Tawa Supermarket, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Tawa Supermarket, Inc. 401(k) Plan
Buena Park, CARetail Trade7,660 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$558Employer $ per active participant
$1,437Employee $ saved per active participant
0.22%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$193.4MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity20.9 / 5042th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost8.0 / 2532th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving5.6 / 1537th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score35 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (183 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 42th |
| Lower admin cost | 32th |
| Employee saving | 37th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 42% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $97,084 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Tawa Supermarket put in about $558 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 (0.22% 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 | $4,272,137 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $11,004,642 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $89,923 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $400,629 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $59,800 |
| Other admin expenses | $99,525 |
| Benefits paid out | $21,969,581 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $176.5M / $193.4M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 7,738 / 7,581 |
| Participants with account balances | 2,813 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Baker Tilly US, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and S | $321,387 reported compensation |
| Morgan Stanley Global Banking Opera | $44,850 reported compensation |
| Moss Adams LLP | $19,442 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250916113447NAL0001917921001, received 2025-09-16, EIN 33-0120626, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.