Pension Rights Center

04/10/2026

A Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) grants a person the right to a portion of the retirement benefits their ex-spouse earned through a private sector employer-sponsored retirement plan. Here's what you need to know about QDROs:

Retirement benefits earned through a company’s retirement plan, such as a pension or 401(k) plan, can be one of the largest financial assets in a marriage. However, retirement benefits are often overlooked during divorce, in part because divorce is complicated and stressful and the spouse just wan...

02/13/2026

Happy Valentine's Day from the Pension Rights Center ❤️

Every year on Valentine’s Day, we write a love letter to all our donors. This Valentine’s Day is extra special, because 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the Pension Rights Center. For a half century, we’ve been working to protect and promote the retirement income security of American workers...

02/05/2026

Thanks to help from a Western States Pension Assistance Project attorney, a California woman finally received the pension benefits she earned:

Henrietta, an older adult living in California, worked at a telecommunications company for ten years and left the company with a vested retirement benefit. However, when Henrietta applied for retirement at age 65, she was told by the plan administrator that they would not distribute her benefit beca...

01/27/2026

Our new blog covers the rise of scams and actions that you can take to protect yourself and your retirement assets from cybersecurity threats:

By David Brandolph Last July, The Independent (UK) reported a story in which a Florida woman, Sharon Brigthwell, got a call from a number that appeared to be from her daughter. When Brightwell answered, a frantic voice identical to her daughter’s said that she had been arrested after hitting a pre...

01/06/2026

A recent client success story from the Trellis Pension and Retirement Rights Project underscores the importance of retaining retirement benefit-related documents from former employers:

The Pension Rights Center can’t emphasize enough the importance of retaining and preserving one’s pension and employer-sponsored retirement plan documents, as Liz’s case below shows. Liz’s Story Liz, a 68-year-old Midwesterner, worked for a shoe manufacturer for 20 years and was fully vested...

12/17/2025

It's been a big year at the PRC: we've testified before Congress, responded to over 2,000 requests for assistance from individuals with retirement benefit issues, and made exciting progress on our common-ground Initiative on Women and Retirement at Divorce.

With your support, we can carry on our mission of protecting and promoting the retirement income security of American workers and retirees for years to come:

In 2025, the Pension Rights Center continued on our mission to improve retirement income security, particularly for low- and moderate-income workers.

12/11/2025

Computer hacking, data breaches, cybercrime, financial scams... oh my! Cybersecurity risks are everywhere these days, and your retirement account could be a target.
The good news? You can reduce the cybersecurity risk of fraud or loss to your retirement account by taking these precautions:

Data risk is everywhere, and without proper cybersecurity measures, your retirement account could be a target.

12/10/2025

Two recent success stories from the Trellis Pension and Retirement Rights Project—Mid-America Region illustrate the tremendous impact of their work to help American workers obtain the retirement benefits they earned:

Two incredible success stories from the Trellis Pension and Retirement Rights Project—Mid America Region highlight the fact that people getting assistance from the Pension Counseling Projects often have positive, life-changing outcomes. The Trellis Pension and Retirement Rights Project—Mid Ameri...

11/20/2025

Online scams are on the rise, and they can happen to anyone. By understanding the tricks that scammers use, you can help protect yourself and others:

All boil down to basic , preying on your emotions to manipulate you into giving your personal info or money. Learn 4 common types of trickery used by —and how you can beat them at their own game.👇

11/14/2025

Sometimes, holding on to old documents pays off. The Trellis Pension and Retirement Rights Project used a decades-old letter to help a retiree prove his eligibility for a long denied pension:

A recent victory by the Trellis Project—Mid America Region demonstrates how important retaining paper copies of plan documents can be. In this case, John, a 79-year-old former employee of a large corporation, contacted Trellis because he was denied pension benefits. The corporation and its plan sa...

11/12/2025

TODAY: Register for the Pension Action Center's fall fundraising event to support their critical work of advocating for the retirement income security of older adults.

Sign up here:
https://www.alumni.umb.edu/s/1355/22/interior.aspx?sid=1355&gid=3&pgid=12937&content_id=22080