Vintners Distributors, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Vintners Distributors, Inc. Profit Sharing Plan
Fremont, CARetail Trade678 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$419Employer $ per active participant
$860Employee $ saved per active participant
0.52%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$14.5MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity15.7 / 5031th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost5.4 / 2522th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving1.8 / 1512th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score26 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 500–2,499 active participants (719 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 31th |
| Lower admin cost | 22th |
| Employee saving | 12th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 48% |
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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
- Vintners Distributors put in about $419 per active participant, below the typical peer ($743). 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 (0.52% 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 | $284,374 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $583,588 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | – |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $69,228 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $33,455 |
| Benefits paid out | $256,748 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $12.1M / $14.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 702 / 655 |
| Participants with account balances | 173 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Hood & Strong LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Transamerica Financial Life Ins Co | $35,773 reported compensation |
| Merrill Lynch | $33,455 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251015175154NAL0010903202001, received 2025-10-15, EIN 94-3023379, plan #005, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.