First Foundation Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
First Foundation Inc. Retirement Plan
Irvine, CAFinance & Insurance561 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$3,484Employer $ per active participant
$9,586Employee $ saved per active participant
0.08%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$84.6MNet plan assets, end of year
$112,639Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity23.9 / 5048th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost19.8 / 2579th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving11.0 / 1573th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score65 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Finance & Insurance plans with 500–2,499 active participants (754 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 48th |
| Lower admin cost | 79th |
| Employee saving | 73th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 62% |
Get the monthly 401(k) report card
The best and worst plans, new grades as filings post. One email a month, no spam.
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
- First Foundation put in about $3,484 per active participant, below the typical peer ($3,606). 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 | $1,954,367 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $5,377,706 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,709,114 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $64,499 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $2,947 |
| Benefits paid out | $12,702,901 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $77.2M / $84.6M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 561 / 561 |
| Participants with account balances | 751 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | NGP & Associates |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $61,802 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250811164337NAL0004045987001, received 2025-08-11, EIN 20-8639702, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.