Decore-Ative Specialties, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Decore-Ative Specialties, Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan
Monrovia, CAManufacturing658 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$897Employer $ per active participant
$4,459Employee $ saved per active participant
0.46%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$62.7MNet plan assets, end of year
$70,167Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity7.2 / 5014th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost6.3 / 2525th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving6.5 / 1544th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score27 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 14th |
| Lower admin cost | 25th |
| Employee saving | 44th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
Get the monthly 401(k) report card
The best and worst plans, new grades as filings post. One email a month, no spam.
Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $4,085 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Decore-Ative Specialties put in about $897 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 (0.46% 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 | $590,358 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $2,936,018 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $42,744 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $276,800 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $98,371 |
| Benefits paid out | $4,190,565 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $56.4M / $62.7M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 668 / 649 |
| Participants with account balances | 893 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Lucas,horsfall,murphy&pindroh,llp |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company O | $85,039 reported compensation |
| Sageview Advisory Group, LLC | $77,914 reported compensation |
| Sageview Advisory Group, LLC | $20,457 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251015075915NAL0002001539001, received 2025-10-15, EIN 95-2574629, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.