Willis Towers Watson US LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Willis Towers Watson Savings Plan for U.S. Employees
Arlington, VAProfessional, Scientific & Technical Services16,202 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$3,846Employer $ per active participant
$8,927Employee $ saved per active participant
0.05%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$4.5BNet plan assets, end of year
$187,706Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity35.5 / 5071th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost18.5 / 2574th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving7.6 / 1551th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score69 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Professional, Scientific & Technical Services plans with 10,000+ active participants (70 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 71th |
| Lower admin cost | 74th |
| Employee saving | 51th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 39% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $12,500 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Willis Towers Watson US put in about $3,846 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,932). 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 | $62,309,592 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $144,637,046 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $26,372,578 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $1,989,292 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $1,115,564 |
| Benefits paid out | $408,406,095 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $4.1B / $4.5B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 16,510 / 15,893 |
| Participants with account balances | 23,815 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Deloitte & Touche, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Advisory Group, LLC | $1,115,564 reported compensation |
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company | $873,728 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251010154412NAL0004385603001, received 2025-10-10, EIN 53-0181291, plan #005, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.