Albanese Confectionery 401(k) Review & Grade
Albanese Confectionery 401(k) Plan
Merrillville, INManufacturing530 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$977Employer $ per active participant
$3,937Employee $ saved per active participant
0.76%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$12.0MNet plan assets, end of year
$21,649Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity8.2 / 5016th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost2.8 / 2511th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving5.4 / 1536th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score26 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 16th |
| Lower admin cost | 11th |
| Employee saving | 36th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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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
- Albanese Confectionery put in about $977 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.
- Direct plan expenses (0.76% 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 | $517,363 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $2,084,844 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $151,734 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $81,524 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $37,327 |
| Benefits paid out | $1,526,077 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $9.5M / $12.0M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 534 / 525 |
| Participants with account balances | 555 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Dulin Ward & Dewald Inc |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Capfinancial Partners, LLC | $23,275 reported compensation |
| Adp, Inc. | $18,507 reported compensation |
| HPM Partners, LLC | $14,051 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251011053132NAL0004625507001, received 2025-10-11, EIN 35-1861174, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.