Lia Group, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
The Lia Group 401(k) Plan
Albany, NYRetail Trade788 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$669Employer $ per active participant
$3,626Employee $ saved per active participant
0.89%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$26.6MNet plan assets, end of year
$31,441Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity23.2 / 5046th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost2.0 / 258th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving9.1 / 1560th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score44 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 500–2,499 active participants (719 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 46th |
| Lower admin cost | 8th |
| Employee saving | 60th |
| 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
- Lia Group put in about $669 per active participant, below the typical peer ($743). 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 (0.89% 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 | $527,189 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $2,855,848 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $273,865 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $223,185 |
| Contract administrator fees | $19,572 |
| Benefits paid out | $2,955,838 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $23.4M / $26.6M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 812 / 763 |
| Participants with account balances | 845 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Clifton Larson Allen, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Life & Annuity | $97,148 reported compensation |
| Empire Advisory Group, LLC | $60,450 reported compensation |
| LPL Financial, LLC | $50,999 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250709130942NAL0013076562001, received 2025-07-09, EIN 14-1787128, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.