Seattle Times Company 401(k) Review & Grade
401(k) Savings Plan for Employees of Seattle Times Company and Subsidiaries
Seattle, WAInformation582 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,064Employer $ per active participant
$6,279Employee $ saved per active participant
0.08%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$155.1MNet plan assets, end of year
$173,657Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity9.5 / 5019th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost19.5 / 2578th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving4.9 / 1532th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score41 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Information plans with 500–2,499 active participants (310 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 19th |
| Lower admin cost | 78th |
| Employee saving | 32th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $2,107 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Seattle Times put in about $1,064 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.
- 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 | $619,297 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $3,654,490 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $204,708 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $124,536 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $71,621 |
| Benefits paid out | $16,997,236 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $142.8M / $155.1M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 583 / 581 |
| Participants with account balances | 893 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Clark Nuber PS |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Verus Advisory, Inc. | $45,750 reported compensation |
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $31,190 reported compensation |
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $25,871 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013160913NAL0001686913001, received 2025-10-13, EIN 91-0403890, plan #005, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.