Dart Container of Michigan LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Dart Container Corporation Employees' 401(k) Plus Plan
Mason, MIManufacturing10,723 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$2,905Employer $ per active participant
$3,603Employee $ saved per active participant
0.09%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$1.0BNet plan assets, end of year
$80,796Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity11.3 / 5023th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost12.2 / 2549th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving1.8 / 1512th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score25 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 10,000+ active participants (151 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 23th |
| Lower admin cost | 49th |
| Employee saving | 12th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 69% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $102,444 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Dart Container of Michigan put in about $2,905 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.
- 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 | $31,151,290 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $38,637,712 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,693,891 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $898,356 |
| Contract administrator fees | $759,821 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $98,385 |
| Other admin expenses | $3,350 |
| Benefits paid out | $113,808,601 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $962.2M / $1.0B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 10,966 / 10,480 |
| Participants with account balances | 12,751 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Plante Moran, PLLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Vanguard Group, Inc. | $772,825 reported compensation |
| Mercer Investments LLC | $98,385 reported compensation |
| Plante & Moran, PLLC | $36,800 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250906120901NAL0017942513001, received 2025-09-06, EIN 06-1720526, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.