Crown Bakeries, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Crown Bakeries Retirement Plan
Nashville, TNManufacturing1,241 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,384Employer $ per active participant
$1,862Employee $ saved per active participant
0.63%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$25.2MNet plan assets, end of year
$37,344Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity13.7 / 5027th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost4.0 / 2516th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving1.5 / 1510th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features0 / 10No auto-enrollment or default investment reported
Total score19 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 27th |
| Lower admin cost | 16th |
| Employee saving | 10th |
| 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
- Crown Bakeries put in about $1,384 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 | $1,717,353 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $2,310,928 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $141,675 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $146,421 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $80,312 |
| Benefits paid out | $2,651,974 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $21.3M / $25.2M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,102 / 1,380 |
| Participants with account balances | 675 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Kerber, Eck & Braeckel LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Embree Financial Group | $80,312 reported compensation |
| The Vanguard Group | $61,131 reported compensation |
| Retirement Plan Consultants | $26,098 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013123651NAL0000608963001, received 2025-10-13, EIN 62-1643260, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.