The Children's Place, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
The Children's Place 401(k) Savings Plan
Secaucus, NJRetail Trade7,342 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$465Employer $ per active participant
$1,080Employee $ saved per active participant
0.19%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$129.9MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity17.6 / 5035th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost8.9 / 2536th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving3.6 / 1524th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score33 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (183 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 35th |
| Lower admin cost | 36th |
| Employee saving | 24th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 42% |
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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
- Children's Place put in about $465 per active participant, below the typical peer ($650). 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 (0.19% 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.
- 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 | $3,412,205 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $7,926,111 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $352,206 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $244,006 |
| Contract administrator fees | $1,200 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $113,708 |
| Benefits paid out | $20,301,839 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $121.1M / $129.9M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 7,362 / 7,321 |
| Participants with account balances | 2,043 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Bdo USA, P.C. |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $130,298 reported compensation |
| Onedigital Investment Advisors LLC | $70,000 reported compensation |
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $43,708 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013154224NAL0003416674001, received 2025-10-13, EIN 31-1241495, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.