Creative Financial Staffing Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Creative Financial Staffing 401(k) Plan
Boston, MAAdministrative, Support & Staffing Services872 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,238Employer $ per active participant
$2,839Employee $ saved per active participant
0.23%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$26.9MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity33.6 / 5067th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost12.3 / 2549th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving9.2 / 1561th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score55 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Administrative, Support & Staffing Services plans with 500–2,499 active participants (401 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 67th |
| Lower admin cost | 49th |
| Employee saving | 61th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 27% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $172,424 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Creative Financial Staffing put in about $1,238 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($712). 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.
- 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 | $1,078,662 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $2,473,858 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $161,310 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $57,553 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $49,554 |
| Benefits paid out | $1,864,434 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $22.2M / $26.9M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 890 / 853 |
| Participants with account balances | 345 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Wolf & Company P.C. |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Park Avenue Securities, LLC | $49,553 reported compensation |
| Adp, Inc. | $8,041 reported compensation |
| Mesirow Financial Investment Manage | $0 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250825050347NAL0013167968001, received 2025-08-25, EIN 47-1008886, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.