Creation Gardens, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Creation Gardens 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
Louisville, KYWholesale Trade926 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$777Employer $ per active participant
$2,002Employee $ saved per active participant
0.80%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$13.5MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity8.1 / 5016th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost2.5 / 2510th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving1.8 / 1512th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score15 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Wholesale Trade plans with 500–2,499 active participants (603 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 16th |
| Lower admin cost | 10th |
| Employee saving | 12th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 53% |
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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
- Creation Gardens put in about $777 per active participant, below the typical peer ($1,792). 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 (0.80% 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 | $719,623 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $1,854,402 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | – |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $95,330 |
| Contract administrator fees | $67,064 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $28,266 |
| Benefits paid out | $804,678 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $10.4M / $13.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 905 / 948 |
| Participants with account balances | 302 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Jones, Nale, and Mattingly PLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Stancorp Financial Group | $68,268 reported compensation |
| Raymond James and Associates, Inc. | $28,266 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251002145034NAL0000945536001, received 2025-10-02, EIN 61-0212680, plan #004, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.