The Charles River Center 401(k) Review & Grade
Charles River Arc 401(k) Plan
Needham, MAOther Services534 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$250Employer $ per active participant
$1,078Employee $ saved per active participant
0.61%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$6.8MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity8.9 / 5018th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost4.2 / 2517th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving4.0 / 1527th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score20 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Other Services plans with 500–2,499 active participants (333 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 18th |
| Lower admin cost | 17th |
| Employee saving | 27th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 40% |
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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
- Charles River Center put in about $250 per active participant, below the typical peer ($1,257). 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 (0.61% 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 | $133,278 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $575,426 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $23,035 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $39,338 |
| Benefits paid out | $645,531 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $6.0M / $6.8M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 530 / 538 |
| Participants with account balances | 249 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Aafcpas, Inc. |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company O | $25,041 reported compensation |
| Global Retirement Partners, LLC | $11,914 reported compensation |
| RPW Solutions, LLC. | $2,383 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20260414111109NAL0018410209002, received 2026-04-14, EIN 04-2393108, plan #001, plan year 2024-07-01 to 2025-06-30. Verify at efast.dol.gov.