Retail Services & Systems, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Total Wine & More 401(k) Plan
Bethesda, MDRetail Trade9,888 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$569Employer $ per active participant
$1,879Employee $ saved per active participant
0.19%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$162.0MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity21.7 / 5043th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost9.3 / 2537th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving7.1 / 1547th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-13 pts2 issues reported on the filing
Total score28 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (183 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 43th |
| Lower admin cost | 37th |
| Employee saving | 47th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 42% |
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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 $1,159,522 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Retail Services & Systems put in about $569 per active participant, below the typical peer ($650). 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 (0.19% 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 | $5,628,056 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $18,582,579 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $2,523,727 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $273,337 |
| Benefits paid out | $14,687,300 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $131.0M / $162.0M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 9,667 / 10,110 |
| Participants with account balances | 3,443 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | R. D. Hoag & Associates, LLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $273,337 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013165535NAL0000842019001, received 2025-10-13, EIN 25-1531856, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.