Francesca's Acquisition, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Francesca's Acquisition 401(k) Plan
Houston, TXAgriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting2,962 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$133Employer $ per active participant
$390Employee $ saved per active participant
0.40%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$7.4MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity5.7 / 5011th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost4.2 / 2517th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving0.9 / 156th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score11 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: all industries, plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (fewer than 30 industry peers) (2,386 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 11th |
| Lower admin cost | 17th |
| Employee saving | 6th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 52% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $986 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Francesca's Acquisition put in about $133 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,062). 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 (0.40% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.12%). 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 | $394,684 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $1,156,140 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $599,588 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $25,714 |
| Other admin expenses | $25,714 |
| Benefits paid out | $1,017,365 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $5.4M / $7.4M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 3,009 / 2,914 |
| Participants with account balances | 454 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| T. Rowe Price RPS, Inc. | $25,714 reported compensation |
| Dimensional Funds | $0 reported compensation |
| Principal Fund | $0 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251210135501NAL0005130177001, received 2025-12-10, EIN 86-1353616, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.