Where to search: Form 5500
Form 5500 is the annual return that every U.S. retirement plan with 100+ participants must file with the Department of Labor. The full filings — sponsor name, EIN, address, financials, service providers, and contact people — are public record.
Three free entry points:
- →EFAST2 portal at efast.dol.gov — single-plan lookup by sponsor name or EIN
- →FreeERISA — ad-supported single-plan lookup, owned by Judy Diamond
- →401kHunter — free filtered search across all 917K+ plans (filter by industry, asset size, state, fee grade)
Filter by company industry (NAICS code)
Every Form 5500 filing includes the sponsor's 6-digit NAICS code (line 2c). The first 2 digits are the major sector. Filter by sector to find companies in industries you specialize in or are credible to:
- →23 — Construction
- →31-33 — Manufacturing
- →54 — Professional services (law, accounting, engineering, consulting)
- →62 — Health care
- →72 — Accommodation and food services
Filter by company size (assets + participants)
Plan asset size correlates loosely with company size and revenue. Common buckets:
— Micro: <$5M assets, <100 participants — solo / small business 401(k), commonly Form 5500-SF — Small: $5M–$50M, 100–500 participants — mid-market, mostly full Form 5500 — Mid-market: $50M–$500M, 500–5,000 participants — enterprise sales cycle territory — Large: $500M+, 5,000+ participants — wirehouse / national broker-dealer space
Identify the actual decision maker
The Plan Administrator listed on Form 5500 is often a third-party administrator (TPA), not a person at the company. The Sponsor Signer is usually the CFO or HR head, but sometimes a delegate.
To reach the actual buying committee:
- →Small companies (<100 employees): the owner is the decision maker
- →Mid-market (100–1,000): typically the CFO, sometimes the HR director
- →Enterprise (1,000+): a benefits committee, with the CFO and CHRO as principals
How to know which 401(k) plans are pitch-worthy
A 401(k) plan is pitch-worthy when (a) the plan is overpaying for what it gets, and (b) the buying committee is open to switching providers. Markers:
- →Fee grade D (>1.5% admin expenses ÷ assets) — clear quantified savings argument
- →Recent recordkeeper or auditor change (filed on Schedule C Part 3) — sponsor is already in transition mode
- →Plan has a refused-to-disclose provider (Schedule C Part 2) — fiduciary red flag, vulnerable to compliance pitch
- →Plan size matches your service model (don't pitch a $500M plan if your team handles $50M plans)