What is The Purpose of a QDRO?
In a divorce or legal separation, a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) is a legal document that says how retirement benefits will be split. Not only does it say who will get the benefits, but it also says how they will be split. By dividing retirement benefits via QDRO, the parties ensure that the calculations […]
What is a QDRO and How Does it Work?
A Qualified Domestic Relations Order, commonly referred to as a QDRO, is a court-order that directs a retirement plan to divide retirement accounts, typically along the terms of the divorcing parties’ agreement. If there is no agreement – or the agreement is unclear – the QDRO will work off your state’s default law to decide […]
How Long Does It Take to Get QDRO Money?
After waiting for your divorce judgment to be finalized, nobody wants to wait for the QDRO to be done, especially when it seems like it could be as simple as withdrawing money from a bank account. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. If you take money out of the account early without a QDRO, you […]
Do You Need a QDRO For a 401(k)?
QDROs are slow. The fastest QDRO I have personally done was a little more than a month between the time they retained me and the time I handed off to the retirement plan. That one was pretty much an exception — a rare miracle where both parties were cooperative, the court had zero backlog, and […]
Pre-Retirement and Post-Retirement Survivor Benefits in Pension QDROs
Qualified pre-retirement survivor annuity? Post-retirement survivor benefits? Shared or separate interests? What about the new spouse? We tackle common pension QDRO survivor benefit questions in this post.
How a QDRO Co-Counsel is Like a Plumber
Thirteen months ago, we bought our first house. It was a bit of a surprise that we were able to, given that my wife is a medical resident making the equivalent of minimum wage and we live in the most expensive city in the United States, short of the Bay Area. But, we pooled our […]