Working out whether you need a Pension on Divorce Expert (PODE) — and finding the right one — can feel like a minefield: cost, delays, baffling jargon, and values that seem to change by the day. PODE.expert helps you make sense of it.
Divorce is one of life's most stressful events, and it rarely arrives alone. So it's no surprise if pensions — the most confusing part of a financial settlement — are the last thing you have energy for. But this is one financial decision you only get to make once. Getting it right protects your future, and that's what this site is here to help you do.
The questions almost everyone asks at this point:
Is my case really complex enough to justify the cost, or is this overkill?
You've been told pensions are "apples vs pears," but not why — or that a single transfer value can badly mislead.
Which expert, sole or joint, what to ask — and how to avoid spending thousands you didn't need to.
Answer a few simple questions about the pensions in your case and our free check gives you a clear Red / Amber / Green steer on whether a PODE report is likely to be needed. It's based on the Pension Advisory Group's guidance (PAG2) — indicative, not advice, and completely free.
A Pension on Divorce Expert (PODE) is a qualified professional — usually an actuary or financial specialist — who analyses the pensions in a divorce and produces an independent, court-compliant comparison of each spouse's pension rights, under Part 25 of the Family Procedure Rules.
Pensions are frequently the biggest asset after the family home — and the least understood. Two pensions with the same headline transfer value can be worth very different amounts in real life: a guaranteed income for life is not the same as a pot of money. That's the "apples vs pears" problem — and it's exactly what a PODE is there to untangle, whether through pension sharing, offsetting, or a combination of the two.
There's never been a single place to do all three. That's what we're building.
Take the free 2-minute check for an indicative Red / Amber / Green steer.
Do I need a PODE? →Search a directory of verified PODEs by specialism, location, fee and timescale.
Find a PODE →Phil helps you and your solicitor choose, instruct and make sense of it.
Talk to Phil →A searchable directory of verified PODEs — filter by firm, location, specialism, fee and timescale.
The directory is in build. Each expert has a single, searchable profile covering background, qualifications, regulatory body, PII cover, current timescales, fee range, specialisms and contact details — with a map view. Listings are verified directly with each PODE before they go live.
PODE.expert is created by Phil O'Connor of On-Divorce — a Resolution-accredited financial specialist and trained mediator with 20-plus years helping clients, mediators and solicitors through divorce settlements and pensions. There has never been one central place to find, instruct and understand PODEs. This is his attempt to bring it together.
PODE.expert is created and run by Phil O'Connor of On-Divorce, an independent divorce financial-settlement specialist. Once you know a report is likely needed, Phil helps clients, mediators and solicitors choose the right expert, on the right basis, and ask the right questions.
Use the directory to find a verified PODE for your client. Guidance on when to instruct, choosing an expert and drafting letters of instruction is on the way.