Costco and 23 More Companies With Surprisingly Great 401(k) Plans
There's no doubt that salary is an important part of anyone's job. But these days, company benefits also play a big role in attracting — and retaining — job candidates. Most companies offer employee benefits such as health insurance and paid vacation. Many also offer 401(k) plans, which have become a key tool in helping employees plan their financial futures. According to a May 2021 report from Fidelity, employers contributed an average of 4.6% of employees' salaries to their 401(k)s in the first quarter of 2021.
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But not all 401(k) plans are created equal. Some employers match employee contributions at a higher percentage and some include profit-sharing in the deal. A competitive 401(k) plan should have both low fees and a good company match. Although not all of the companies here provide specifics on their fees or what they match, they all have one thing in common — their employees love their job benefits, and that includes their 401(k)s.
Last updated: Sept. 1, 2021
AAA Club Alliance
AAA Club Alliance scored 4.2 stars out of 5 on Glassdoor for its benefits package. That's not surprising given the fact that the company matches employee contributions to the 401(k) plan at 6%. AAA Club Alliance also offers employees 2.5 weeks of paid time off for the first three years, paid holidays and a paid training and tuition reimbursement program.
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Accenture
Accenture helps clients grow and transform their businesses. New employees don’t have to wait to become active in the 401(k) program at Accenture — everyone is immediately eligible to contribute. After meeting eligibility requirements, employees get a matching contribution for each dollar they contribute up to to 6% of their eligible compensation. The company doesn't publicly disclose vesting information, but employees report they are 100% vested in their own contributions immediately and become 100% vested in Accenture’s matching contributions after two years.
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Aya Healthcare
Aya Healthcare is a travel nurse agency that was voted a top workplace seven years in a row by The San Diego Union-Tribune. The company offers a matching 401(k) plan but doesn't disclose the percentage. Other benefits include free premium medical, life, dental and vision insurance and unlimited paid time off.
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Bain & Company
Boston-based Bain & Company, a global management consultancy, treats its employees well enough to earn 4.8 stars out of 5 on Glassdoor's benefits rating. In addition to a 401(k) match, Bain offers a top-notch health insurance plan as well as maternity and paternity leave and an employee well-being program.
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A's 401(k) is rated in the top 15% among its peer group. All eligible, full-time Chick-fil-A employees can enroll in the 401(k), and the company matches up to 5%. Other benefits Chick-fil-A provides include paid time off, college scholarship opportunities and tuition discounts. Plus, you'll always have Sundays off.
CNX Resources Corporation
CNX Resources, an independent gas exploration and production company, offers its employees a long list of benefits. One of those benefits is a 401(k) plan that provides employees with a 6% company match. The plan boasts about $551 million in assets and more than 2,900 participants. CNX also offers other corporate perks such as professional development reimbursement, paid parental leave, adoption assistance and flexible work schedules.
Costco Wholesale
Costco wants its employees to retire comfortably. To help them reach that goal, the company matches employee contributions at 50 cents on the dollar for the first $1,000 each year, for a maximum match of $500 a year. Eligibility is based on a percentage of employees' eligible earnings. That percentage rises as an employee puts in more years of service.
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E. & J. Gallo Winery
E. & J. Gallo Winery is a family owned company that treats its employees like family. In fact, employees gave its benefits program 4.2 stars out of 5 on Glassdoor. In addition to offering employees a profit-sharing retirement plan, it offers pretax and after-tax 401(k) plans with a company match. Employees get a 100% match of contributions of up to 3% of their annual income.
General Motors
An automaker that once filed for bankruptcy might not seem like a good candidate to offer competitive employee benefits, but General Motors does just that. Its 401(k) plan provides employees with both a match and GM retirement contributions. According to one employee on Glassdoor, "(The) company contributes minimum 4% toward the 401(k) plan."
GoFundMe
GoFundMe is a crowdfunding site that caters to individuals, groups and organizations. On Glassdoor, employees report that the company takes care of its employees with 401(k) matching, though there are no current details on the percentage. One current GoFundMe employee reported that the company offers "fully covered healthcare (and) unlimited PTO for salaried employees" while another reported a $600 annual wellness stipend a $400 work-from-home stipend per month. GoFundMe also offers performance bonuses.
GoGo squeeZ
Natural yogurt maker GoGo squeeZ has a 4.3 benefits rating on Glassdoor. One reason is its comprehensive benefits package, which keeps employees happy with health, dental, life and vision insurance, as well as bonuses, gym memberships and social events. The company's 401(k) plan features a company match of 4%.
Honeywell International
In 2018, Honeywell looked to bolster its workers' retirement savings by increasing how much it matches employee contributions to its 401(k) plan. According to an article on Forbes' site, Honeywell employees who had been getting a 75% match on the initial 8% of pay had their match boosted to 87.5%. The maximum company match for these workers rose to 7% from 6%. Those numbers still hold true today, according to Honeywell. With Honeywell, employees are always 100% vested in their own contributions. However, employees become eligible for the match after three years of service.
