Sparks Marketing LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Sparks Marketing 401(k) Savings Plan
Philadelphia, PAProfessional, Scientific & Technical Services670 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,106Employer $ per active participant
$5,347Employee $ saved per active participant
0.54%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$54.3MNet plan assets, end of year
$67,225Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity10.5 / 5021th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost5.2 / 2521th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving3.9 / 1526th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score30 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Professional, Scientific & Technical Services plans with 500–2,499 active participants (1,469 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 21th |
| Lower admin cost | 21th |
| Employee saving | 26th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 48% |
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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
- Sparks Marketing put in about $1,106 per active participant, below the typical peer ($3,082). 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 (0.54% 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.
- 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 | $740,651 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $3,579,886 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $595,888 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $279,669 |
| Benefits paid out | $7,126,365 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $49.3M / $54.3M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 666 / 673 |
| Participants with account balances | 808 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Julian Sur CPA |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| One Digital Investment Advisors LLC | $29,528 reported compensation |
| Ej Reynolds, Inc. | $25,455 reported compensation |
| Voya Retirement Advisors, LLC | $12,592 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251015121556NAL0002272995001, received 2025-10-15, EIN 61-1769598, plan #003, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.