PODE.expert Do I need a PODE?

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A neutral, transparent way to handle the pension without stepping outside your role.

Home › Resources › Using PODE.expert: a guide for mediators

General information, not advice on your own case.

The key points

  • Pensions stall mediations because they are technical, they frighten people, and neither party trusts a number they do not understand.
  • Run the triage tool with both parties in the room. It is free and neutral, and it treats “I don't know” as a valid answer, so nobody feels steered.
  • It also tells them what to go and get, usually their CE values, which is often the practical blocker.
  • Build the shortlist together. A single joint expert, chosen jointly, keeps the process even handed and keeps costs down: one expert, one fee, one report both parties own.
  • The instruction should be agreed between the parties, both signing up to the same questions and both copied on everything.
  • The site stays informational throughout, so nothing here trespasses on regulated advice or cuts across your neutrality.

Work through it together: the free “Do I need a PODE?” check takes a couple of minutes.

Pensions can stall a mediation: they are technical, they frighten people, and neither party trusts a number they do not understand. PODE.expert gives you a neutral structure to work through together.

Do I need a PODE? Run the tool with both parties in the room. Because it is neutral and free, and treats “I don’t know” as a valid answer, it lets the couple reach a shared understanding of whether an expert is needed without either feeling steered. It also tells them what to go and get (usually their CE values), which is often the practical blocker.

Find a PODE. Use the directory to build a shortlist together. A single joint expert, chosen jointly, keeps the process even-handed and keeps costs down: one expert, one fee, one report both parties own.

Instruct a PODE. The instruction should be agreed between the parties, both signing up to the same questions, both copied on everything. The letter-of-instruction guide and builder help you get there, and the transparency supports the mediation rather than cutting across it.

Throughout, the site stays informational, so nothing here trespasses on regulated advice or your neutrality.

July 2026

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