Emerson Electric Company 401(k) Review & Grade
Emerson Savings Plan
Clayton, MOManufacturing11,477 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$4,564Employer $ per active participant
$11,647Employee $ saved per active participant
0.03%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$7.4BNet plan assets, end of year
$269,161Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity19.7 / 5039th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost21.8 / 2587th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving10.3 / 1569th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score59 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 10,000+ active participants (151 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 39th |
| Lower admin cost | 87th |
| Employee saving | 69th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 69% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $9,834 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Emerson Electric put in about $4,564 per active participant, below the typical peer ($5,480). 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 | $52,385,780 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $133,673,360 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $12,156,988 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $1,373,953 |
| Other admin expenses | $1,373,953 |
| Benefits paid out | $651,850,081 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $3.6B / $7.4B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 8,315 / 14,639 |
| Participants with account balances | 27,334 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Grant Thornton LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | $0 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20260713094252NAL0007797202001, received 2026-07-13, EIN 43-0259330, plan #016, plan year 2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30. Verify at efast.dol.gov.