Placon Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
Placon Corporation Retirement Plan
Fitchburg, WIManufacturing676 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,867Employer $ per active participant
$6,230Employee $ saved per active participant
0.04%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$71.8MNet plan assets, end of year
$76,661Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity20.0 / 5040th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost22.5 / 2590th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving10.0 / 1566th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-10 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score53 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 40th |
| Lower admin cost | 90th |
| Employee saving | 66th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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Red flags from the filing
Benefits not paid when due: the plan reported failing to pay some benefits on time.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Placon put in about $1,867 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 | $1,262,046 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $4,211,646 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $961,295 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $29,523 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $18,410 |
| Benefits paid out | $12,958,402 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $69.6M / $71.8M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 711 / 641 |
| Participants with account balances | 937 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | RSM US, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $18,410 reported compensation |
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $11,113 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251008100736NAL0013089490001, received 2025-10-08, EIN 39-1087596, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.