Southwood Realty Company 401(k) Review & Grade
Southwood Realty 401(k) Plan
Gastonia, NCReal Estate & Rental502 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$829Employer $ per active participant
$2,270Employee $ saved per active participant
1.34%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$6.8MNet plan assets, end of year
$21,186Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity17.6 / 5035th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost0.9 / 253th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving4.4 / 1530th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score26 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Real Estate & Rental plans with 500–2,499 active participants (291 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 35th |
| Lower admin cost | 3th |
| Employee saving | 30th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 47% |
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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
- Southwood Realty put in about $829 per active participant, below the typical peer ($1,279). 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 (1.34% 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 | $415,956 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $1,138,593 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $146,509 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $79,167 |
| Contract administrator fees | $79,167 |
| Benefits paid out | $631,017 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $5.1M / $6.8M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 514 / 489 |
| Participants with account balances | 321 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Price Kubecka, PLLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| John Hancock Life Insurance Co | $45,053 reported compensation |
| Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P. | $31,422 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250818152002NAL0001372017001, received 2025-08-18, EIN 56-1186105, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.