Gehl Foods, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Gehl Foods LLC 401(k) Salary Savings Plan
Germantown, WIManufacturing906 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,285Employer $ per active participant
$3,966Employee $ saved per active participant
0.36%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$45.8MNet plan assets, end of year
$65,679Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity12.4 / 5025th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost8.5 / 2534th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving5.4 / 1536th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score33 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 25th |
| Lower admin cost | 34th |
| Employee saving | 36th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $1,405 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Gehl Foods put in about $1,285 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.
- Direct plan expenses (0.36% 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.
- 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 | $1,163,998 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $3,590,881 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $389,261 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $156,319 |
| Contract administrator fees | $156,319 |
| Benefits paid out | $4,616,326 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $40.4M / $45.8M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 862 / 949 |
| Participants with account balances | 698 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Cliftonlarsonallen LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Principal Life Insurance Company | $156,319 reported compensation |
| Creative Planning, Inc. | $81,813 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251007153050NAL0002792195001, received 2025-10-07, EIN 39-0300460, plan #004, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.