Badger Meter, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Badger Meter Employee Savings and Stock Ownership Plan
Milwaukee, WIManufacturing904 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$6,853Employer $ per active participant
$9,363Employee $ saved per active participant
0.04%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$217.8MNet plan assets, end of year
$184,264Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity45.4 / 5091th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost22.2 / 2589th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving13.1 / 1587th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score91 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 91th |
| Lower admin cost | 89th |
| Employee saving | 87th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
Get the monthly 401(k) report card
The best and worst plans, new grades as filings post. One email a month, no spam.
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
- Badger Meter put in about $6,853 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,320). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- 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.
- 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 | $6,191,910 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $8,459,345 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $3,839,622 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $90,307 |
| Benefits paid out | $21,756,393 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $186.7M / $217.8M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 891 / 916 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,182 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Wipfli LLP |
| Employer stock held by plan | $55,836,001 |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Schwab Retirement Plan Services,inc | $90,457 reported compensation |
| Cap Financial Partners LLC | $60,748 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250714151332NAL0000782515002, received 2025-07-14, EIN 39-0143280, plan #009, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.