Gold Star Foods 401(k) Review & Grade
Gold Star Foods 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
Ontario, CAWholesale Trade674 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$710Employer $ per active participant
$3,329Employee $ saved per active participant
0.96%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$17.6MNet plan assets, end of year
$21,832Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity6.9 / 5014th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost1.7 / 257th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving4.2 / 1528th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score20 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Wholesale Trade plans with 500–2,499 active participants (603 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 14th |
| Lower admin cost | 7th |
| Employee saving | 28th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 53% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $4,967 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Gold Star Foods put in about $710 per active participant, below the typical peer ($1,792). 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 (0.96% 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 | $477,917 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $2,242,022 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $342,967 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $153,259 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $46,571 |
| Benefits paid out | $1,360,469 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $14.4M / $17.6M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 639 / 708 |
| Participants with account balances | 807 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Farber Hass Hurley LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Adp, Inc. | $106,688 reported compensation |
| Creative Planning Holdco, LLC | $29,971 reported compensation |
| Faber Hass Hurley LLP | $16,600 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251001050547NAL0012813409001, received 2025-10-01, EIN 26-1340567, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.