"Good" for a 401(k) comes down to five things, roughly in order of impact:
1. The match
An employer match is an instant, guaranteed return. The most common formulas are 50% of the first 6% you contribute, or 100% of the first 3–5%. Anything at or above a full 4–5% of pay is strong; no match at all is the single biggest weakness a plan can have.
2. Fund costs
Check the expense ratio of the fund you're actually in (your plan's fee disclosure or fund fact sheet lists it). Under 0.2% is excellent; over 0.75% in a large plan is a red flag worth raising with HR.
3. Administrative fees
Reported plan-level administrative costs vary widely between similar-sized plans — that's what our peer benchmarks measure. A plan whose admin costs sit far above its size peers is leaving participant money on the table.
4. Vesting
Your own contributions are always yours. Employer contributions may vest over up to six years. Immediate or short vesting is a genuine benefit, especially if you change jobs often.
5. Features
Roth option, after-tax contributions, low-cost index choices, and reasonable loan provisions all add real flexibility.
One honest note: the public filing data this site is built on speaks mostly to points 1 and 3 — match dollars actually contributed, and administrative cost versus peers. For fund-level costs, your plan's own fee disclosure is the authoritative source.