https://referently.com/tags/401k/ Recent content in 401k on Referently.com Hugo -- gohugo.io en-us Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://referently.com/divorce-drained-401ks-and-the-legal-maze-spouses-face-to-recover-retirement-funds/ Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://referently.com/divorce-drained-401ks-and-the-legal-maze-spouses-face-to-recover-retirement-funds/ When a marriage ends, retirement assets are often the largest financial stake on the table. And according to a March 2026 GAO report on spousal protections in retirement plans, the period surrounding a divorce is when a spouse is most exposed to losing retirement funds without any legal recourse — and least equipped to fight back. The Window of Vulnerability Because most 401(k) plans require no spousal consent to remove funds, a participant who anticipates divorce can — legally, under current federal law — liquidate a retirement account before the divorce is finalized and the assets are subject to division. https://referently.com/expanding-spousal-consent-for-401ks-the-policy-trade-offs-congress-is-weighing/ Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://referently.com/expanding-spousal-consent-for-401ks-the-policy-trade-offs-congress-is-weighing/ Extending spousal consent requirements to all defined contribution plans sounds straightforward on paper. If a spouse can veto a beneficiary change in most 401(k) plans, why can’t they veto a $50,000 withdrawal? The answer, according to a March 2026 GAO report, is a web of administrative, legal, and philosophical trade-offs that make the issue considerably more complex than it first appears. The Case for Expanding Requirements The current system is, as the GAO frames it, a historical accident. https://referently.com/iras-hold-17-trillion-and-offer-spouses-zero-federal-protection/ Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://referently.com/iras-hold-17-trillion-and-offer-spouses-zero-federal-protection/ The debate over spousal consent in 401(k) plans tends to overshadow a quieter but equally significant gap in the retirement protection system: Individual Retirement Accounts are entirely outside the federal spousal consent framework, and they’re bigger than the entire defined contribution plan market. According to figures cited in a March 2026 GAO report on spousal retirement protections, IRAs held $17 trillion in assets at the end of 2024, compared to $12 trillion across all defined contribution plans. https://referently.com/most-401k-plans-let-spouses-drain-retirement-accounts-without-your-knowledge/ Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://referently.com/most-401k-plans-let-spouses-drain-retirement-accounts-without-your-knowledge/ A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has confirmed what many divorce attorneys already know firsthand: the vast majority of defined contribution retirement plans — including the ubiquitous 401(k) — allow a married participant to take out loans, make withdrawals, and receive distributions without their spouse ever being informed, let alone asked. The report, GAO-26-107536, published in March 2026, was requested by members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and examined three core questions: when spousal consent is actually required, what happens to spouses when it isn’t obtained, and what the trade-offs of expanding consent requirements would be. https://referently.com/the-retirement-gender-gap-has-a-hidden-dimension-spousal-fund-withdrawal/ Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://referently.com/the-retirement-gender-gap-has-a-hidden-dimension-spousal-fund-withdrawal/ The retirement savings gap between men and women is well-documented. Women earn less over their lifetimes, are more likely to take career breaks for caregiving, and live longer — meaning they need more savings and tend to accumulate less. A March 2026 GAO report adds a less-discussed dimension to this picture: women are disproportionately exposed to the risk of a spouse quietly removing retirement funds without their knowledge or consent.