Gardens Alive Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Gardens Alive 401(k) Salary Savings Plan
Lawrenceburg, INRetail Trade647 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,295Employer $ per active participant
$2,729Employee $ saved per active participant
0.44%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$41.5MNet plan assets, end of year
$84,256Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity35.5 / 5071th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost6.7 / 2527th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving6.8 / 1545th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score52 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 500–2,499 active participants (719 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 71th |
| Lower admin cost | 27th |
| Employee saving | 45th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 48% |
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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
- Gardens Alive put in about $1,295 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($743). 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.
- Direct plan expenses (0.44% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.23%). Check your annual fee disclosure, choose low-cost index funds if you can, and think about whether savings beyond the match belong in an IRA.
- 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 | $837,876 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $1,765,866 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $59,687 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $185,140 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $141,218 |
| Benefits paid out | $6,564,538 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $41.9M / $41.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 742 / 552 |
| Participants with account balances | 493 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Barnes Dennig |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Advisory Group, LLC | $108,356 reported compensation |
| Fifth Third Bank | $32,862 reported compensation |
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company O | $32,222 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250910160145NAL0013278147001, received 2025-09-10, EIN 06-1301548, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.