Kettle Cuisine, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Kettle Cuisine, LLC 401(k) Savings Plan
Lynn, MAManufacturing1,083 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,840Employer $ per active participant
$3,218Employee $ saved per active participant
0.57%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$40.3MNet plan assets, end of year
$29,584Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity19.6 / 5039th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost4.8 / 2519th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving3.9 / 1526th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features0 / 10No auto-enrollment or default investment reported
Total score28 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 39th |
| Lower admin cost | 19th |
| Employee saving | 26th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
Get the monthly 401(k) report card
The best and worst plans, new grades as filings post. One email a month, no spam.
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
- Kettle Cuisine put in about $1,840 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 (0.57% 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 | $1,992,673 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $3,484,667 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $915,306 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $211,133 |
| Other admin expenses | $211,133 |
| Benefits paid out | $5,608,007 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $33.9M / $40.3M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,014 / 1,152 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,361 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Caron & Bletzer PLLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Annuity Ins Co of America | $71,125 reported compensation |
| Global Retirement Partners LLC | $52,610 reported compensation |
| Empower Advisory Group, LLC | $31,669 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250522135534NAL0002702465001, received 2025-05-22, EIN 45-2831734, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.