Trader Joe's Company 401(k) Review & Grade
Trader Joe's Company Retirement Plan
Monrovia, CARetail Trade64,308 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$461Employer $ per active participant
$1,777Employee $ saved per active participant
0.02%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$3.2BNet plan assets, end of year
$70,641Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity15.9 / 5032th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost22.7 / 2591th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving8.4 / 1556th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features0 / 10No auto-enrollment or default investment reported
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score44 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 10,000+ active participants (124 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 32th |
| Lower admin cost | 91th |
| Employee saving | 56th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 32% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $25,360 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Trader Joe's put in about $461 per active participant, below the typical peer ($689). 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.
- 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 | $29,672,410 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $114,294,098 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $20,722 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $620,109 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $300,000 |
| Benefits paid out | $158,009,184 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $2.8B / $3.2B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 63,666 / 64,951 |
| Participants with account balances | 45,337 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Capital Group Retirement Plan Svcs. | $320,109 reported compensation |
| RBC Capital Markets LLC | $300,000 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251009175940NAL0016224850001, received 2025-10-09, EIN 95-1987958, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.