Corning Incorporated 401(k) Review & Grade
Corning Incorporated Investment Plan
Corning, NYManufacturing11,836 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$4,069Employer $ per active participant
$11,696Employee $ saved per active participant
0.03%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$4.1BNet plan assets, end of year
$256,123Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity17.0 / 5034th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost21.6 / 2587th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving10.4 / 1569th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score56 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 10,000+ active participants (151 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 34th |
| Lower admin cost | 87th |
| Employee saving | 69th |
| 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 $1,368 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Corning Incorporated put in about $4,069 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 | $48,161,757 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $138,429,483 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $14,879,432 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $1,001,268 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $43,200 |
| Other admin expenses | $95,934 |
| Benefits paid out | $444,133,609 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $3.8B / $4.1B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 11,946 / 11,726 |
| Participants with account balances | 15,850 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Insero & Co. Cpas, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company | $650,152 reported compensation |
| The Bank of New York Mellon | $124,984 reported compensation |
| Harter Secrest & Emery LLP | $51,998 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250711111703NAL0017239346001, received 2025-07-11, EIN 16-0393470, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.