Nbbj Design 401(k) Review & Grade
Nbbj Group Retirement Savings and Investment Plan
Seattle, WAProfessional, Scientific & Technical Services526 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$932Employer $ per active participant
$10,944Employee $ saved per active participant
0.03%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$193.8MNet plan assets, end of year
$177,508Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity9.4 / 5019th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost23.3 / 2593th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving10.0 / 1566th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score53 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Professional, Scientific & Technical Services plans with 500–2,499 active participants (1,469 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 19th |
| Lower admin cost | 93th |
| Employee saving | 66th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 48% |
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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
- Nbbj Design put in about $932 per active participant, below the typical peer ($3,082). 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.
- 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 | $490,165 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $5,756,441 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $676,447 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $53,258 |
| Other admin expenses | $64,999 |
| Benefits paid out | $18,268,447 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $180.5M / $193.8M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 544 / 508 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,092 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Baker Tilly US, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Bfsg, LLC | $65,000 reported compensation |
| Moss Adams LLP | $24,098 reported compensation |
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | −$35,746 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013093717NAL0001616656001, received 2025-10-13, EIN 91-0485318, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.