Uncontested Divorce After a Long Marriage With Separate Retirement Accounts, No Children

The Situation

A long-married couple, together for more than twenty years, had been living apart for years and agreed to formally end the marriage. Both lived in the same Florida county, which was not the county where the case was filed; the filing county was chosen under a written venue agreement. They had no children together and no real estate, no joint accounts, and no joint debts. The husband hired the firm, and the wife took part by signing the documents. Their main concern was making sure each spouse's retirement savings stayed with the spouse who built them.

What They Agreed On

Each spouse keeps their own retirement account as separate property, and each waives any claim to the other's account. The accounts were of different sizes, and the agreement states that no division order is needed. The husband keeps the paid-off vehicle. Both spouses permanently waived alimony, each keeps the personal property in their own possession, and each pays their own attorney's fees. Because the agreement left nothing to be transferred or paid after judgment, the couple had no follow-up deadlines once the judgment was entered.

How the Case Moved

The firm drafted the full packet from the intake answers and sent it to both spouses for review. The wife pointed out that her account was described as one type of retirement plan when it was actually another, and the firm corrected the description in the draft. The signing session was delayed for several weeks because of a family medical situation, and each spouse eventually signed separately before a remote online notary, since divorce documents must be signed personally. The case was filed once a payment card was on file. The court entered the Final Judgment 13 days after filing, 52 days after hire, without a hearing.

What Slowed It Down

The main delay was scheduling the signing session around a medical situation in the family. A second, smaller delay came from a payment card that had to be re-entered before the filing fee could be paid.

What Other Couples Can Take From This

When each spouse keeps their own retirement account, a short written waiver of any claim to the other's account, along with a statement that no division order is needed, can close the issue without further paperwork. Reviewing how each account is described before signing helps keep the documents accurate. Spouses who cannot sign at the same time can sign separately, as long as each signs personally before the notary.