About us
Kentucky Public Employees’ Deferred Compensation Authority (KDC) is authorized under the Kentucky Revised Statutes (18A.230 – 18A.275) to provide administration of tax-deferred supplemental retirement plans for all state, public school and university employees, and employees of local political subdivisions that have elected to participate. It is an agency attached to the Personnel Cabinet of the Commonwealth of Kentucky for administrative purposes only.
We offer two retirement plans for employees like you to save from each paycheck and invest toward retirement. These plans can help bridge the gap between what you have in your pension and Social Security (if applicable), and how much you will need in retirement. The available deferred compensation plans include:
Three pre-tax options:
- 457(b) Plan – tax-deferred
- 401(k) Plan – tax-deferred
- Deemed Traditional IRA
Three after-tax options:
- Roth 457(b)
- Roth 401(k)
- Deemed Roth IRA
To understand investing through KDC and our investment options, take a look at our Investment Guide.
You can also view investment performance and our Program Summary.
The maximum annual fee that any participant can be charged is $237! This accounts for the $12 administrative fee and $225 maximum for mutual fund asset costs. For more details about our fees, review our Participation Costs.
In Return for Your Fees
We provide the following services:
- Online Features – Investment management, planning tools, deferral changes, beneficiary designations, loans, and distributions.
- Individual customer service –Representatives are available to help Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. ET.
- Webinars – Educational presentations covering retirement planning topics to prepare you for every stage of participation, from enrolment through retirement.
- One-on-one advising – Contact us to set up an appointment with a local KDC Retirement Specialist. Information received from Plan Service Representatives is for educational use only and should not be considered investment advice.
Tax-deferred (pre-tax)
Basically, you do not pay Federal or State income taxes on your plan contributions or earnings until you take payments from your account. This may lower your taxable income.
After-tax
Unlike tax-deferred (pre-tax) contributions, after-tax contributions are fully taxed (Federal and State) before they are invested in your plan. Then the contributions you later withdraw are not subject to any further taxation. However, earnings on your after-tax contributions may be subject to taxation depending upon whether certain conditions are satisfied at the time of withdrawal.
As a Kentucky Deferred Comp participant, you are eligible to rollover outside retirement accounts into your KDC account. Consolidating retirement accounts may make managing your retirement accounts more effective and reduce your administrative costs. Contact a Local Retirement Specialist to determine if your other retirement assets can be combined or consolidated with your KDC account. Neither KDC, Nationwide, nor any of its representatives provide legal or tax advice. Please contact your legal or tax advisor for such advice.
A minimum monthly payroll contribution of $30 per Plan is required. If you contribute to the 457(b) Plan, this minimum applies to your pre-tax 457(b) contributions. If you contribute to the 401(k) Plan, a separate $30 contribution amount is required; however, this minimum applies to the combined total of your 401(k) Plan pretax and after-tax (Roth) contributions. Therefore, if you contribute to both the 457(b) and 401(k) Plans, a separate $30 minimum applies to each Plan. If you choose to make after-tax contributions to the Deemed Traditional IRA or Deemed Roth IRA, a separate $30 minimum applies to both the Deemed Traditional and Deemed Roth IRA options.Â
Check out the current IRS-plan contribution limits.
Some funds available through Kentucky Deferred Comp (KDC) maintain or are subject to trading restrictions and charge redemption fees to help prevent excessive short-term or disruptive trading. Frequent trading drives up fund costs and potentially reduces fund performance. These policies are intended to protect the interests of KDC Plan participants who are investing for long-term retirement goals. Additional trading restrictions and redemption fees may be added at any time.
Please note the following trading restrictions and redemption fees:
Maximum four trades per rolling 30-day period — These funds are designated as restricted funds and thereby, limited to four (4) trades (purchases or sales) per rolling 30-day period per restricted fund. Failure to adhere to these limits may result in additional trading restrictions.
- American Funds EuroPacific Growth (R6)
- Dodge & Cox International Fund
Purchase Block — This fund imposes a purchase block. Please consult fund prospectus for details.
- American Funds EuroPacific Growth (R6)
- T. Rowe Price Institutional Mid-Cap Equity Growth Fund
Fixed Contract Fund 3 balances are restricted from being moved directly into the Invesco Short Term Investments Government & Agency Portfolio – Institutional.
We are delighted that you are interested in adopting KDC for your employees. Our 401(k) and 457(b) plans can provide valuable supplemental retirement benefits for them. Joining KDC is easy. All it takes is a completed and signed Joinder Agreement. To discuss this process, and to implement these supplemental retirement savings plans, please call us to discuss your employer options and to receive the appropriate Joinder Agreement.
