About Kristen
As the director of Buckingham Retirement Solutions, Kristen Donovan supports Buckingham advisors in all aspects of the retirement plan space. She assists as firms develop new business and as they service existing plans.
Her passion is to help people. Kristen has enjoyed a robust career in the retirement industry for the last 27 years, believing her work supports the goal of providing employees the best possible chance of retiring comfortably. With a background in recordkeeping, administration, compliance and client relationship management, she found the natural next step was to become a retirement advisor 12 years ago. In this capacity, she discovered her love for educating participants and plan sponsors, breaking down complex ideas into understandable information to achieve the best results.
Kristen joined Buckingham in 2014. Currently she leads the retirement team which consists of the advisory teams that serves plans directly, and the team that serves our advisor community and manages our retirement plan platform. Buckingham serves as the investment manager for more than 1500 plans with approximately 50,000 participants and $3.9 billion (March 31, 2021).
A Saint Louis native, Kristen holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Saint Louis University. While serving two consecutive terms on the School of Business Alumni Board, she was the recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Board Service Excellence Award. She spent four years on the Schwab Bank and Trust Custody Advisory Board and recently joined the Fidelity Advisor Council. She also currently serves on the board of directors and finance committee for The Haven of Grace, a Christian organization that seeks to stop the cycle of poverty by providing housing and care to homeless, pregnant women in St. Louis City. She previously passed the Series 65 exam, is a credentialed member of ASPPA/NAPA and holds the Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) and Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) designations. In addition, she holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) designation from Fi360.
As the director of Buckingham Retirement Solutions, Kristen Donovan supports Buckingham advisors in all aspects of the retirement plan space. She assists as firms develop new business and as they service existing plans.
Her passion is to help people. Kristen has enjoyed a robust career in the retirement industry for the last 27 years, believing her work supports the goal of providing employees the best possible chance of retiring comfortably. With a background in recordkeeping, administration, compliance and client relationship management, she found the natural next step was to become a retirement advisor 12 years ago. In this capacity, she discovered her love for educating participants and plan sponsors, breaking down complex ideas into understandable information to achieve the best results.
Kristen joined Buckingham in 2014. Currently she leads the retirement team which consists of the advisory teams that serves plans directly, and the team that serves our advisor community and manages our retirement plan platform. Buckingham serves as the investment manager for more than 1500 plans with approximately 50,000 participants and $3.9 billion (March 31, 2021).
A Saint Louis native, Kristen holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Saint Louis University. While serving two consecutive terms on the School of Business Alumni Board, she was the recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Board Service Excellence Award. She spent four years on the Schwab Bank and Trust Custody Advisory Board and recently joined the Fidelity Advisor Council. She also currently serves on the board of directors and finance committee for The Haven of Grace, a Christian organization that seeks to stop the cycle of poverty by providing housing and care to homeless, pregnant women in St. Louis City. She previously passed the Series 65 exam, is a credentialed member of ASPPA/NAPA and holds the Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) and Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) designations. In addition, she holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) designation from Fi360.