Wakefern Food Corp. 401(k) Review & Grade
Grocery West Affiliated 401k Plan
Keasbey, NJWholesale Trade706 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,241Employer $ per active participant
$443Employee $ saved per active participant
0.86%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$7.7MNet plan assets, end of year
$21,055Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity16.1 / 5032th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost2.2 / 259th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving0.1 / 150th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score21 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Wholesale Trade plans with 500–2,499 active participants (603 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 32th |
| Lower admin cost | 9th |
| Employee saving | 0th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 53% |
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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
- Wakefern Food put in about $1,241 per active participant, below the typical peer ($1,792). 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 (0.86% 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 | $875,850 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $312,217 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,076 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $62,060 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $863 |
| Benefits paid out | $843,166 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $6.7M / $7.7M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 297 / 1,114 |
| Participants with account balances | 367 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Withumsmith Brown, PC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $61,194 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251001135815NAL0013327361001, received 2025-10-01, EIN 22-1434516, plan #005, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.