Ford Meter Box Company, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Retirement Savings Plan of the Ford Meter Box Company, Inc.
Wabash, INManufacturing915 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$4,182Employer $ per active participant
$7,062Employee $ saved per active participant
0.09%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$170.5MNet plan assets, end of year
$158,859Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity38.3 / 5077th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost19.1 / 2576th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving11.1 / 1574th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score79 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 77th |
| Lower admin cost | 76th |
| Employee saving | 74th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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
- Ford Meter Box Company put in about $4,182 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,320). 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.
- 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 | $3,826,597 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $6,461,643 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $2,091,346 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $142,964 |
| Contract administrator fees | $102,964 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $40,000 |
| Benefits paid out | $13,217,811 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $146.6M / $170.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 868 / 962 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,073 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Pile Cpas |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Principal Life Insurance Company | $102,964 reported compensation |
| Merill Lunch | $40,000 reported compensation |
| Morningstar Investment Management | $0 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251003152809NAL0001565649001, received 2025-10-03, EIN 35-0315220, plan #003, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.