Southern Company 401(k) Plan
Officially: THE SOUTHERN COMPANY EMPLOYEE SAVINGS PLAN
The Southern Company Employee Savings Plan is a large single-employer 401(k) plan covering 35,609 total participants as of the end of the 2024 plan year, with 34,850 participants holding account balances. Plan assets totaled approximately $9.3 billion at year-end 2024, with Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith serving as recordkeeper. The investment menu is built primarily on a foundation of BlackRock, Northern Trust, and Vanguard collective investment trusts, alongside a significant Southern Company common stock position of roughly $3.06 billion. The plan also offers participant loans and a self-directed brokerage window.
By Zac Murphy, CFA charterholder and CFP professional. Published May 29, 2026. Verified against Form 5500 plan year 2024.
Get a personalized look at your Southern Company 401(k) options
Not sure if you're getting the most out of your plan? Tell us a bit about your situation and we'll help you understand your options.
Fund lineup
Your plan includes a self-directed brokerage window
A self-directed brokerage window is a feature within your 401(k) plan that lets you invest a portion of your balance outside the standard fund menu, into individual stocks, ETFs, or a broader universe of mutual funds. The brokerage window is a separate sleeve within your plan, but money held there remains inside your 401(k) and retains its tax treatment.
Who uses it
- Participants who want exposure beyond the plan's core menu, such as specific sector ETFs, individual stocks, or low-cost index funds not offered in the menu.
- Participants who want to consolidate the management of their 401(k) alongside other investment accounts.
- Participants with meaningful balances who want more direct control over allocation.
- Self-directed accounts can be actively managed by the participant directly, or by an advisor if the participant chooses to work with one.
Important considerations
- Additional costs. Brokerage windows often carry additional fees, and trading commissions vary by provider and security type.
- Allocation limits. Many plans cap the percentage of your balance that can be moved into the brokerage sleeve. Some require a minimum balance in the core menu.
- Plan rules still apply. Loan and distribution rules, vesting schedules, and contribution limits are unchanged. The brokerage window changes what you can invest in, not the underlying retirement account rules.
- Confirm details with your plan administrator. The specifics of your plan's brokerage window, including which securities are eligible and any account-level fees, are governed by your plan documents.
Why our allocations use only index funds
The actively managed funds in this plan cost more per year than the plan's index funds, which run roughly 0.02% to 0.06%. Decades of research on long-term active fund performance do not support reliable outperformance net of fees, which is why the allocation ideas below may consider using only the low-cost index options.
Employer match
Sources
- Plan metadata (employer, participants, assets, plan year): Form 5500 annual return/report, plan year 2024 -- view filing
- Summary Plan Description (SPD) and fee disclosure (404a-5), where available from the plan administrator.
This page is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment, tax, or legal advice, nor a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Information is drawn from public Form 5500 filings and plan documents and may be incomplete or out of date. You may consider consulting a qualified professional and confirming all details with your plan administrator before making decisions. Waterfall Planning is not affiliated with Southern Company.
Find your risk profile
Answer 13 questions to see which allocation fits your situation.
Risk assessment methodology based on Grable, J. E., & Lytton, R. H. (1999). Financial risk tolerance revisited: The development of a risk assessment instrument. Financial Services Review, 8, 163-181.
Allocation ideas
Five sample mixes built from this plan's funds, from conservative to growth. Take the assessment above to see which one fits your risk profile.
Capital preservation with minimal market exposure, built from bonds and stable value.
Mostly bonds with a small stock sleeve for modest growth.
A classic 60/40 split of stocks and bonds.
Stock-heavy with a bond cushion for a long horizon.
All stocks for maximum long-term growth potential, with higher short-term volatility.
These allocation ideas are educational illustrations built from this plan's available funds and a standard risk-tolerance assessment. They are not personalized investment advice or a recommendation, and risk tolerance is only one factor in an investment decision. You may consider consulting a qualified professional before making changes to your account.