The New York Times Company 401(k) Review & Grade
The New York Times Savings Plan
New York, NYInformation1,910 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$2,881Employer $ per active participant
$11,196Employee $ saved per active participant
0.06%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$688.9MNet plan assets, end of year
$262,249Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity25.4 / 5051th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost21.2 / 2585th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving10.0 / 1566th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score57 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Information plans with 500–2,499 active participants (310 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 51th |
| Lower admin cost | 85th |
| Employee saving | 66th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
Get the monthly 401(k) report card
The best and worst plans, new grades as filings post. One email a month, no spam.
Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $651,924 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- New York Times put in about $2,881 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,829). 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 | $5,503,436 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $21,389,210 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $2,787,952 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $375,894 |
| Contract administrator fees | $1,400 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $239,395 |
| Other admin expenses | $21,189 |
| Benefits paid out | $34,328,407 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $610.1M / $688.9M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,911 / 1,910 |
| Participants with account balances | 2,627 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Bdo USA, P.C. |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Vanguard Advisers Inc. | $239,395 reported compensation |
| Vanguard Group Inc. | $136,499 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251006083457NAL0003374641001, received 2025-10-06, EIN 13-1102020, plan #020, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.