Dead River Company 401(k) Review & Grade
Dead River 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
South Portland, MEWholesale Trade1,482 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$2,744Employer $ per active participant
$5,738Employee $ saved per active participant
0.35%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$100.9MNet plan assets, end of year
$44,551Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity34.9 / 5070th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost8.9 / 2535th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving9.7 / 1565th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score64 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Wholesale Trade plans with 500–2,499 active participants (603 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 70th |
| Lower admin cost | 35th |
| Employee saving | 65th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 53% |
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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
- Dead River put in about $2,744 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($1,792). 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.
- Direct plan expenses (0.35% 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.
- 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 | $4,066,639 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $8,504,016 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $4,594,651 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $324,607 |
| Contract administrator fees | $261,805 |
| Other admin expenses | $175 |
| Benefits paid out | $10,079,189 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $85.9M / $100.9M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,459 / 1,505 |
| Participants with account balances | 2,265 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Baker, Newman & Noyes, LLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| John Hancock Retirement Srvcs | $256,118 reported compensation |
| Morgan Stanley Smith Barney | $60,000 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250730164818NAL0004392817001, received 2025-07-30, EIN 01-0385895, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.