HR sits at the center of retirement plan risk—and protection. This session demystifies ERISA’s fiduciary duties and shows practical ways HR leaders can strengthen governance without turning into lawyers. We’ll clarify who is (and isn’t) a fiduciary, how to delegate wisely (3(16), 3(21), 3(38)), and what “prudence” looks like in documentation, minutes, and monitoring. We’ll cover fee disclosures (408(b)(2), 404(a)(5)), QDIA oversight, vendor RFP cadence, SOC report reviews, and the difference between fidelity bonds and fiduciary liability insurance. You’ll see how DOL audits and recent fee litigation land in the real world—with a case study play-by-play—and leave with a practical checklist you can use the next day to tighten processes, benchmark fees, and reduce co-fiduciary exposure. Educational, action-oriented, and HR-specific.
Who Should Attend: HR/Total Rewards leaders, plan committee members, benefits managers, finance partners supporting plan governance.
Meet the Presenter
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Kristen Koluch, CFA®, CFP®
Kristen Koluch, CFA®, CFP®, has dedicated her career to helping people make progress on their personal financial journeys. With a background in working with employers on their retirement benefits plans, she understands that wealth is built in the workplace.
She appreciates that financial decisions can be emotional, complicating the decision-making process, and feels that maintaining a relationship with a trusted advisor is the key to having the confidence to pursue your financial goals. She views herself as a financial coach and guides clients to make their “next right” financial decision.
Her mantra is to under-promise and over-deliver. Whether it is preparing for a meeting or analyzing a solution to a family’s problem, she knows the expectations she would have from a professional advisor, and always holds herself to that standard.
She also leads the Women & Investing initiative of The Mahoney Group. She understands that female investors often face a complicated financial situation, balancing the roles of mother, daughter, wife, grandmother, colleague and friend – while putting their own needs last. As part of this initiative, she plans and hosts educational events for our female clients and prospective clients.
Kristen is co-head of The Mahoney Group’s Investment Committee and leads the portfolio research team for her team’s institutional clients. As a Chartered Financial Analyst®, Kristen holds one of the world’s most respected and recognized investment designations, giving her the skills needed for high-level, specialized asset-management responsibilities, including security analysis, portfolio management and business reporting. In 2020, Kristen obtained her CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification, demonstrating her commitment to her profession.
She joined The Mahoney Group on a full-time basis in 2003, but has worked with the group as an intern dating back to 1996. She specialized in investment policy development and execution for both wealth management and corporate clients. She joined Raymond James in 2015 when The Mahoney Group became part of the Raymond James family.
SHRM certification has approved this webinar for 1 PDC toward SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP recertification. A program code will be provided at the end of the webinar.