Big 5 Corp 401(k) Review & Grade
Big 5 Sporting Goods Savings and Profit Sharing Plan
El Segundo, CARetail Trade2,885 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$329Employer $ per active participant
$1,363Employee $ saved per active participant
0.15%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$140.9MNet plan assets, end of year
$56,794Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity12.9 / 5026th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost10.9 / 2544th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving5.2 / 1535th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score29 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (183 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 26th |
| Lower admin cost | 44th |
| Employee saving | 35th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 42% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $321,302 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Big 5 put in about $329 per active participant, below the typical peer ($650). 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 | $950,051 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $3,932,644 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $80,305 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $204,262 |
| Contract administrator fees | $1,200 |
| Other admin expenses | $61,730 |
| Benefits paid out | $15,996,692 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $133.1M / $140.9M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 2,752 / 3,018 |
| Participants with account balances | 2,481 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Miller Kaplan Arase LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $142,532 reported compensation |
| Aon Hewitt | $57,771 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250929132902NAL0011344465001, received 2025-09-29, EIN 95-1854273, plan #111, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.