Karen Casillas is an institutional advisor based in Westlake Village, CA.
Karen Casillas is a nationally recognized industry advocate specializing in investment advisory, financial wellness, and fiduciary governance services for company and nonprofit retirement plans, endowments, and foundations. She joined CAPTRUST in 2012, and previously held leadership positions at Fidelity Investments and American Funds. Karen is passionate about creating exceptional client and employee experiences and delivering actionable and impactful guidance.
When she is not in the office or with a client, Karen enjoys baking, hosting dinner parties, reading, volunteering, and, most of all, spending time with her family.
Education
- Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the University of California, Davis
Industry Designations
- Accredited Investment Fiduciary®
- Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor
- Certified Fund Specialist®
- Nonqualified Plan Consultant
- California Life and Variable Contracts License
Industry Involvement
- Co-Chair CAPTRUST Women’s Mentoring
- Founder, CAPTRUST Women’s Initiative
- Co-Chair CAPTRUST Women’s GROW Initiative
- CAPTRUST Community Foundation, Grant Committee
- DCIIA Retirement Research Center, Advisory Institute Council
- Board Member, Western Pension and Benefit Council, San Francisco Chapter, and former President Los Angeles Chapter
- NHRA, NACUBO, CUPA-HR, and NHRA panelist
Memberships
- Member, NAPA
- Member, Women in Pensions Network (WIPN)
- Member, Women in Institutional Investments Network (WIIIN)
- Member, Retirement Advisor Council (RAC)
- National Charity League, Vista Robles Chapter Sustainer
- Chairman of the Assistance League of Ventura County’s Investment Committee
Awards & Recognition
- NAPA Top DC Advisor Teams | 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025 (CAPTRUST Los Angeles)
- NAPA 2024 Top Women of Excellence
- NAPA Top Women, All-Stars| 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023
- Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Plan Advisor | 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019
Disclosures
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on “NAPA’s 2026 Top DC Advisor Multi-Office Firms” list was based on defined contribution (DC) assets under advisement (AUA) as of Dec. 31, 2025. CAPTRUST is a paid member of The National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA).
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on “Barron’s 2024 Top RIAs list” was based on both qualitative and quantitative data, including assets managed, technology spending, and staff diversity, along with other metrics, as of June 30, 2024. CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to Barron’s to obtain or use the ranking
- CAPTRUST teams named on the “Barron’s 2025 Top 100 Institutional Consulting Teams” ranking were evaluated using a proprietary formula including 1) assets, 2) revenue, and 3) quality of practice for the year ending December 31, 2024. Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to Barron’s to obtain or use the ranking. For more information on the methodology, please click here.
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on the “Financial Advisor magazine’s 2025 RIA Discretionary & Non-Discretionary ranking” was based on CAPTRUST’s total assets as of December 31, 2024. Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to Financial Advisor magazine to obtain the ranking, but does pay a licensing fee for the use of the award logo.
- CAPTRUST advisors named on the “PLANADVISER Magazine 2026 Top Retirement Plan Advisers list” were based on advisor assets among other quantitative metrics, as of Dec. 31, 2025. To be listed, advisors had to have a minimum requirement of 50 plan clients or retirement plan assets under advisement of $400 million or more. Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to PlanAdviser to obtain or use the ranking.
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on “NAPA’s 2026 Top DC Advisor Multi-Office Firms” list was based on defined contribution (DC) assets under advisement (AUA) as of Dec. 31, 2025. CAPTRUST is a paid member of The National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA). Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) to obtain or use the ranking.
- CAPTRUST advisors named on the “NAPA’s 2026 Aces: Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisors Under 40 list” were based on a combination of data submitted by the nominees including the following: Plan size managed, advisor revenue percentage relative to total assets under advisement, total dollar value of defined contribution/defined benefit book of business managed, and other criteria as of October 2025. CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) to obtain or use the ranking.
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on the “Best Investment Consultant – Service & Investment Counseling – Large Investment Consultants for Institutional Investors in the U.S.” by Crisil Coalition Greenwich for 2025 was based on interviews conducted between February and September 2024 by Crisil Coalition Greenwich. They held interviews with 699 individuals from 563 of the largest tax-exempt funds in the U.S. These U.S.-based institutional investors are corporate, public, union, and endowment and foundation funds with either pension or investment pool assets greater than $150 million. Study participants were asked to provide quantitative and qualitative evaluations of their asset management and investment consulting providers, including qualitative assessments of those firms soliciting their business and detailed information on important market trends. Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to Crisil Coalition to obtain or use the ranking.