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Imgur
Imgur is an online image-sharing community that scored 4.6 stars out of 5 on Glassdoor for its benefits program. The company offers 401(k) matching but doesn't disclose the percentage. One reviewer on Glassdoor put the match at 4%. Other benefits and perks Imgur offers include unlimited paid time off and the option to work from home.
Kimley-Horn & Associates
The company states on its website that its average employee’s 401(k) plan is on track to replace 70% of their income in retirement, which is nearly triple the percentage on the average 401(k) plan. Kimley-Horn provides a two-to-one 401(k) match on the first 4% an employee contributes. The company also offers a generous profit-sharing program.
Lone Pine Capital
Founded in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1997, Lone Pine Capital is a hedge fund that started 2019 with $32 billion in assets under management. Employees here seem to have no problem building lucrative retirement accounts. Lone Pine Capital’s average 401(k) account balance is $1.31 million, according to Brightscope. That's far above the industry average of $129,157. Lone Pine's 401(k) plan has more than $182.4 million in assets and more than 100 active participants.
RealSelf
RealSelf is a healthcare marketplace that lets users browse patient reviews and read medical expert opinions on treatments and providers. The company got 4.6 stars out of 5 on Glassdoor for its benefits package. RealSelf offers a matching 401(k) with up to a 4% match for employees. It does say the plan has a profit-sharing component, more than $7.9 million in assets and more than 200 active participants.
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SES Americom
SES Americom is a provider of satellite and ground communications solutions. It has over 800 active participants and over $196 million in plan assets. One Glassdoor user said, “Vacation, 401(k) and good health insurance are the best things about the benefits package. They keep the European standard of vacation for U.S. employees which is much better than most U.S. companies."
Southwest Airlines
Employees of Southwest Airlines can save for retirement through both Roth and pretax 401(k) plans. The company matches employee contributions dollar-for-dollar for up to 9.3% of their eligible earnings. Not only is Southwest's 401(k) plan very competitive, the company also offers employees a profit-sharing benefit that has ranged over the past 10 years from 1%-16% of their eligible compensation.
Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett
The Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett law firm offers a defined contribution plan with a 401(k) component and a profit-sharing feature. The company's plan has over 1,200 users with a $270,000 average account balance. The firm's other benefits include flexible work arrangements, off-site emergency child care, a subsidized on-site cafeteria, a $2,500 technology stipend and matching donations to law schools.
Ultimate Software
Ultimate Software develops and sells UltiPro, a cloud-based human capital management software system for businesses. Its 401(k) savings plan features a 40% company match on every dollar an employee contributes, according to the company's information on Glassdoor. Other benefits include unlimited personal time off, 100% covered health insurance premiums and fertility assistance.
Vimeo
Vimeo is a video-sharing platform formed by a group of filmmakers in 2004. Today it serves more than 80 million creators who can share and promote their work on the platform. Employees gave its benefits program 4.5 stars out of 5 on Glassdoor. In June 2019, one employee wrote that Vimeo has the “best 401(k) program in the industry, by far. (It) just increased to a 100% match of up to 10% of an employee’s salary, (with a) max match of $10k a year.” And it appears this still holds true from recent Glassdoor user reviews.
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Walmart
Despite what you might have read or heard about Walmart as an employer, the retail giant is very competitive in terms of matching 401(k) contributions. After one year of service, Walmart will match employees’ contributions dollar-for-dollar for up to 6% of their eligible pay. Say you earn $30,000 a year at Walmart and contribute 6% of your salary, or $1,800, to your 401(k). Walmart will match that with a $1,800 contribution of its own. Hourly associates can also contribute to Walmart’s 401(k).
WillowTree
Willowtree, an app development company with offices in Virginia, North Carolina and New York, has earned kudos from Fortune, Glassdoor and Inc. for being a top place to work. The company's benefits include a 401(k) match, stock options, flexible work hours and gym memberships. Employees gave its benefits package a 4.6 out of 5 stars rating on Glassdoor, with one employee noting that workers receive company matching of up to 6% on 401(k)s.
Zeta Associates
With a 4.7-star rating out of 5 stars on Glassdoor, Zeta Associates’ benefits certainly seem popular enough. The company’s incorporated profit-sharing plan includes a 401(k) as well as a profit-sharing component. The plan has more than 500 participants and its assets total more than $364.2 million. Zeta doesn’t say what percentage it matches in its 401(k), but it does list the average employee 401(k) balance as $650,000, according to BrightScope. That's more than five times the industry average of $129,157.
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Cynthia Measom contributed to the reporting for this article.
Photo Disclaimer: Please note photos are for illustrative purposes only. As a result, some of the photos might not reflect the actual companies listed in this article.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Costco and 23 More Companies With Surprisingly Great 401(k) Plans
