Our 2024 Resolutions Reflect our Commitment to Retirement Security for All
By Karen Friedman The New Year is always a great time to take stock and resolve to do better. I’m already making headway on my personal goals of hitting the gym, eating healthier (mostly), and generally getting in better shape. Our resolutions at the Pension Rights Center, however, are a bit more ambitious. We’re working […]
Barbienomics: from panacea to real world poverty
By Karen Friedman I joined the throngs of people who flocked to see the monumentally popular movie, Barbie. I dressed up in hot pink from head to toe – because I can’t resist any opportunity for theatricality and a fun community event (which won’t surprise anyone who has been to our fundraising galas). My younger […]
Senior Policy Consultant Norman Stein Testifies Before the IRS
PRC’s Senior Policy Consultant Norman Stein testified before the IRS and the Department of the Treasury on April 11th, urging them to take measures to protect spousal retirement rights. Read his testimony here:
PRC Urges IRS to Protect Spouses
The Pension Rights Center (PRC) filed comments with the IRS/Treasury Department today urging the agency to strengthen – not weaken – critical legal protections for spouses’ retirement security. In its letter, PRC registered its strong disapproval of an IRS proposed rule that would eliminate the long-standing requirement that a spouse can only sign away their […]
PRC Comments to IRS on Physical Presence Requirements
The PRC filed comments with the IRS registering its strong disapproval of a proposed rule that would eliminate the long-standing requirement that a spouse can only sign away their right to a survivor’s benefit knowingly and voluntarily in the physical presence of a notary or plan official in order to safeguard against fraud and coercion […]
What Women Facing Divorce Must Know About Spousal Retirement Benefits
By David Brandolph Divorce can be both emotionally traumatic and financially devastating – especially to older women who are as much as three times as likely as men to be below the poverty line in retirement. That’s why it’s important for older women and all others experiencing a divorce to know that they may be entitled to […]
Retirement & Divorce: New Report Highlights What We Don’t Know
By Emily Spreiser In August 2020, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report on qualified domestic relations orders, or QDROs. For those not familiar with what the GAO does, it’s an agency that responds to inquiries from members of Congress who want to know more about how federal tax dollars are being spent in order […]
A helpful guide for people awarded retirement benefits at divorce
By Emily Gilbert There is now a helpful new guide for individuals who are going through a divorce and have questions about dividing retirement benefits. The guide – created by the Pension Rights Center, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges’ Resource Center on Domestic Violence: Child Protection and Custody, and the National […]
Getting a divorce? Skip the roses for Valentine’s Day – and protect your pension
By Karen Friedman Valentine’s Day is for love. Except when it isn’t. What happens when love fades, the marriage crumbles, and you end up getting a divorce? Well, one piece of important advice for the broken-hearted on this Valentine’s Day is to take care of yourself financially. This is particularly important when it comes to […]
Are you a QDRO attorney? Join our network!
By Karen Racowsky In a blog post last fall I talked about one of my roles as the Pension Rights Center’s Staff Attorney, which is providing information and referrals to individuals who call us for help in obtaining their retirement benefits. I refer many of these callers to the six federally-funded regional Pension Counseling and […]
The Pension Rights Center Educates Couples, Divorcees & Widows on How to Get the Retirement Benefits They Deserve
The Scoop: The Pension Rights Center (PRC) is the nation’s foremost consumer organization dedicated solely to protecting retirement security in the U.S. The nonprofit provides free information and legal assistance regarding earned benefits, pensions, and other retirement income. By empowering everyday individuals, couples, families, divorcees, and widows and widowers to learn more about retirement plans, […]
Dividing retirement benefits at divorce shouldn’t be this hard
By Emily Spreiser For many people going through a divorce, obtaining a fair share of a former spouse’s retirement benefit is essential to ensuring financial security in old age. This is especially true for individuals who worked in the home while they were married, caring for children or sick or elderly relatives. That is because […]
