Massachusetts › Educational services › 100 to 249 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jul 2024 to 30 Jun 2025
Cash Balance Pension Plan for Staff Employees of Mount Holyoke College
Sponsored by Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA
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.
Mount Holyoke College of South Hadley, Massachusetts sponsors Cash Balance Pension Plan for Staff Employees of Mount Holyoke College, a cash balance pension plan. Its Form 5500 for the plan year ending 30 Jun 2025 shows 164 participants (68 active) and $11.1M in net assets.
Net assets came to $67,647 per participant, below the $80,635 median for defined benefit plans with 100 to 249 participants and well below the $86,333 median for defined benefit plans in educational services. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
Employer contributions were $560K for the year ($8,235 per active participant) and benefits paid were $4.8M. In a defined benefit plan the employer's contribution follows funding rules rather than a match formula, so it can swing widely from year to year.
Schedule C lists 4 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $148K: $905 per participant, well above the same-size median of $451. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $214K. 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 $9.2M in 2009 to $11.1M in 2024 (up 21%), and participants from 399 to 164 (down 59%).
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 DB plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $67,647 | $80,635 | $86,333 | $86,221 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $8,235 | $9,975 | $9,921 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $905 | $451 | $339 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 1.3% | 0.52% | 0.37% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $1,307 | $582 | $462 | $527 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined benefit plans with 100 or more participants: 100 to 249 participants (1,156 plans), educational services (74) and all US plans (5,308). 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 | 164 | $11.1M | $67,646 | $560K | — | $148K |
| 2023 | 244 | $14.6M | $59,635 | $633K | — | $152K |
| 2022 | 257 | $14.0M | $54,292 | $593K | — | $145K |
| 2021 | 279 | $14.6M | $52,477 | $725K | — | $161K |
| 2020 | 295 | $18.0M | $60,936 | $710K | — | $158K |
| 2019 | 300 | $14.6M | $48,690 | — | — | $140K |
| 2018 | 314 | $16.9M | $53,796 | $1.5M | — | $143K |
| 2017 | 323 | $15.9M | $49,108 | $500K | — | $132K |
| 2016 | 329 | $15.6M | $47,286 | $1.0M | — | $120K |
| 2015 | 344 | $14.7M | $42,654 | $3.1M | — | $115K |
| 2014 | 355 | $12.7M | $35,811 | $914K | — | $132K |
| 2013 | 392 | $13.8M | $35,306 | $768K | — | $134K |
| 2012 | 387 | $11.9M | $30,742 | $244K | — | $116K |
| 2011 | 393 | $11.1M | $28,237 | — | — | $104K |
| 2010 | 393 | $12.0M | $30,496 | $2.1M | — | $107K |
| 2009 | 399 | $9.2M | $22,955 | $955K | — | $58K |
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$14,551,499
- Employer contributions$560,000
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$560,000
- Total income, including investment results$1,540,622
- Benefits paid$4,783,728
- Administrative expenses$214,321
- Total expenses$4,998,049
- Net income−$3,457,427
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$11,094,072
Participants
- Active participants68
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits2
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits91
- Total participants, end of year164
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| USI Consulting Group | Actuarial; Recordkeeping and information management; Consulting (pension); Participant communication | $77,206 | $0 |
| Shepherd Kaplan LLC | Investment advisory (plan) | $46,386 | $0 |
| Aetna Life Insurance Company | Contract Administrator | $14,758 | $0 |
| Moriarty & Primack, P.C. | Accounting (including auditing) | $10,000 | $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
- Actuarial fees$77,206
- Other administrative expenses$65,482
- Investment advisory and management fees$46,386
- Contract administrator fees$15,247
- IQPA audit fees$10,000
- Total administrative expenses$214,321
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.
- Registered investment companies (mutual funds)$10.4M · 93.8%
- Receivables$560K · 5.0%
- Pooled separate accounts$72K · 0.6%
- Cash (interest and non-interest bearing)$57K · 0.5%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)Yes
- Accounting firmMP P.C
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $1,000,000
- Blackout period during the year—
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
1ABenefits are primarily pay related1CCash balance or similar plan
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 611000: Educational Services (including schools, colleges, & universities).
Other plans of Mount Holyoke College
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Holyoke College Defined Contribution Retirement Plan | 2,945 | $423M |
Similar plans in Massachusetts
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groton School Defined Benefit Plan | Groton School | 211 | $25.1M | $119,051 |
| Amherst College Staff Retirement Plan | Amherst College Trustees | 331 | $21.8M | $65,944 |
| Massachusetts Teachers Association Retirement Plan | Massachusetts Teachers Association | 384 | $242M | $629,102 |
| Wellesley Coll Pension PLN for Classified Ofc and SVC Ees | Wellesley College | 393 | $69.4M | $176,470 |
| Berklee College of Music, Inc. Retirement Plan | Berklee College of Music, Inc. | 706 | $104M | $147,238 |
| Holy Cross Retirement Plan for Nonexempt Employees | Trustees of the College of the Holy Cross | 839 | $86.3M | $102,828 |
Defined benefit plans in educational services closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Cash Balance Pension Plan for Staff Employees of Mount Holyoke College?
164 participants at the end of the plan year ending 30 Jun 2025, of whom 68 were active employees, with net assets of $11,094,072. Among defined benefit plans that places it in the 100 to 249 participants band, which held 1,156 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Mount Holyoke College contribute per participant?
The filing reports $560,000 in employer contributions for the year, which is $8,235 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $9,975 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 $148,350 in compensation to service provider organisations, $905 per participant or 1.3% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $451 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $214,321. 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 Mount Holyoke College. Recordkeeping or administration: USI Consulting Group and Aetna Life Insurance Company. Investment advisory or management: Shepherd Kaplan LLC. The financial statements were audited by MP P.C. 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 Jul 2024 to 30 Jun 2025, received by the Department of Labor on 15 Apr 2026. 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 04-2103578, plan 001, received 15 Apr 2026; 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.