California › Information › 250 to 499 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
American Radio Association Pension Plan
Sponsored by Board of Trustees Ara Pension Plan, Alameda, CA
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.
Board of Trustees Ara Pension Plan of Alameda, California sponsors American Radio Association Pension Plan, a defined benefit pension plan. Its Form 5500 for the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024 shows 263 participants (56 active) and $48.7M in net assets. It is a multiemployer plan, maintained under collective bargaining agreements with more than one employer.
Net assets came to $185,044 per participant, well above the $87,254 median for defined benefit plans with 250 to 499 participants and well above the $76,035 median for defined benefit plans in information. 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 $1.7M for the year ($30,965 per active participant) and benefits paid were $5.3M. 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 8 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $639K: $2,428 per participant, well above the same-size median of $413. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $696K. 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 $85.7M in 2009 to $48.7M in 2024 (down 43%), and participants from 448 to 263 (down 41%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was unmodified (unqualified).
Compared with similar plans
| Measure | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DB plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $185,044 | $87,254 | $76,035 | $86,221 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $30,965 | $11,032 | $7,015 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $2,428 | $413 | $354 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 1.3% | 0.51% | 0.46% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $2,647 | $596 | $671 | $527 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined benefit plans with 100 or more participants: 250 to 499 participants (873 plans), information (147) 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 | 263 | $48.7M | $185,046 | $1.7M | — | $639K |
| 2023 | 275 | $50.5M | $183,462 | $1.6M | — | $574K |
| 2022 | 277 | $52.5M | $189,440 | $1.7M | — | $554K |
| 2021 | 285 | $58.3M | $204,593 | $1.7M | — | $366K |
| 2020 | 292 | $60.4M | $206,925 | $1.6M | — | $378K |
| 2019 | 310 | $62.4M | $201,248 | $1.9M | — | $437K |
| 2018 | 320 | $62.4M | $195,094 | $1.7M | — | $410K |
| 2017 | 321 | $67.2M | $209,202 | $1.9M | — | $468K |
| 2016 | 336 | $68.5M | $203,908 | $108K | — | $632K |
| 2015 | 331 | $72.5M | $219,000 | $149K | — | $465K |
| 2014 | 347 | $77.7M | $223,925 | $501K | — | $640K |
| 2013 | 359 | $79.6M | $221,630 | $635K | — | $705K |
| 2009 | 448 | $85.7M | $191,400 | — | — | $300K |
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$50,452,136
- Employer contributions$1,734,035
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$1,734,035
- Total income, including investment results$4,167,926
- Benefits paid$5,257,266
- Administrative expenses$696,203
- Total expenses$5,953,469
- Net income−$1,785,543
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$48,666,593
Participants
- Active participants56
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits188
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits19
- Total participants, end of year263
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proskauer Rose LLP | Legal | $156,662 | $0 |
| Zenith American Solutions | Contract Administrator | $147,796 | $0 |
| The Segal Company | Actuarial | $85,317 | $0 |
| Law Office of Ed Steinberg | Legal | $84,094 | $0 |
| Segal Select Insurance Brokerage | Insurance brokerage commissions and fees | $72,315 | $0 |
| Segal Marco Advisors | Investment advisory (plan) | $48,194 | $0 |
| Baldwin Moffitt Behm LLP | Accounting (including auditing) | $31,532 | $0 |
| Amalgamated Bank of New York | Custodial (other than securities) | $12,668 | $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
- Legal fees$240,756
- Contract administrator fees$147,000
- Other administrative expenses$129,461
- Actuarial fees$85,317
- Investment advisory and management fees$48,194
- IQPA audit fees$31,532
- Trustee and custodial fees$12,668
- Other trustee fees and expenses$1,275
- Total administrative expenses$696,203
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.
- Insurance company general account$32.8M · 67.3%
- Registered investment companies (mutual funds)$10.0M · 20.6%
- Common/collective trusts$4.6M · 9.5%
- Receivables$664K · 1.4%
- Cash (interest and non-interest bearing)$606K · 1.2%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)No
- Accounting firmBaldwin Moffitt Behm LLP
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $3,000,000
- 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
1ABenefits are primarily pay related
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 517000: Telecommunications (including paging, cellular, satellite, cable & other program distribution, resellers, other telecommunications, & internet service providers).
Other plans of Board of Trustees Ara Pension Plan
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| American Radio Association Individual Account Plan | 122 | $6.9M |
Similar plans in California
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Media Guild Retirement Plan | Media Guild Retirement Plan | 1,797 | $164M | $91,182 |
| SSL Pension Plan | Maxar Space, LLC | 2,868 | $321M | $111,813 |
| Directv Bargained Pension Plan | Directv Entertainment Holdings LLC | 3,544 | $17.7M | $4,984 |
| Disney Salaried Pension Plan a | TWDC Enterprises 18 Corp. | 18,186 | $4.20B | $231,183 |
| Disney Salaried Pension Plan D | TWDC Enterprises 18 Corp. | 34,883 | $10.4B | $298,735 |
| Disney Associated Companies' Retirement Plan | TWDC Enterprises 18 Corp. | 53,294 | $1.83B | $34,345 |
Defined benefit plans in information closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is American Radio Association Pension Plan?
263 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 56 were active employees, with net assets of $48,666,593. Among defined benefit plans that places it in the 250 to 499 participants band, which held 873 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Board of Trustees Ara Pension Plan contribute per participant?
The filing reports $1,734,035 in employer contributions for the year, which is $30,965 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $11,032 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 $638,578 in compensation to service provider organisations, $2,428 per participant or 1.3% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $413 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $696,203. 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 Board of Trustees Ara Pension Plan. Recordkeeping or administration: Zenith American Solutions. Investment advisory or management: Segal Marco Advisors. Trustee or custodian: Amalgamated Bank of New York. The financial statements were audited by Baldwin Moffitt Behm LLP. 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. 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 11 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 13-6161999, plan 001, received 11 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.