New England Authentic Eats LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
New England Authentic Eats 401(k) Plan
Dedham, MAAccommodation & Food Services1,060 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$120Employer $ per active participant
$903Employee $ saved per active participant
0.46%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$25.5MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity14.6 / 5029th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost6.4 / 2525th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving8.2 / 1555th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score32 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Accommodation & Food Services plans with 500–2,499 active participants (458 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 29th |
| Lower admin cost | 25th |
| Employee saving | 55th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 17% |
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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
- New England Authentic Eats put in about $120 per active participant, below the typical peer ($266). 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 (0.46% 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 | $127,732 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $957,156 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $380,059 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $114,360 |
| Other admin expenses | $114,360 |
| Benefits paid out | $3,888,924 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $23.8M / $25.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,055 / 1,066 |
| Participants with account balances | 452 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Caron & Bletzer, PLLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company | $94,251 reported compensation |
| Plexus Financial Svcs LLC | $30,000 reported compensation |
| Caron and Bletzer, PLLC | $13,400 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250905133131NAL0017175473001, received 2025-09-05, EIN 61-1905885, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.