Echo Group, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Echo Group, Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan
Council Bluffs, IAWholesale Trade617 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$2,173Employer $ per active participant
$7,078Employee $ saved per active participant
0.45%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$62.4MNet plan assets, end of year
$97,101Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity29.4 / 5059th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost6.6 / 2527th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving12.0 / 1580th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score58 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Wholesale Trade plans with 500–2,499 active participants (603 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 59th |
| Lower admin cost | 27th |
| Employee saving | 80th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 53% |
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
- Echo Group put in about $2,173 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($1,792). 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 (0.45% 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.
- 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 | $1,340,953 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $4,367,218 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $783,487 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $262,515 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $115,514 |
| Benefits paid out | $5,674,715 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $54.9M / $62.4M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 647 / 587 |
| Participants with account balances | 643 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Kroese & Kroese |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company | $147,001 reported compensation |
| Commerce Bank | $110,982 reported compensation |
| Empower Advisory Group, LLC | $4,532 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251001094223NAL0020777346001, received 2025-10-01, EIN 42-0669352, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.