Graham Holdings Company 401(k) Review & Grade
The Savings Plan for Graham Holdings Company
Arlington, VAEducational Services2,856 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$296Employer $ per active participant
$5,844Employee $ saved per active participant
0.06%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$537.1MNet plan assets, end of year
$108,465Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity6.1 / 5012th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost18.8 / 2575th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving13.2 / 1588th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score38 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Educational Services plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (34 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 12th |
| Lower admin cost | 75th |
| Employee saving | 88th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 65% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $1,657 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Graham Holdings put in about $296 per active participant, below the typical peer ($1,155). 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.
- 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 | $846,541 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $16,688,713 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $2,614,425 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $292,531 |
| Other admin expenses | $292,531 |
| Benefits paid out | $80,004,021 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $505.1M / $537.1M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 3,141 / 2,570 |
| Participants with account balances | 4,952 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Pricewaterhousecoopers LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | $181,260 reported compensation |
| Vanguard Advisers Inc. | $121,031 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251007144623NAL0004920849001, received 2025-10-07, EIN 53-0182885, plan #020, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.