Tri Star Services, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Tri Star Services, LLC 401(k) Plan
Nashville, TNRetail Trade2,378 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$609Employer $ per active participant
$994Employee $ saved per active participant
0.76%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$25.0MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity21.4 / 5043th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost2.8 / 2511th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving2.4 / 1516th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score30 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 500–2,499 active participants (719 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 43th |
| Lower admin cost | 11th |
| Employee saving | 16th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 48% |
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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
- Tri Star Services put in about $609 per active participant, below the typical peer ($743). 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.
- Direct plan expenses (0.76% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.23%). 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.
- 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 | $1,447,030 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $2,363,384 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $282,053 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $179,753 |
| Contract administrator fees | $179,753 |
| Benefits paid out | $3,999,262 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $22.3M / $25.0M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 2,579 / 2,177 |
| Participants with account balances | 528 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Lbmc,pc |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Transamerica Financial Life Ins Co | $107,225 reported compensation |
| Merrill Lynch Life Agency, Inc. | $47,833 reported compensation |
| Futureplan by Ascensus | $24,720 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20260415161259NAL0023665075001, received 2026-04-15, EIN 62-1828852, plan #001, plan year 2024-07-01 to 2025-06-30. Verify at efast.dol.gov.