Pensions are often the largest and most complex assets to understand during divorce, sometimes more valuable than the family home. Yet many people are unaware of the true value of their pensions, how they can be divided, or the impact a settlement will have on their long-term financial security.
At Every Step Financial Solutions, we provide clear, expert, and independent pension advice to help you make confident decisions during divorce. Whether you’re considering a pension sharing order, pension offsetting, or simply need clarity around your retirement plans, we’re here to support you every step of the way. For broader guidance on all areas of your finances, you can also explore our divorce financial advice service for a full overview of how your assets and future plans fit together.
Preparing For Your Future
Why Pensions Matter So Much During Divorce
Pensions play a crucial role in financial settlements because:
They are often the largest asset after the family home
They directly impact your retirement income
Their real value is not always obvious from statements
Different scheme types hold different benefits and risks
A poor pension settlement can affect you for the rest of your life
Understanding your pension position now helps protect your long-term financial well-being. If you’re unsure how pensions could impact your settlement, our guide on how pensions are divided during divorce offers clear, step-by-step explanations.
Common Mistakes People Make During Divorce
Our advice helps you make calm, informed choices & not rushed or uncertain ones. To help protect your financial wellbeing, we help you avoid mistakes such as:
The Types of Pensions We Analyse
Defined Benefit (Final Salary) Schemes
These pensions offer guaranteed income for life and can be extremely valuable. We help you understand benefits such as indexation, survivor pensions, early retirement terms, and income guarantees.
Defined Contribution Pensions
Including workplace pensions, private pensions, stakeholder pensions and SIPPs. We assess fund values, growth potential, charges, and long-term projections.
Public Sector Pensions
Such as NHS, Teachers, Armed Forces, Police or Local Government schemes. These have unique rules, so we explain benefits, retirement ages, survivor rights, and indexation.
Private & Personal Pensions
We review any individually held pensions or legacy plans from previous employment.
State Pension Forecasts
While the State Pension isn’t shareable, it plays a vital role in future retirement income planning.
To see how all of your assets work together, you can review our full divorce financial advice plan, which looks at the bigger picture beyond just pensions.
Divorce Financial Services
Our Divorce Financial Advice Services
We offer a comprehensive range of financial support tailored to your situation.
How Pensions Are Divided During Divorce
There are three main methods used in England & Wales:
Pension Sharing Orders
A percentage of one partner’s pension is transferred into the other’s pension pot. This is the fairest and most modern approach, providing both partners with independent retirement futures.
Pension Offsetting
One partner keeps more of the pension while the other receives more of another asset (commonly the family home). We help ensure this comparison is fair and realistic.
Pension Attachment (Earmarking)
An older method where one partner receives income or lump sums from the other’s pension at retirement. Less commonly used due to a lack of flexibility.
We help you understand the implications of each option so you can make informed decisions. Our in-depth guide to pension sharing and offsetting can help you understand which approach may be the fairest for your situation.
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Understanding Pension Valuations (CETVs)
A Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV) is often the starting point for pension valuation, but it doesn’t always reflect the true value of your benefits.
We help you understand:
When CETVs are accurate
When additional actuarial analysis may be needed
Why two pensions with the same CETV may produce very different retirement incomes
How inflation and indexation affect long-term value
How early retirement and survivor benefits factor in
This ensures your settlement decisions are based on accurate and realistic information. We also explain this process in more detail when working with your solicitor during divorce, ensuring everyone has the right information for negotiations.
Preparing For Your Future
Key Questions We Help You Answer
We provide clarity around essential questions such as:
What is my pension really worth?
Should we share the pension, offset it, or split assets differently? You can also explore our property and asset division guidance to see how home equity, savings and investments can be balanced alongside pensions.
How will different settlement options affect my retirement income?
Do we need an actuary to value certain pensions?
Will I have enough income in later life?
What happens to my pension after divorce is finalised?
Our role is to give you clear, confident financial insights at every stage.
How We Support the Legal Process
Your solicitor focuses on the legal aspects of divorce — we focus on the financial analysis.
We support you and your solicitor with:
Pension valuations and explanation
Settlement modelling and projections
Notes and reports for mediation or court
Actuary coordination where necessary
Clear explanations of your pension rights and options
This ensures your legal settlement reflects the real financial implications. You can learn more about how we collaborate with legal professionals in our guide to working alongside your solicitor, which helps streamline the entire process.
Common Pension Mistakes to Avoid
Avoiding these mistakes can significantly improve your financial future. We help protect you from major long-term mistakes such as:
Our Process
Our Six-Step Pension Advice Process
01
Initial Discovery Consultation
We take time to understand your situation, concerns, and long-term financial goals so we know exactly what matters most to you.
02
Document & Valuation Collection
We help you gather CETVs, pension statements, and scheme details to ensure we have a complete and accurate picture of your pension benefits.
03
Detailed Pension Review & Analysis
We assess the true value, income potential, and long-term implications of each pension, explaining everything in clear and simple terms.
