Pearce Services, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Pearce Services, LLC 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan
Paso Robles, CAInformation2,299 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$873Employer $ per active participant
$2,347Employee $ saved per active participant
0.62%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$33.6MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity8.4 / 5017th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost4.1 / 2517th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving1.2 / 158th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score14 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Information plans with 500–2,499 active participants (310 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 17th |
| Lower admin cost | 17th |
| Employee saving | 8th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $2,734 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Pearce Services put in about $873 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,829). 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.
- Direct plan expenses (0.62% 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 | $2,006,310 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $5,396,357 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $570,331 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $181,706 |
| Contract administrator fees | $115,105 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $66,601 |
| Benefits paid out | $4,246,813 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $25.2M / $33.6M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 2,067 / 2,531 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,143 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Caliber Audit & Attest, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Stancorp Financial Group | $115,151 reported compensation |
| Financial Counseling Resources, LLC | $66,601 reported compensation |
| Charles Schwab | $13,981 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250916113550NAL0001157955001, received 2025-09-16, EIN 46-5721882, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.