White Lodging Services Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
WLS 401(k) Plan
Merrillville, INAccommodation & Food Services4,520 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$267Employer $ per active participant
$1,367Employee $ saved per active participant
0.24%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$73.9MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity26.2 / 5052th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost7.2 / 2529th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving11.1 / 1574th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score45 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Accommodation & Food Services plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (104 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 52th |
| Lower admin cost | 29th |
| Employee saving | 74th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 15% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $257,139 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- White Lodging Services put in about $267 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($244). 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.
- Direct plan expenses (0.24% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.12%). 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 | $1,204,888 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $6,179,187 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,196,313 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $169,978 |
| Other admin expenses | $15,000 |
| Benefits paid out | $5,761,618 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $64.9M / $73.9M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 3,556 / 5,483 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,957 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Katz Sapper Miller LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and S | $154,978 reported compensation |
| Katz Sapper & Miller | $15,000 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251009213945NAL0007113873001, received 2025-10-09, EIN 35-1656847, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.