Star Tribune Media Company LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Star Tribune 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
Minneapolis, MNInformation696 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,911Employer $ per active participant
$7,039Employee $ saved per active participant
0.05%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$171.9MNet plan assets, end of year
$194,669Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity15.0 / 5030th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost21.8 / 2587th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving5.9 / 1539th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score53 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Information plans with 500–2,499 active participants (310 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 30th |
| Lower admin cost | 87th |
| Employee saving | 39th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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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
- Star Tribune Media Company put in about $1,911 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,829). 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 | $1,329,029 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $4,895,433 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,290,197 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $83,856 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $16,052 |
| Benefits paid out | $26,154,708 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $164.6M / $171.9M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 683 / 708 |
| Participants with account balances | 883 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Eide Bailly LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $67,804 reported compensation |
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $16,052 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250930111118NAL0005456419001, received 2025-09-30, EIN 80-0481962, plan #015, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.