Half Price Books Records Magazines Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Half Price Books 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan
Dallas, TXRetail Trade1,880 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,104Employer $ per active participant
$1,479Employee $ saved per active participant
0.12%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$115.4MNet plan assets, end of year
$55,117Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity32.9 / 5066th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost17.5 / 2570th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving3.6 / 1524th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score57 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 500–2,499 active participants (719 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 66th |
| Lower admin cost | 70th |
| Employee saving | 24th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 48% |
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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
- Half Price Books Records Magazines put in about $1,104 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($743). 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.
- 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 | $2,076,511 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $2,780,557 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $126,622 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $127,353 |
| Benefits paid out | $6,407,667 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $102.4M / $115.4M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,881 / 1,880 |
| Participants with account balances | 2,093 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Carr, Riggs, & Ingram, LLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Milliman, Inc. | $127,353 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251009120531NAL0003891987001, received 2025-10-09, EIN 75-1465922, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.