Spangler Candy Company 401(k) Review & Grade
Spangler Candy Company 401(k) Savings Plan
Bryan, OHManufacturing536 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$2,593Employer $ per active participant
$2,811Employee $ saved per active participant
0.37%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$35.7MNet plan assets, end of year
$121,963Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity27.7 / 5055th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost8.3 / 2533th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving3.1 / 1520th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score42 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 55th |
| Lower admin cost | 33th |
| Employee saving | 20th |
| 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
- Spangler Candy put in about $2,593 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,320). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- 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 (0.37% 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 | $1,391,343 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $1,507,869 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $138,599 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $124,645 |
| Contract administrator fees | $124,645 |
| Benefits paid out | $3,351,271 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $31.8M / $35.7M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 550 / 523 |
| Participants with account balances | 293 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Cliftonlarsonallen LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Principal Life Insurance Company | $124,644 reported compensation |
| Osaic Fa, Inc. | $56,345 reported compensation |
| Morningstar Investment Management L | $0 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251009084726NAL0006703089001, received 2025-10-09, EIN 34-4360680, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.