Cooley LLP 401(k) Review & Grade
Cooley LLP Salary Deferral and Profit Sharing Plan
San Francisco, CAProfessional, Scientific & Technical Services2,575 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$12,788Employer $ per active participant
$17,644Employee $ saved per active participant
0.05%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$1.3BNet plan assets, end of year
$327,759Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity47.8 / 5096th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost19.0 / 2576th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving13.6 / 1591th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score87 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Professional, Scientific & Technical Services plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (231 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 96th |
| Lower admin cost | 76th |
| Employee saving | 91th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 47% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $9,874 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Cooley LLP put in about $12,788 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,951). 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 | $32,927,869 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $45,433,028 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $8,601,283 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $678,573 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $521,815 |
| Benefits paid out | $81,849,298 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $1.2B / $1.3B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 2,509 / 2,641 |
| Participants with account balances | 4,021 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Withum Smith & Brown, PC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Schwab Retirement Plan Services,inc | $269,641 reported compensation |
| Corient Private Wealth LLC | $74,608 reported compensation |
| Lmcg Investments LLC | $43,763 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251014160350NAL0004475600002, received 2025-10-14, EIN 94-1140085, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.