First Solar, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
First Solar, Inc. 401(k) Plan
Perrysburg, OHManufacturing3,376 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$3,139Employer $ per active participant
$6,117Employee $ saved per active participant
0.07%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$361.5MNet plan assets, end of year
$74,069Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity22.8 / 5046th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost17.2 / 2569th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving7.6 / 1551th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score58 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (566 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 46th |
| Lower admin cost | 69th |
| Employee saving | 51th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 70% |
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
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- First Solar put in about $3,139 per active participant, below the typical peer ($3,452). 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.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- 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 | $10,597,208 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $20,647,747 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $4,124,089 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $230,704 |
| Contract administrator fees | $1,800 |
| Other admin expenses | $90,100 |
| Benefits paid out | $29,430,487 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $308.8M / $361.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 2,791 / 3,960 |
| Participants with account balances | 4,880 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | GBQ Partners LLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $124,854 reported compensation |
| Global Retirement Partners, LLC | $75,000 reported compensation |
| GBQ Partners LLC | $15,750 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250930075553NAL0016170387001, received 2025-09-30, EIN 20-4623678, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.