New Balance Athletics, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
New Balance Athletics Employee Savings and Security Plan
Boston, MAManufacturing4,504 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$3,520Employer $ per active participant
$5,836Employee $ saved per active participant
0.22%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$492.8MNet plan assets, end of year
$83,105Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity25.9 / 5052th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost7.9 / 2532th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving7.0 / 1547th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score51 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (566 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 52th |
| Lower admin cost | 32th |
| Employee saving | 47th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 70% |
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
- New Balance Athletics put in about $3,520 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($3,452). 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 (0.22% 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.
- 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 | $15,854,259 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $26,281,300 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $4,287,759 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $999,154 |
| Contract administrator fees | $877,080 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $84,274 |
| Benefits paid out | $35,411,128 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $424.0M / $492.8M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 4,303 / 4,704 |
| Participants with account balances | 5,930 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Grant Thornton, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| John Hancock | $885,347 reported compensation |
| Captrust Partners, LLC | $76,006 reported compensation |
| Grant Thornton | $37,800 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251015145603NAL0002614195001, received 2025-10-15, EIN 04-2460172, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.