04
Scenario Planning & Option Modelling
We demonstrate how different settlement options may impact your financial future, giving you clarity and confidence before negotiations.
05
Personalised Advice & Action Plan
You receive clear, tailored recommendations that support your long-term objectives and help you make informed pension decisions.
06
Guidance & Post-Settlement Support
We continue to support you after the settlement, helping you adjust pension plans, update strategies, and stay on track for retirement.
Who This Service Helps
This service is ideal for:
Individuals going through divorce with pensions involved
Anyone unsure how a pension sharing order works
Couples with defined benefit or public sector pensions
People comparing pension sharing vs. offsetting
Those needing clarity during negotiations or mediation
Anyone worried about their retirement income after separation
For more general support during your separation, you can also explore our full divorce financial advice section.
Divorce Financial Services
Your Financial Future After Divorce
Our advice gives you:
A clear picture of your financial situation
Confidence in negotiations and legal discussions
A fairer approach to dividing assets
A long-term plan tailored to your new circumstances
Peace of mind knowing your future is protected
You deserve clarity, stability, and a secure financial future — and we’re here to guide you every step of the way.
Customer Testiomonials
Joanne is very thorough and efficient and takes the time to explain all the details of the work she undertakes. I won't be going anywhere else for my financial advice
Spoke with Jo for ten mins, and was told more about withdrawing my pension pot in them minutes than the Provider has told me in the last 7 weeks. Very professional and very helpful, would certainly recommend
Jo was so helpful. After having concerns on some financial queries, Jo was very knowledgeable and reassuring. She helped put my mind at ease and has given me confidence in moving forward.
First time using Every Step Financial Services and they have been brilliant, professional while making you feel comfortable as sometimes talking about things what they deal with are confusing and sometimes hard to understand for me anyway , this company can walk the walk as well as talk the talk thank God!!
Joanne was brilliant. listened to what I needed and then went through my pensions and explained what was going on with them. Would seriously recommend Joanne to all my friends & colleagues.
I am delighted to speak on behalf of JOANNE FLANAGAN of Every Step Financial Services. Joanne has provided financial advice to my wife and I for some time now and she has always offered this advice in a most professional manner. She listens carefully to our views and reflects them in her judgements. For many years Joanne ably monitored our investments and offered us advice on the way forward. Recently however Joanne has gone beyond what we could have expected as she has supported us with help, compassion, and understanding during our daughter's difficult divorce. We have had to loan our daughter much of our savings to fund her legal bills which have come in at irregular and sometimes unexpected moments. Joanne has always been there to with advice and help organising the arrangements and managing our withdrawls. She has proved herself a true friend as well as a financial adviser. When the divorce is settled and the loan repaid I look forward to reinvesting our savings with Joanne and Every Step. Thank you Joanne Frank Jeffs 14/12/24
First class service, with Joanne going above and beyond the call of duty. She is always available for a chat about plans, keeps me informed and quickly actions changes when needed. Can not recommend highly enough
Jo is a an actual lifesaver. I was on the hook for a >£100k inheritance tax bill after an 18 month probate process. My lawyer had tried everything, and we were in dire straits - the bill exceeded what was available in cash to pay it. I got second and third opinions from lawyer friends… No one had any better news for us. In desperation I turned to Jo who immediately spotted that I was entitled to transfer some of my deceased father’s allowance since my parents never divorced. SOMETHING MY LAWYER COMPLETELY MISSED! Unlike Jo, he’d just assumed that because they weren’t together, they were divorced. Jo takes the time to know her customers, assumes nothing, listens to EVERYTHING and that, along with her razor sharp mind and fairly recent training means she is on top of all the most recent legislation and can get the very best outcomes for her clients. My bill dropped to £8.5k thanks to Jo’s knowledge and intelligence and I am forever in her debt. Thank you, Jo. I cannot sing your praises highly enough, and my mum would be so, so grateful to you 🙏🏼
I've worked with Jo for a few years now & she is extremely approachable & friendly. Her advice has helped so much in understanding about my future finances. She actually talks in a language that I understand & makes it easy to get to grasps with financial stuff which is not my forte. I have recommended Jo to friends & family & they have benefitted from her advice too.
Absolutely incredible service! Joanne took the time to sit with us, talk to us (not at us!) and understand our very complex, individual circumstances. Her advice was unbiased, considered and perfectly suited to our needs. Highly recommend!!
Jo has helped my wife and me with our pension planning and given us general financial advice. She is extremely knowledgable and helpful and we can highly recommend her services.
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Protect Your Retirement With Expert Pension Guidance
Your pension plays a major role in your long-term financial future. We help you understand your options clearly, avoid costly mistakes, and secure a fair settlement that supports your retirement plans.
You may also find our guides on property, budgeting, working with your solicitor, and divorce financial FAQs helpful as part of your planning.
Book your free, no-obligation pension consultation today.
Call us at 01422 652300 or fill out our form, and we’ll contact you within one business day.