Northland Investments, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Northland Investments, Inc. Profit Sharing 401(k) Plan
Houghton Lake, MIAccommodation & Food Services784 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$82Employer $ per active participant
$503Employee $ saved per active participant
0.74%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$6.5MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity11.4 / 5023th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost2.9 / 2511th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving4.6 / 1530th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features0 / 10No auto-enrollment or default investment reported
Total score19 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Accommodation & Food Services plans with 500–2,499 active participants (458 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 23th |
| Lower admin cost | 11th |
| Employee saving | 30th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 17% |
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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
- Northland Investments put in about $82 per active participant, below the typical peer ($266). 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 (0.74% 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.
- 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 | $64,536 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $394,650 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | – |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $46,978 |
| Benefits paid out | $852,494 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $6.1M / $6.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 642 / 926 |
| Participants with account balances | 150 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Rehmann Robson LLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Epic Advisors | $40,440 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251015092435NAL0005653200001, received 2025-10-15, EIN 38-3175904, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.