Hershey Creamery Company 401(k) Review & Grade
Hershey Creamery Company Savings Plan
Harrisburg, PAManufacturing803 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,740Employer $ per active participant
$3,287Employee $ saved per active participant
0.07%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$50.5MNet plan assets, end of year
$56,962Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity18.1 / 5036th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost20.3 / 2581th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving4.0 / 1526th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score49 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 36th |
| Lower admin cost | 81th |
| Employee saving | 26th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $31,442 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Hershey Creamery put in about $1,740 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,320). 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 | $1,397,561 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $2,639,463 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $3,984,580 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $32,377 |
| Contract administrator fees | $32,377 |
| Benefits paid out | $3,043,000 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $40.9M / $50.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 797 / 809 |
| Participants with account balances | 887 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Stambaugh Ness, Inc. |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Netw | $84,762 reported compensation |
| Principal Life Insurance Company | $32,377 reported compensation |
| Wilshire Advisors LLC | $0 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251014141453NAL0004211024001, received 2025-10-14, EIN 23-0691670, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.