Maine › Administrative and support and waste management services › 5,000 to 24,999 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
The Alliance of State Retail Associations 401(k) Plan & Trust
Sponsored by Retail Association of Maine, Augusta, ME
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances. Form 5500 contains no individual account balances. Look up the original filing at EFAST2.
Retail Association of Maine of Augusta, Maine sponsors The Alliance of State Retail Associations 401(k) Plan & Trust, a 401(k) plan. Its Form 5500 for the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024 shows 7,983 participants (5,822 active) and $76.8M in net assets. It is a multiple-employer plan covering the employees of more than one employer.
Net assets came to $9,623 per participant, well below the $64,499 median for defined contribution plans with 5,000 to 24,999 participants and well below the $24,581 median for defined contribution plans in administrative and support and waste management services. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
The employer contributed $2.2M during the year, or $371 per active participant against a same-size median of $2,424; participants contributed $7.6M and $478K arrived as rollovers and other contributions. Benefits paid out totalled $9.6M.
Schedule C lists 7 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $855K: $107 per participant, well above the same-size median of $53.38. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $910K. Schedule C does not capture every cost: fees netted from fund returns and fees the employer pays directly are outside it.
Across the filings on record, net assets went from $24.3M in 2020 to $76.8M in 2024 (up 216%), and participants from 648 to 7,983 (up 1132%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was unmodified (unqualified), from an audit whose scope was limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C) to exclude investment information certified by a bank or insurer.
Compared with similar plans
| Measure | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DC plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $9,623 | $64,499 | $24,581 | $53,102 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $371 | $2,424 | $1,302 | $2,175 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $107 | $53.38 | $98.48 | $123 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 1.1% | 0.09% | 0.44% | 0.26% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $114 | $54.85 | $95.90 | $116 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined contribution plans with 100 or more participants: 5,000 to 24,999 participants (2,605 plans), administrative and support and waste management services (1,682) and all US plans (63,460). Fee medians cover plans that report an amount.
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Schedule C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 7,983 | $76.8M | $9,623 | $2.2M | $7.6M | $855K |
| 2023 | 3,161 | $73.4M | $23,216 | $2.1M | $6.5M | $188K |
| 2022 | 4,711 | $46.9M | $9,959 | $1.4M | $5.1M | $25K |
| 2021 | 3,869 | $47.1M | $12,179 | $948K | $2.5M | $12K |
| 2020 | 648 | $24.3M | $37,559 | $311K | $1.0M | $10K |
Years in which the plan filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants, from 2009. Plan year is the year in which the plan year began.
Statement for the year
- Net assets, beginning of year$73,386,902
- Employer contributions$2,161,707
- Participant contributions$7,578,858
- Rollovers and other contributions$477,985
- Total contributions$10,218,550
- Total income, including investment results$20,453,226
- Benefits paid$9,642,974
- Administrative expenses$909,652
- Total expenses$10,552,626
- Net income$9,900,600
- Net transfers−$6,470,895
- Net assets, end of year$76,816,607
Participants
- Active participants5,822
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits2,057
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits104
- Participants with account balances1,827
- Total participants, end of year7,983
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln National Corporation | Contract Administrator | $575,619 | $0 |
| Atlas Pension Administrators Inc. | Recordkeeping and information management | $96,117 | $0 |
| Atlas Fiduciary Services | Investment advisory (plan) | $74,249 | $0 |
| Sagepoint Financial Inc. | Investment advisory (plan) | $47,915 | $0 |
| Cambridge Investment Research | Investment advisory (plan) | $29,075 | $0 |
| Transamerica Retirement Solutions | Recordkeeping and information management; Participant loan processing | $22,209 | $0 |
| Transamerica Financial Life Ins Co. | Insurance agents and brokers; Insurance services | $9,913 | $0 |
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. Individuals named on Schedule C (plan employees, individual trustees) are never shown and their compensation is excluded. Eligible indirect compensation disclosed by formula carries no dollar amount. See how to read Schedule C fees.