Please call us at 502-573-7925 option 5, to discuss your employer options and view our HR Leader Kit for Plan details.
The Kentucky Public Employees’ Deferred Compensation Authority administers KDC, under the direction of a Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees selects the investment options available under KDC with the assistance of an investment consultant/advisor. Plan recordkeeping, communication and enrollment services are handled by Nationwide®.
Kris Kellinghaus, Chairman
Senior Vice President & Chief Investment Officer, MCF Advisors
Kris Kellinghaus serves as Senior Vice President, Chief Investment Officer for MCF Advisors, LLC. Kris is the head of the Investment Management Department and leads the Executive Investment Committee in developing MCF’s investment outlook and investment program. He oversees all aspects of portfolio management and research, including asset allocation, due diligence, security selection, and implementation. Prior to joining MCF, Kris worked for investment firms in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati as an investment advisor and associate portfolio manager.
Kris is a CFA Charterholder, CAIA Charterholder, and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERâ„¢ professional. He graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Science in Finance, received his MBA in Finance from Xavier University, and earned his Master of Arts in Applied Economics from the University of Cincinnati. Kris lives in Northern Kentucky with his wife Kristen their two children and enjoys spending time with family and friends, running, and volunteering.
Mark Metcalf
State Treasurer
Kentucky State Treasury
Ex Officio
Mark H Metcalf serves as Kentucky's 39th State Treasurer. Prior to his election as Treasurer, he practiced law for 38 years as a private practitioner, state and federal prosecutor, and as a judge on the US Immigration Court in Miami, Florida. He was selected Kentucky's Outstanding County Attorney in 2013 for his work as a special prosecutor and for one of the highest DUI conviction rates in the state. Treasurer Metcalf has twice represented Kentucky before the US Supreme Court as Special Assistant Attorney General of Kentucky. In civilian life, he served as Garrard County Attorney in Lancaster, Kentucky, a post to which he was elected six-times.
Treasurer Metcalf is a veteran of Iraq and served 29 years in the Kentucky Army National Guard, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 2020. While posted to Baghdad, he served as Garrison Command Judge-Advocate at Victory Base Complex and on special assignments represented the 25th Infantry Division and the 2d Brigade of the 82d Airborne Division. His unit, the 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, coordinated the removal of American and foreign personnel, weapons, and equipment from Victory Base and closed American combat operations throughout Iraq. Treasurer Metcalf has-twice-received-the-Army Meritorious Service Medal.
Treasurer Metcalf is widely published and quoted by media outlets across the U.S., including the Miami Herald, Washington Post, Des Moines Register, Washington Times, Heritage Foundation, and National Public Radio. His book Built to Fail: Deception and Disorder in America's Immigration Courts was published by the Center for Immigration Studies in 2011. His most recent monograph, Courting Disaster, was also published by the Center in 2017. He has appeared twice at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, to discuss immigration courts, asylum fraud, and national security issues and has testified before Congress three times on immigration matters. He is a frequent guest on KTRH morning radio in Houston, Texas.
Treasurer Metcalf is a native of Garrard County, Kentucky, and lives in his hometown of Lancaster. He is married to the former- Julie Ann Catchen of Mt. Sterling. Both are graduates of the University of Kentucky.
Jim Henderson
Executive Director/CEO of the Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo)
Jim Henderson is the Executive Director/CEO of the Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo). Created in 1974 as an association for county government advocacy, KACo has grown into a multi-faceted organization offering insurance, financial services, education, research and technical assistance to Kentucky’s 120 counties. While remaining focused on its core mission to serve as the voice for counties, KACo continues to look for new ways to serve the needs of its members.
Prior to joining KACo, Henderson was elected to five terms as Simpson County Judge/Executive. Elected in 1998, at age 28, he was also the first Republican to be elected to the post in the county's history. During his time as Judge, Henderson rose among the ranks, serving in various roles with regional and statewide boards and commissions.
Elected by his peers from across the Commonwealth, he served as 2016 President of KACo. He was a member of KACo’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors, and filled the role of Legislative Committee Chairman during the 2016 Legislative Session. He was 2014 President of the Kentucky County Judge/Executive Association (KCJEA) and was a member of its Executive Board and legislative committee.
Henderson is a past president of the Barren River Area Development District, which is comprised of the judge/executives, mayors and citizen representatives from the 10-county region. Henderson was also board treasurer of the Community Action Agency of Southern Kentucky and was a board member and past chairman of the Barren River District Health Board, which oversees eight area public health departments. As a founding member, Henderson also served as chairman of the South Central Kentucky Drug Task Force Board of Directors.
