Wintrust Financial Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
Wintrust Financial Corporation Retirement Savings Plan
Rosemont, ILFinance & Insurance5,600 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$3,482Employer $ per active participant
$9,187Employee $ saved per active participant
0.01%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$797.6MNet plan assets, end of year
$116,912Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity17.7 / 5035th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost24.4 / 2598th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving8.6 / 1557th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score58 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Finance & Insurance plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (199 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 35th |
| Lower admin cost | 98th |
| Employee saving | 57th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 66% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $16,987 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Wintrust Financial put in about $3,482 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 | $19,503,576 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $51,450,695 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $12,720,466 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $73,827 |
| Benefits paid out | $44,624,166 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $661.4M / $797.6M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 5,395 / 5,806 |
| Participants with account balances | 6,822 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Ernst & Young, LLP |
| Employer stock held by plan | $10,275,829 |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company | $116,303 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251006152958NAL0006860512001, received 2025-10-06, EIN 36-3873352, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.