National Storage Affiliates 401(k) Review & Grade
National Storage Affiliates 401(k) Plan
Greenwood Village, COReal Estate & Rental1,152 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$518Employer $ per active participant
$1,050Employee $ saved per active participant
0.08%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$9.0MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity11.0 / 5022th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost20.0 / 2580th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving1.4 / 1510th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score35 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Real Estate & Rental plans with 500–2,499 active participants (291 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 22th |
| Lower admin cost | 80th |
| Employee saving | 10th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 47% |
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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
- National Storage Affiliates put in about $518 per active participant, below the typical peer ($1,279). 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 | $596,509 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $1,210,272 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $153,438 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $6,064 |
| Contract administrator fees | $6,064 |
| Benefits paid out | $869,193 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $6.8M / $9.0M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,017 / 1,288 |
| Participants with account balances | 330 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Plante & Moran, PLLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | $6,064 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251014154517NAL0001637907001, received 2025-10-14, EIN 80-0895356, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.