Dfa Dairy Brands Corporate, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Dfa Dairy Brands Smartchoice Savings Plan
Kansas City, KSManufacturing7,397 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,839Employer $ per active participant
$3,723Employee $ saved per active participant
0.06%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$603.2MNet plan assets, end of year
$115,888Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity12.7 / 5025th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost18.9 / 2576th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving3.2 / 1522th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score38 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (566 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 25th |
| Lower admin cost | 76th |
| Employee saving | 22th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 70% |
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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
- Dfa Dairy Brands Corporate put in about $1,839 per active participant, below the typical peer ($3,452). 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 | $13,601,713 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $27,542,176 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $2,745,998 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $320,527 |
| Contract administrator fees | $2,700 |
| Benefits paid out | $66,438,690 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $552.3M / $603.2M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 7,222 / 7,572 |
| Participants with account balances | 5,205 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Pickett Chaney & Mcmullen LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Pickett, Chaney & Mcmullen LLP | $15,600 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251006095405NAL0001969251001, received 2025-10-06, EIN 85-0489626, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.