Fowler Packing Company, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Fowler Packing Company Retirement Plan
Fresno, CAAgriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting943 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$4,767Employer $ per active participant
$3,182Employee $ saved per active participant
0.09%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$86.6MNet plan assets, end of year
$65,520Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity47.4 / 5095th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost19.0 / 2576th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving10.0 / 1567th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score83 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting plans with 500–2,499 active participants (118 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 95th |
| Lower admin cost | 76th |
| Employee saving | 67th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 36% |
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 $5,553 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Fowler Packing Company put in about $4,767 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($774). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- 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 | $4,495,721 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $3,000,384 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $404,711 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $72,251 |
| Other admin expenses | $72,251 |
| Benefits paid out | $2,807,673 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $71.1M / $86.6M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 754 / 1,132 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,322 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Dedekian, George, Small & Markarian |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | $78,951 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013131952NAL0002029520001, received 2025-10-13, EIN 94-1742287, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.