Polar Corp. 401(k) Review & Grade
Polar Beverages Retirement Plan
Worcester, MAManufacturing1,832 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$677Employer $ per active participant
$4,936Employee $ saved per active participant
0.28%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$102.4MNet plan assets, end of year
$49,362Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity5.0 / 5010th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost10.9 / 2544th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving7.5 / 1550th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score33 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 10th |
| Lower admin cost | 44th |
| Employee saving | 50th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
Get the monthly 401(k) report card
The best and worst plans, new grades as filings post. One email a month, no spam.
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
- Polar put in about $677 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,320). 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.
- 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 | $1,239,698 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $9,040,443 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $299,783 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $267,138 |
| Other admin expenses | $267,138 |
| Benefits paid out | $9,540,535 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $91.1M / $102.4M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,758 / 1,905 |
| Participants with account balances | 2,075 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Bollus & Lynch LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company | $110,500 reported compensation |
| Global Retirement Partners LLC | $77,516 reported compensation |
| RPW Solutions LLC | $67,819 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250908114435NAL0019390513001, received 2025-09-08, EIN 04-3026575, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.