May 19, 2026, 1PM EST
One of the most misunderstood decisions in divorce is whether to divide a pension through a Domestic Relations Order or offset its value with other assets such as retirement accounts or the marital home. The common refrain, “You keep your pension, I’ll take the house”, often reflects an emotional preference rather than a financially informed decision.
In many cases including long-term marriages, the pension-holding spouse wants to retain the pension and offer a buyout using other assets of “equal” value. Attorneys and clients often focus on “equalizing numbers” without fully understanding the long-term retirement income consequences of each option.
As CDFAs, we are uniquely qualified to model future retirement income streams and analyze the tax-adjusted impact of both scenarios. In practice, I frequently see buyouts that appear equitable on paper but result in significantly lower after-tax retirement income for the non-pension spouse. Without forward-looking projections, these disadvantages are rarely identified and costly mistakes are made.
This webinar will demonstrate how to:
- Analyze the economic differences between dividing a pension and offsetting it
- Model after-tax retirement income under both scenarios
- Identify when a buyout may create long-term inequity
- Communicate findings effectively to legal professionals and clients
CDFAs bring critical insight to this analysis, insight that neither attorneys nor judges typically provide. Without our work, the conversation often never happens.
This session will equip CDFAs with the tools and language needed to guide clients toward informed, financially sound decisions.
- Teacher: Julian Terry