Recommended by Sen. Mitch McConnell, in 2012 Henderson received a Presidential appointment to the Truman Scholarship Foundation Board of Trustees, serving for five years. In 2013, Henderson was selected for the Board of Directors of Citizens First Bank, a regional bank in southcentral Kentucky. He left that post in 2017 after coming to work with KACo.
A lifelong Simpson County resident, Henderson is 1992 graduate of Western Kentucky University. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Karen. Jim and Karen have three adult children. The Hendersons live on their small beef cattle farm in east Simpson County.
Holly M. Johnson
Secretary
Finance and Administration
Holly M. Johnson was appointed as Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet on December 6, 2019 with her tenure to begin December 10. Secretary Johnson most recently led administrative services in the attorney general’s office. She also has worked for several state cabinets and was a member of the Alcohol Beverage Control Board.
As Secretary, Ms. Johnson serves as the chief financial officer and manager of the financial resources of the Commonwealth. The Cabinet includes the Commonwealth Office of Technology, the Department of Revenue, and the offices of the State Controller, Financial Management and Procurement as well as the Department of Facilities. Additionally, the Finance Cabinet Secretary serves on a multitude of boards and commissions, addressing such issues as state investments, affordable housing, student loans, economic development, environmental issues, workforce development, technology and information services, debt issuance, and major transportation infrastructure.
Clark F. Nyberg
Retired from Kentucky Bank as Director of Wealth Management and Director of Portfolio Management
Clark F. Nyberg is a member of the Kentucky Public Employees Deferred Compensation Authority.
A graduate of Wichita State University, with continuing education at Montana State University and the Southeastern Trust School, Clark enjoyed a thirty-five year career in the investment field. He notes that he worked for Bank One Investment Advisors for twenty years as a Specialized Investment Advisor, then at Kentucky Bank as Director of Wealth Management and Director of Portfolio Management. In the former role for Bank One, he provided expertise in a range of customized investment solutions, including special asset classes and hedging strategies. In the latter roles he was responsible for managing the trust and brokerage departments for Kentucky Bank in accordance with fiduciary requirements and putting into place a comprehensive portfolio management plan. Clark's favorite role and main focus throughout his career was to manage investment portfolios for high net worth individuals, endowments and foundations. Clark retired from Kentucky Bank in January of 2019, but continues to consult on investments with various individuals and entities.
Outside activities include serving on the board of directors of Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement in Georgetown, KY. He has also served on the boards of the Ashland Foundation and the Bluegrass Chapter of the American Red Cross. Additional service to the Red Cross included State Service Council Chairman and a member of the nominating committee for the national board of governors. He enjoys working with horses, playing tennis and skiing.
Clark resides in Lexington with his wife, Susan. They have a son and a daughter and six grandchildren.
Mary Elizabeth Bailey
Cabinet Secretary - Kentucky Personnel Cabinet
Mary Elizabeth has worked in State Government, specifically Human Resources, for over 25 years. Throughout her career, she has served on numerous committees and is a member of the National Association for State Personnel Executives, CSG South-Staff Alliance for Intergovernmental Leadership, and Society for Human Resource Management. In her current role, Secretary Bailey provides executive policy and management support to the Cabinet's departments, offices, and divisions; promulgates administrative regulations; advises the Personnel Board and all agencies in the Executive Branch on matters pertaining to the classified service.
In her previous role as the Commissioner of the Department of Human Resource Administration, she oversaw the administration of the Commonwealth's employment application process, state payroll functions, personnel administration for all branches of government, official personnel records for state employees, the state Classification and Compensation system, the Executive Branch Performance Management Program, and state government's organizational structure. During her career, she led the largest human resource transformation in over thirty years with the implementation of the Kentucky Human Resource Information System including streamlining and modernizing the personnel administration process, hiring within the Executive Branch, and enhancing recruitment to ensure the commonwealth remains the employer of choice.
Joe McDaniel
Controller
Finance and Administration
Joe McDaniel is currently serving as Acting Controller of the Commonwealth of Kentucky after the retirement of Edgar Ross. As Acting Controller, Joe provides oversight and financial expertise for statewide fiscal control, accounting policy and administration, transaction processing, data security, and reporting in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) as promulgated by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB).Â
Joe is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), an active member of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers, and Treasurers (NASACT), and a prior board member for the Central Kentucky Chapter of the Association of Government Accountants (AGA).
Joe is a native of Powell County, Kentucky, and graduate of Morehead State University. He currently resides with his wife, Beth, in Franklin County.