Whirlpool Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
Whirlpool 401(k) Retirement Plan
Benton Harbor, MIManufacturing18,178 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$4,405Employer $ per active participant
$6,145Employee $ saved per active participant
0.07%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$3.5BNet plan assets, end of year
$140,175Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity19.0 / 5038th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost14.4 / 2558th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving4.6 / 1531th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score45 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 10,000+ active participants (151 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 38th |
| Lower admin cost | 58th |
| Employee saving | 31th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 69% |
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 $25,864 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Whirlpool put in about $4,405 per active participant, below the typical peer ($5,480). 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.
- The plan auto-enrolls employees. Check your default contribution rate. Defaults are often lower than what it takes to get the full match.
- 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 | $80,082,717 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $111,715,492 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $4,669,172 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $2,390,278 |
| Other admin expenses | $2,390,278 |
| Benefits paid out | $440,703,048 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $3.3B / $3.5B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 19,016 / 17,341 |
| Participants with account balances | 24,630 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Bdo USA, P.C |
| Employer stock held by plan | $187,585,224 |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | $1,324,429 reported compensation |
| Vanguard Advisers Inc. | $1,084,879 reported compensation |
| Bdo USA LLP | $77,252 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251014155855NAL0003339249001, received 2025-10-14, EIN 38-1490038, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.