Administrative expenses on Schedule H
- Contract administrator fees$909,652
- Total administrative expenses$909,652
Investment structure
Assets at year end by Schedule H category. The form shows the kind of vehicle holding the money, not the funds on the menu.
- Master trust investment accounts$52.2M · 67.9%
- Pooled separate accounts$22.5M · 29.3%
- Participant loans$918K · 1.2%
- Receivables$645K · 0.8%
- Insurance company general account$569K · 0.7%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)Yes
- Accounting firmTempleton & Co.
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateYes, $372,310
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $500,000
- Blackout period during the yearNo
These are the plan administrator's own answers on Schedule H, Part IV. A reported late transmittal is the filer's disclosure of a timing lapse, usually corrected through the Department of Labor's voluntary program; the amount is the total involved, not a loss.
Plan characteristics
2S401(k) plan or 403(b) plan that provides for automatic enrollment2EProfit-sharing plan2FERISA section 404(c) plan2GTotal participant-directed account plan2JCode section 401(k) feature2KCode section 401(m) arrangement2TTotal or partial participant-directed account plan with a default investment account3DPre-approved pension plan
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 561300: Employment Services.
Similar plans in Maine
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chenmark Retirement Savings 401(k) Plan | Chenmark Holdings, Inc. | 736 | $10.1M | $13,717 |
| Affiliated Healthcare Systems Retirement Partnership 401(k) Plan | Affiliated Healthcare Systems | 512 | $32.7M | $63,828 |
| Savilinx 401(k) Plan | Savilinx, LLC | 425 | $1.9M | $4,480 |
| Medical Care Development, Inc. 403(b) Plan | Medical Care Development, Inc. | 260 | $12.9M | $49,564 |
| Systems Engineering, Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | Systems Engineering, Inc. | 243 | $21.5M | $88,516 |
| Systems Engineering, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan | Systems Engineering, Inc. | 223 | $51.1M | $229,352 |
Defined contribution plans in administrative and support and waste management services closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is The Alliance of State Retail Associations 401(k) Plan & Trust?
7,983 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 5,822 were active employees, with net assets of $76,816,607. Among defined contribution plans that places it in the 5,000 to 24,999 participants band, which held 2,605 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Retail Association of Maine contribute per participant?
The filing reports $2,161,707 in employer contributions for the year, which is $371 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $2,424 in plan year 2024. Form 5500 reports the total only. It does not state the match formula, and the per-participant figure is an average, not any one person's contribution.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports $855,097 in compensation to service provider organisations, $107 per participant or 1.1% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $53.38 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $909,652. Investment costs deducted inside mutual funds and other pooled vehicles are not itemised on Form 5500, so these figures are a floor rather than a full cost.
Who runs the plan?
The sponsor is Retail Association of Maine. Recordkeeping or administration: Lincoln National Corporation, Atlas Pension Administrators Inc. and Transamerica Retirement Solutions. Investment advisory or management: Atlas Fiduciary Services, Sagepoint Financial Inc. and Cambridge Investment Research. The financial statements were audited by Templeton & Co.. Form 5500 also names the plan administrator's signer and other individuals; this site publishes organisations only.
Was the audit opinion unqualified?
The filing reports an unmodified (unqualified) opinion from a limited-scope audit, in which the accountant did not audit investment information certified by a bank or insurance company. Unmodified (formerly "unqualified") is the standard clean opinion.
How current is this, and does it show my balance?
This is the Form 5500 for the plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024, received by the Department of Labor on 15 Oct 2025. Filings are due seven months after the plan year ends, or nine and a half with an extension, so the public record always runs a year or more behind. It contains plan-level totals only: no individual balances, contributions or names of participants exist in the data.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files (Form 5500, Schedule H, Schedule C) for plan years 2009 to 2025, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 01-0165117, plan 333, received 15 Oct 2025; an amended filing replaces it at the next build. Medians and percentiles are computed by this site; see the methodology. Report an error through corrections.