Flow Companies, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Flow Companies 401(k) Retirement Plan
Winston Salem, NCRetail Trade2,062 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$300Employer $ per active participant
$1,841Employee $ saved per active participant
0.24%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$39.1MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity11.4 / 5023th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost12.1 / 2548th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving4.7 / 1531th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score28 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 500–2,499 active participants (719 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 23th |
| Lower admin cost | 48th |
| Employee saving | 31th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 48% |
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 $199,172 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Flow Companies put in about $300 per active participant, below the typical peer ($743). 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.
- 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 | $617,577 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $3,795,506 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,379,160 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $86,052 |
| Contract administrator fees | $300 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $49,360 |
| Benefits paid out | $2,893,685 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $32.4M / $39.1M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,512 / 2,612 |
| Participants with account balances | 769 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Forvis Mazars, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $36,692 reported compensation |
| First Citizens Bank Inst Trust | $35,000 reported compensation |
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $14,360 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251006103342NAL0003272833001, received 2025-10-06, EIN 56-2121218, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.