Relationship breakdowns

What is likely to be a divorcing couple’s most valuable asset?

The family home will spring to most people’s minds first. But the value of a pension could well be the biggest single asset in the relationship. When and how pensions are divided on divorce depends on the circumstances of you and your family. If your marriage has been short and both of you are in your twenties or thirties, then your pensions may not need to be divided formally at all, although their value may still be taken into account in other ways.

Central part in negotiations

If you and your partner are in your 50s, pensions are likely to play a far more central part in your negotiations or the decision a court has to make. It will be necessary to look at them within the overall context of your family finances.

New research[1] shows that a fifth of people with pensions in the UK (20%) have no idea who will inherit their pension pot when they die. Surprisingly, 17% of divorcees don’t know who stand