Kinder Morgan, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Kinder Morgan Savings Plan
Houston, TXUtilities10,953 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$5,096Employer $ per active participant
$9,779Employee $ saved per active participant
0.11%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$2.9BNet plan assets, end of year
$174,936Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity38.0 / 5076th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost9.7 / 2539th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving11.8 / 1579th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score67 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: all industries, plans with 10,000+ active participants (fewer than 30 industry peers) (820 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 76th |
| Lower admin cost | 39th |
| Employee saving | 79th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 50% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $29,925 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Kinder Morgan put in about $5,096 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,229). 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.
- 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.
- 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 | $55,817,485 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $107,109,900 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $11,959,258 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $3,170,093 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $2,470,847 |
| Other admin expenses | $4,200 |
| Benefits paid out | $275,447,321 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $2.7B / $2.9B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 10,940 / 10,966 |
| Participants with account balances | 16,694 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Mcconnell & Jones LLP |
| Employer stock held by plan | $94,901,816 |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Advisory Group, LLC | $2,052,705 reported compensation |
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company | $637,784 reported compensation |
| Mercer Investment Consulting Inc | $543,716 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250731145640NAL0003168755001, received 2025-07-31, EIN 80-0682103, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.