Thiele Kaolin Company 401(k) Review & Grade
Thiele Kaolin Company Retirement Savings Plan
Sandersville, GAMining, Oil & Gas588 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$9,123Employer $ per active participant
$7,011Employee $ saved per active participant
0.02%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$174.1MNet plan assets, end of year
$244,127Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity39.8 / 5080th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost23.9 / 2595th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving7.1 / 1548th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score81 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Mining, Oil & Gas plans with 500–2,499 active participants (129 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 80th |
| Lower admin cost | 95th |
| Employee saving | 48th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 60% |
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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
- Thiele Kaolin put in about $9,123 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($4,357). 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.
- 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 | $5,368,750 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $4,125,790 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $734,095 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $33,086 |
| Other admin expenses | $288 |
| Benefits paid out | $15,891,480 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $160.0M / $174.1M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 567 / 610 |
| Participants with account balances | 713 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Cherry Bekaert LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| T Rowe Price RPS Inc | $32,798 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250925151427NAL0003611507001, received 2025-09-25, EIN 58-0525495, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.