Continental Express, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Continental Express, Inc. 401 (K) Plan
Sidney, OHTransportation & Warehousing540 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,089Employer $ per active participant
$1,741Employee $ saved per active participant
0.51%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$13.5MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity25.3 / 5051th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost5.6 / 2522th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving4.1 / 1527th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-8 pts2 issues reported on the filing
Total score30 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Transportation & Warehousing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (392 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 51th |
| Lower admin cost | 22th |
| Employee saving | 27th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 37% |
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Red flags from the filing
Auditor disclaimer: the auditor issued a disclaimer of opinion.
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $20,564 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Continental Express put in about $1,089 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($1,070). 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 (0.51% 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 | $588,096 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $940,398 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $11,741 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $63,781 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $27,374 |
| Benefits paid out | $1,188,719 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $11.4M / $13.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 487 / 593 |
| Participants with account balances | 260 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Mccrate-Delaey & Co |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Transamerica Financial Life Insuran | $36,407 reported compensation |
| Merrill Lynch Life Agency, Inc | $27,374 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250927080727NAL0010699936001, received 2025-09-27, EIN 34-1434240, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.