Aspen Products, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Aspen Products, Inc. 401(k) Plan
Kansas City, MOManufacturing571 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,069Employer $ per active participant
$1,572Employee $ saved per active participant
0.87%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$21.4MNet plan assets, end of year
$41,132Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity9.5 / 5019th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost2.1 / 259th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving1.1 / 158th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score16 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 19th |
| Lower admin cost | 9th |
| Employee saving | 8th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Aspen Products put in about $1,069 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,320). 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 (0.87% 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 | $610,563 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $897,340 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $34,984 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $171,056 |
| Contract administrator fees | $3,950 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $69,546 |
| Other admin expenses | $97,560 |
| Benefits paid out | $739,446 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $17.8M / $21.4M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 585 / 557 |
| Participants with account balances | 520 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Pickett Chaney & Mcmullen, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Summit Investment Advisors Inc | $69,546 reported compensation |
| John Hancock Life Insurance Company | $0 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251015170557NAL0010774658001, received 2025-10-15, EIN 48-0874966, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.