Newcold Seattle Operations LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Newcold 401(k) Plan
Tacoma, WATransportation & Warehousing607 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$735Employer $ per active participant
$2,596Employee $ saved per active participant
1.28%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$7.8MNet plan assets, end of year
$25,559Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity19.2 / 5038th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost0.9 / 254th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving6.4 / 1542th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score27 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Transportation & Warehousing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (392 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 38th |
| Lower admin cost | 4th |
| Employee saving | 42th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 37% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $5,174 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Newcold Seattle Operations put in about $735 per active participant, below the typical peer ($1,070). 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 (1.28% 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 | $446,267 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $1,575,717 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $202,649 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $84,122 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $26,761 |
| Benefits paid out | $622,233 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $5.4M / $7.8M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 437 / 777 |
| Participants with account balances | 305 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Rekdal Hopkins Howard |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $57,361 reported compensation |
| SCS | $21,118 reported compensation |
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $5,643 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013170307NAL0001749313001, received 2025-10-13, EIN 81-0995900, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.