August 2026 Recorded Webinar: QDRO Analysis - A CDFAs Practical Playbook

Recorded On: 08/01/2026

Qualified Domestic Relations Orders sit at the intersection of financial analysis and plan compliance, and CDFAs are frequently the first to catch errors that would otherwise surface only after a plan rejects an order. This advanced session walks through a two-part practical framework: first, how to use the Summary Plan Description, model QDRO, and written QDRO procedures to evaluate a defined contribution or defined benefit plan before any order is drafted; and second, how to review a drafted QDRO against the plan and the Judgment of Divorce. Particular attention is given to the Shared Benefit and Separate Interest models for dividing pensions, and to identifying when a case requires an attorney or actuary.

Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Distinguish the CDFA's role in QDRO analysis from that of the drafting attorney or QDRO specialist.
2. Use the SPD, model QDRO, and written QDRO procedures to evaluate a DC or DB plan.
3. Apply a structured checklist to review a draft QDRO for both DC and DB plans.
4. Compare the Shared Benefit and Separate Interest models for dividing a defined benefit pension.
5. Identify fact patterns that call for escalation to a QDRO attorney or actuary.

Jacqueline Roessler

CDFA®

Founder, Roessler Divorce Consulting, LLC

Jacki Roessler is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® and certified mediator with over 30 years of experience helping individuals navigate the financial complexities of divorce. As founder of Roessler Divorce Consulting, LLC, based in the Detroit Metro area, she serves as a financial expert across mediation, collaborative divorce, and litigation support, with a practice focused on high-net-worth clients throughout Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw Counties.

Jacki co-founded Divorce Solutions, LLC, a Michigan-based QDRO drafting firm, and has held the CDFA® designation since 1996. She currently serves as Director of Education for the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts (IDFA). She has lectured extensively for the State Bar of Michigan, Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) and Financial Planning Associations around the country on divorce-related financial topics.

Jacki is also the host of Divorce Rich, a podcast dedicated to helping people navigate the financial realities of divorce with clarity and confidence. Her work spans complex asset division, retirement plan analysis, spousal support modeling, and financial education for both attorneys and clients going through divorce.

Jacki's financial expertise has been featured in a Wall Street Journal roundtable and her insights have been cited in Money Magazine and Kiplinger's Personal Finance.