The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America 401(k) Review & Grade
Guardian Retirement Investment Plan
New York, NYFinance & Insurance4,922 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$13,326Employer $ per active participant
$11,220Employee $ saved per active participant
0.04%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$1.1BNet plan assets, end of year
$173,466Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity47.5 / 5095th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost21.3 / 2585th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving11.7 / 1578th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-13 pts2 issues reported on the filing
Total score71 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Finance & Insurance plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (199 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 95th |
| Lower admin cost | 85th |
| Employee saving | 78th |
| 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.
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $287,433 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Guardian Life Insurance Company of America put in about $13,326 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($4,489). 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.
- 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.
- 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 | $65,599,379 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $55,229,559 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $13,557,137 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $381,890 |
| Contract administrator fees | $3,900 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $51,176 |
| Benefits paid out | $88,966,496 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $911.2M / $1.1B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 4,923 / 4,922 |
| Participants with account balances | 6,340 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Johnson Lambert LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $321,092 reported compensation |
| Mercer Investments LLC | $51,176 reported compensation |
| Morgan Lewis Bockius LLP | $9,622 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250918132926NAL0002197586001, received 2025-09-18, EIN 13-5123390, plan #008, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.