The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America 401(k) Review & Grade
Guardian Cooperative Investment Plan
New York, NYFinance & Insurance2,699 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$2,946Employer $ per active participant
$7,324Employee $ saved per active participant
0.04%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$444.3MNet plan assets, end of year
$140,426Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity12.9 / 5026th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost21.3 / 2585th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving5.5 / 1536th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-10 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score40 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Finance & Insurance plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (199 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 26th |
| Lower admin cost | 85th |
| Employee saving | 36th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 66% |
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Red flags from the filing
Benefits not paid when due: the plan reported failing to pay some benefits on time.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Guardian Life Insurance Company of America put in about $2,946 per active participant, below the typical peer ($4,489). 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 | $7,951,875 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $19,766,521 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,339,723 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $160,826 |
| Contract administrator fees | $300 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $40,125 |
| Benefits paid out | $55,299,872 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $404.1M / $444.3M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 2,546 / 2,852 |
| Participants with account balances | 3,164 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Johnson Lambert LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $115,903 reported compensation |
| Mercer Investments LLC | $40,125 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250918132218NAL0000680291001, received 2025-09-18, EIN 13-5123390, plan #007, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.