Smart & Final LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Smart & Final 401(k) Savings Plan
City of Commerce, CARetail Trade10,070 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,036Employer $ per active participant
$2,951Employee $ saved per active participant
0.22%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$386.5MNet plan assets, end of year
$23,469Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity35.4 / 5071th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost3.6 / 2514th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving12.2 / 1581th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score61 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 10,000+ active participants (124 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 71th |
| Lower admin cost | 14th |
| Employee saving | 81th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 32% |
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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
- Smart & Final put in about $1,036 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($689). 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.
- Direct plan expenses (0.22% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.09%). 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.
- 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 | $10,427,316 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $29,713,062 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $944,433 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $813,474 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $62,276 |
| Benefits paid out | $42,464,101 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $344.4M / $386.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 10,302 / 9,837 |
| Participants with account balances | 16,470 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Baker Tilly US, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Transamerica Retirement Solutions | $735,948 reported compensation |
| Benefit Financial Services Group | $62,276 reported compensation |
| Baker Tilly, US LLP | $15,250 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251015161506NAL0010248114001, received 2025-10-15, EIN 95-4079584, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.