Bell and Howell, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Bell and Howell 401(k) Savings Plan
Durham, NCManufacturing717 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$2Employer $ per active participant
$5,552Employee $ saved per active participant
0.07%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$144.6MNet plan assets, end of year
$163,544Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity0.6 / 501th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost20.2 / 2581th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving8.9 / 1559th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score40 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 1th |
| Lower admin cost | 81th |
| Employee saving | 59th |
| 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
- Bell and Howell put in about $2 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.
- 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 | $1,159 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $3,980,992 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $634,163 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $105,296 |
| Contract administrator fees | $600 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $24,560 |
| Other admin expenses | $13,650 |
| Benefits paid out | $29,311,694 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $142.0M / $144.6M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 694 / 740 |
| Participants with account balances | 884 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Thomas, Judy, and Tucker, C.P.A. |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $42,336 reported compensation |
| Thomas, Judy & Tucker, P.A. | $24,750 reported compensation |
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $24,560 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251014211521NAL0007492866001, received 2025-10-14, EIN 80-0728837, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.