Love, Marriage And The Retirement Plan

The federal government got into an area previously reserved for the states — spousal property rights — with the enactment of the Retirement Equity Act of 1984 (REA).¹ This statute requires all qualified retirement plans provide the spouses of plan participants with certain rights to the participants' benefits.² These rights can restrict a client's ability to dispose of his benefits by a premarital agreement, as part of his estate plan and even during life. Estate