Echo Maintenance, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Echo Maintenance 401(k) Plan
Port Arthur, TXConstruction1,433 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$371Employer $ per active participant
$1,510Employee $ saved per active participant
0.51%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$32.8MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity6.1 / 5012th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost5.6 / 2523th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving2.1 / 1514th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score14 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Construction plans with 500–2,499 active participants (498 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 12th |
| Lower admin cost | 23th |
| Employee saving | 14th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 44% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $240,503 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Echo Maintenance put in about $371 per active participant, below the typical peer ($1,672). 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 (0.51% 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 | $532,119 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $2,164,343 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $197,388 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $160,541 |
| Contract administrator fees | $160,541 |
| Benefits paid out | $4,470,862 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $30.4M / $32.8M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,564 / 1,302 |
| Participants with account balances | 389 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Cook Parker and Associates LLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| John Hancock Life Insurance Company | $85,708 reported compensation |
| Merrill Lynch | $60,442 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250929143514NAL0027034706001, received 2025-09-29, EIN 76-0395606, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.