United Coal Company, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
United Coal Company LLC 401(k) Savings Plan
Johnson City, TNMining, Oil & Gas675 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$3,882Employer $ per active participant
$5,924Employee $ saved per active participant
0.44%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$54.6MNet plan assets, end of year
$65,150Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity21.5 / 5043th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost6.8 / 2527th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving5.5 / 1537th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score44 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Mining, Oil & Gas plans with 500–2,499 active participants (129 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 43th |
| Lower admin cost | 27th |
| Employee saving | 37th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 60% |
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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
- United Coal Company put in about $3,882 per active participant, below the typical peer ($4,357). 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 (0.44% 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.
- 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 | $2,620,641 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $3,998,417 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $309,911 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $233,409 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $51,934 |
| Benefits paid out | $9,714,738 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $51.2M / $54.6M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 700 / 650 |
| Participants with account balances | 838 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Baker Tilly, US |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Wells Fargo Advisors LLC | $51,064 reported compensation |
| Dunbar Bender & Zapf Inc. | $50,225 reported compensation |
| John Hancock Life Insurance Co. | $36,230 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251014111920NAL0003774400001, received 2025-10-14, EIN 20-1061321, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.