Lawley, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Lawley Retirement Plan
Buffalo, NYFinance & Insurance565 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$3,846Employer $ per active participant
$9,195Employee $ saved per active participant
0.02%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$106.0MNet plan assets, end of year
$156,167Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity26.8 / 5054th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost24.1 / 2596th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving10.5 / 1570th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score71 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Finance & Insurance plans with 500–2,499 active participants (754 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 54th |
| Lower admin cost | 96th |
| Employee saving | 70th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 62% |
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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
- Lawley put in about $3,846 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($3,606). 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 | $2,172,765 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $5,195,024 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $3,528,262 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $15,918 |
| Contract administrator fees | $15,918 |
| Benefits paid out | $9,675,294 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $90.9M / $106.0M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 562 / 568 |
| Participants with account balances | 679 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Chiampou Travis Besaw Kershner, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Actuarial Benefits Corp | $32,550 reported compensation |
| Principal Life Insurance Company | $14,612 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250813163617NAL0004977587001, received 2025-08-13, EIN 22-2737385, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.