Pacific Life Insurance Company 401(k) Review & Grade
Pacific Life Insurance Company Retirement Incentive Savings Plan
Newport Beach, CAFinance & Insurance3,343 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$16,040Employer $ per active participant
$14,781Employee $ saved per active participant
0.03%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$1.8BNet plan assets, end of year
$353,048Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity49.0 / 5098th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost22.0 / 2588th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving13.7 / 1591th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score92 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Finance & Insurance plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (199 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 98th |
| Lower admin cost | 88th |
| Employee saving | 91th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 66% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $21,519 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Pacific Life Insurance put in about $16,040 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($4,489). 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 | $53,620,525 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $49,412,304 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $19,603,452 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $570,012 |
| Contract administrator fees | $397,206 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $96,197 |
| Benefits paid out | $148,623,745 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $1.6B / $1.8B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 3,250 / 3,436 |
| Participants with account balances | 5,035 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Deloitte & Touche LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Principal Life Insurance Company | $296,953 reported compensation |
| Metropolitan Life Insurance | $100,253 reported compensation |
| Mercer Inv Consulting | $96,197 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250710131243NAL0008715056001, received 2025-07-10, EIN 95-1079000, plan #007, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.