Whittlesea-Bell 401(k) Review & Grade
Whittlesea-Bell Retirement 401k Plan
Reno, NVTransportation & Warehousing1,767 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$35Employer $ per active participant
$267Employee $ saved per active participant
0.09%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$7.8MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity2.2 / 504th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost18.9 / 2576th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving0.3 / 152th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score21 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Transportation & Warehousing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (392 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 4th |
| Lower admin cost | 76th |
| Employee saving | 2th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 37% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $26,753 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Whittlesea-Bell put in about $35 per active participant, below the typical peer ($1,070). 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.
- 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 | $62,119 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $471,613 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $0 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $7,489 |
| Contract administrator fees | $7,489 |
| Benefits paid out | $1,728,893 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $8.3M / $7.8M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,739 / 1,795 |
| Participants with account balances | 313 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Velez & Hardy Cpas |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| American United Life Insurance Co | $9,139 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251014160826NAL0001633923001, received 2025-10-14, EIN 88-0113298, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.