Far West Services, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Far West Services, LLC 401(k) Plan
Costa Mesa, CAAccommodation & Food Services3,086 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$107Employer $ per active participant
$189Employee $ saved per active participant
0.32%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$2.7MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity17.5 / 5035th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost5.3 / 2521th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving1.2 / 158th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score27 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Accommodation & Food Services plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (104 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 35th |
| Lower admin cost | 21th |
| Employee saving | 8th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 15% |
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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
- Far West Services put in about $107 per active participant, below the typical peer ($244). 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 (0.32% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.12%). 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 | $330,800 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $582,843 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $22,605 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $7,619 |
| Benefits paid out | $569,314 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $2.1M / $2.7M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 2,746 / 3,427 |
| Participants with account balances | 182 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Withum Smith & Brown PC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Beacon Pointe Advisors | $11,396 reported compensation |
| Voya Retirement Insurance & Annuity | $7,567 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250821124102NAL0008245042001, received 2025-08-21, EIN 83-3343839, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.