Armstrong Garden Centers, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Armstrong Garden Centers, Inc. 401(k) Plan
Glendora, CARetail Trade1,450 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$84Employer $ per active participant
$1,272Employee $ saved per active participant
0.95%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$30.1MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity4.9 / 5010th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost1.8 / 257th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving3.0 / 1520th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score13 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 500–2,499 active participants (719 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 10th |
| Lower admin cost | 7th |
| Employee saving | 20th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 48% |
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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
- Armstrong Garden Centers put in about $84 per active participant, below the typical peer ($743). 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 (0.95% 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 | $121,970 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $1,843,801 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | – |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $273,579 |
| Contract administrator fees | $273,579 |
| Benefits paid out | $2,331,702 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $27.2M / $30.1M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,267 / 1,632 |
| Participants with account balances | 519 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Lucas Horsfall Murphy & Pindroh LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| RBC Capital Markets LLC | $64,661 reported compensation |
| Fiduciary Outsourcing, LLC DBA Pma | $43,914 reported compensation |
| Transamerica Retirement Solutions L | $8,104 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20260327133004NAL0008705491001, received 2026-03-27, EIN 95-3207663, plan #003, plan year 2024-08-01 to 2025-07-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.