Green Plains Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Green Plains Inc. 401(k) Plan
Omaha, NEManufacturing922 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$5,293Employer $ per active participant
$6,826Employee $ saved per active participant
0.36%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$88.4MNet plan assets, end of year
$90,574Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity42.2 / 5084th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost8.6 / 2534th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving10.8 / 1572th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score65 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 84th |
| Lower admin cost | 34th |
| Employee saving | 72th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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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
- Green Plains put in about $5,293 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,320). 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.
- Direct plan expenses (0.36% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.23%). 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 | $4,880,057 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $6,293,899 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $915,860 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $293,702 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $222,538 |
| Benefits paid out | $9,015,789 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $76.1M / $88.4M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 933 / 911 |
| Participants with account balances | 976 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Clifton Larson Allen LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Mercer Investments LLC | $188,731 reported compensation |
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company O | $71,164 reported compensation |
| Empower Advisory Group, LLC | $33,014 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251015063633NAL0001941763001, received 2025-10-15, EIN 84-1652107, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.