per active participant
0.04%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$8.9BNet plan assets, end of year
$209,695Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity35.3 / 5071th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost19.3 / 2577th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving12.8 / 1585th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score74 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Wholesale Trade plans with 10,000+ active participants (35 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 71th |
| Lower admin cost | 77th |
| Employee saving | 85th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 63% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $32,477 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Cargill, Incorporated put in about $3,200 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,420). 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.
- 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 | $90,023,840 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $204,917,557 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $18,288,361 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $3,491,073 |
| Other admin expenses | $3,491,073 |
| Benefits paid out | $791,720,871 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $8.4B / $8.9B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 29,292 / 26,979 |
| Participants with account balances | 42,541 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | KPMG |
| Employer stock held by plan | $2,203,045,615 |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Vanguard Advisers Inc. | $2,530,046 reported compensation |
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | $821,284 reported compensation |
| Nepc LLC | $160,854 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251008115111NAL0002973139001, received 2025-10-08, EIN 41-0177680, plan #015, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.