The New York Times Company 401(k) Review & Grade
The New York Times Companies Supplemental Retirement and Investment Plan
New York, NYInformation3,559 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$9,931Employer $ per active participant
$15,144Employee $ saved per active participant
0.06%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$1.3BNet plan assets, end of year
$223,229Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity48.3 / 5097th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost18.6 / 2575th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving12.2 / 1581th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score82 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Information plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (60 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 97th |
| Lower admin cost | 75th |
| Employee saving | 81th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 63% |
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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
- New York Times put in about $9,931 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($3,691). 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.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- 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 | $35,342,806 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $53,896,649 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $10,511,522 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $711,283 |
| Contract administrator fees | $2,100 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $428,457 |
| Other admin expenses | $29,041 |
| Benefits paid out | $101,316,407 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $1.2B / $1.3B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 3,522 / 3,596 |
| Participants with account balances | 5,903 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Bdo USA, P.C. |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Vanguard Advisers Inc. | $428,457 reported compensation |
| Vanguard Group Inc. | $282,826 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251006151002NAL0003687121001, received 2025-10-06, EIN 13-1102020, plan #014, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.