Pandora Jewelry LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Pandora Jewelry LLC 401(k) Plan
Baltimore, MDWholesale Trade4,904 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$717Employer $ per active participant
$1,077Employee $ saved per active participant
0.17%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$61.7MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity5.4 / 5011th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost9.9 / 2540th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving0.7 / 155th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score16 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Wholesale Trade plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (103 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 11th |
| Lower admin cost | 40th |
| Employee saving | 5th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 62% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $11,389 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Pandora Jewelry put in about $717 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,459). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- 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.
- 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 | $3,514,664 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $5,283,253 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,941,591 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $98,062 |
| Contract administrator fees | $79,967 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $18,095 |
| Benefits paid out | $6,009,538 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $51.3M / $61.7M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 4,582 / 5,226 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,122 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Cliftonlarsonallen LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Lincoln National Corporation | $79,967 reported compensation |
| Bolton Partners | $15,000 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251008124437NAL0005561201001, received 2025-10-08, EIN 42-1561527, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.