Foremost Farms USA 401(k) Review & Grade
Foremost Farms USA 401(k) Plan and Trust for Union Members
Middleton, WIManufacturing510 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,393Employer $ per active participant
$3,071Employee $ saved per active participant
0.28%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$29.8MNet plan assets, end of year
$44,234Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity13.8 / 5028th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost10.7 / 2543th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving3.6 / 1524th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score38 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 28th |
| Lower admin cost | 43th |
| Employee saving | 24th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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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
- Foremost Farms USA put in about $1,393 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,320). 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 | $710,964 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $1,567,823 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $0 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $81,461 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $25,776 |
| Benefits paid out | $3,714,319 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $28.1M / $29.8M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 504 / 517 |
| Participants with account balances | 674 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Cliftonlarsonallen LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company | $55,685 reported compensation |
| Empower Advisory Group, LLC | $25,776 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250924110455NAL0006669553001, received 2025-09-24, EIN 39-1805431, plan #004, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.