General Atomics 401(k) Review & Grade
General Atomics 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
San Diego, CAProfessional, Scientific & Technical Services12,464 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$4,521Employer $ per active participant
$13,084Employee $ saved per active participant
0.06%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$2.8BNet plan assets, end of year
$173,109Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity37.7 / 5075th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost16.4 / 2565th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving12.6 / 1584th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score74 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Professional, Scientific & Technical Services plans with 10,000+ active participants (70 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 75th |
| Lower admin cost | 65th |
| Employee saving | 84th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 39% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $62,631 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- General Atomics put in about $4,521 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,932). 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 | $56,355,862 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $163,079,032 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $27,743,470 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $1,485,195 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $1,137,455 |
| Benefits paid out | $172,011,728 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $2.4B / $2.8B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 12,242 / 12,686 |
| Participants with account balances | 15,974 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Cbiz Cpas P.C. |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Advisory Group, LLC | $1,077,453 reported compensation |
| Empower Annuity Ins Co of America | $316,068 reported compensation |
| Sageview Advisory Group LLC | $60,000 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250924162951NAL0007770737001, received 2025-09-24, EIN 95-3735102, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.