Carolina Beverage Group, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Carolina Beverage Group LLC 401(k) Retirement Plan
Mooresville, NCManufacturing522 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$991Employer $ per active participant
$1,462Employee $ saved per active participant
0.63%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$8.3MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity8.3 / 5017th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost3.9 / 2516th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving1.0 / 156th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score16 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 17th |
| Lower admin cost | 16th |
| Employee saving | 6th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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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
- Carolina Beverage Group put in about $991 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,320). 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 (0.63% 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 | $517,760 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $764,024 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $65,513 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $48,351 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $15,301 |
| Benefits paid out | $868,333 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $6.9M / $8.3M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 507 / 538 |
| Participants with account balances | 241 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Greerwalker, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company | $33,050 reported compensation |
| Global Retirement Partners LLC | $12,500 reported compensation |
| Empower Advisory Group, LLC | $2,801 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013152343NAL0000769235001, received 2025-10-13, EIN 61-1669373, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.