Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. 401k Plan
Reno, NVAccommodation & Food Services2,920 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$279Employer $ per active participant
$1,699Employee $ saved per active participant
0.33%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$43.0MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity27.2 / 5054th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost5.1 / 2520th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving12.5 / 1583th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-13 pts2 issues reported on the filing
Total score35 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Accommodation & Food Services plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (104 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 54th |
| Lower admin cost | 20th |
| Employee saving | 83th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 15% |
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Red flags from the filing
Benefits not paid when due: the plan reported failing to pay some benefits on time.
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $88,861 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Monarch Casino & Resort put in about $279 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($244). 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 (0.33% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.12%). 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 | $815,419 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $4,961,340 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $405,041 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $129,920 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $42,086 |
| Benefits paid out | $3,981,016 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $36.4M / $43.0M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 2,461 / 3,378 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,235 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Cliftonlarsonallen, LLP |
| Employer stock held by plan | $1,627,180 |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $87,830 reported compensation |
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $22,086 reported compensation |
| Palisade Investments LLC | $20,000 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251010173047NAL0008538225001, received 2025-10-10, EIN 88-0300760, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.