The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
The Goldman Sachs 401(k) Plan
New York, NYFinance & Insurance23,559 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$8,522Employer $ per active participant
$14,887Employee $ saved per active participant
0.13%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$12.8BNet plan assets, end of year
$261,400Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity40.8 / 5082th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost7.9 / 2532th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving13.9 / 1593th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score73 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Finance & Insurance plans with 10,000+ active participants (72 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 82th |
| Lower admin cost | 32th |
| Employee saving | 93th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 74% |
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
- Goldman Sachs Group put in about $8,522 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($5,179). 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 (0.13% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.09%). 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 | $200,759,266 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $350,720,176 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $43,066,675 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $16,117,465 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $14,994,105 |
| Other admin expenses | $69,107 |
| Benefits paid out | $905,713,208 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $11.3B / $12.8B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 23,227 / 23,891 |
| Participants with account balances | 48,807 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Pricewaterhousecoopers LLP |
| Employer stock held by plan | $287,421,455 |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Wellington Management Company LLP | $3,347,480 reported compensation |
| J.p.morgan Investment Mgmt Inc. | $2,633,677 reported compensation |
| Blackrock Inst TR Company NA | $2,030,058 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251015145512NAL0009864834001, received 2025-10-15, EIN 13-4019460, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.
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