If my divorcing wife is stealing half my teachers pension, does she get it in a lump sum upon divorce or when I retire?

Hello, Anonymous. It all depends on the agreement, how it is going to be split, and the financial institution which actually handles the pension. Generally, there are a couple options for splitting a pension or retirement account. First, one party's share could be bought out by giving the other party a larger share of some other marital property. Then the entirety of the pension would go to the first party and no split would take place. The second common option is for the pension to be split by a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO). This is an order which is entered by the court, sent to the financial institution which handles the pension, and then compels the financial institution to split the pension in some proportion. When this happens, generally what the financial institution does is to make a new account for the other spouse; the first account has a certain proportion of funds taken out of it and placed in the second account; and then each party goes on with their own individual pension account and no claim or access to the others. Of course, it all comes down to the financial institution itself. Every one has their own policy, and while the situation I described is somewhat common, it does not necessarily mean it will be the case in your situation. This is probably a question you might want to also direct at the financial institution which handles your pension. I hope this helps.