Ecco USA, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Ecco USA, Inc. 401k Plan
Salem, NHManufacturing540 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,241Employer $ per active participant
$2,107Employee $ saved per active participant
0.35%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$27.0MNet plan assets, end of year
$97,438Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity11.9 / 5024th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost8.8 / 2535th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving2.0 / 1513th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score26 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 24th |
| Lower admin cost | 35th |
| Employee saving | 13th |
| 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
- Ecco USA put in about $1,241 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 (0.35% 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.
- 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 | $670,794 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $1,138,604 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | – |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $97,878 |
| Other admin expenses | $97,878 |
| Benefits paid out | $7,019,997 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $28.7M / $27.0M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 597 / 484 |
| Participants with account balances | 277 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Caron & Bletzer, PLLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Annuity Ins. Co. of America | $31,828 reported compensation |
| RPW Solutions LLC | $27,009 reported compensation |
| Global Retirement Partners LLC | $27,009 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250729150122NAL0001421011001, received 2025-07-29, EIN 02-0485427, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.