Divorce is challenging, but if you work in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, you already have more going for you than you might realize. Divorce finances run on formulas. Documentation requires organized data. Deadlines are enforced. The ability to stay methodical under pressure — something STEM professionals do every day — translates directly into better outcomes in this process.
That said, divorce demands a mental shift that doesn’t come naturally to analytically wired people. There is no objectively correct answer. There are nuances and shades of gray. There is no final and perfect. “Fair” is determined by a mediator, a judge, or two people in a conference room, and fair is subjective. Divorce requires compromise and an appeal to justice, equity and best interests of the child, factors that are based on opinion and may alter over time. The sooner you make peace with that reality, the better you’ll navigate what comes next.
Here is what every STEM professional going through a Colorado divorce needs to know.
What This Post Covers:
- Why STEM professionals are better positioned for divorce than they might expect and where the process will challenge them.
- How Colorado’s no-fault and equitable distribution laws apply.
- How maintenance and child support are calculated.
- What happens to retirement accounts, pensions, and equity compensation in a Colorado divorce.
- How to use AI tools responsibly during the divorce process — and where they fall short.
Why STEM Professionals Have an Advantage in Divorce
Divorce requires exactly the skills STEM professionals already have: comfort with financial data, ability to model scenarios, discipline to hit deadlines, and facility with spreadsheets. People who can gather and analyze data, stay organized under pressure, and separate emotion from their baseline position consistently do better in negotiations and mediation than those who can’t.1
Agile at Andersen Law
At Andersen Law PC, we have represented engineers, programmers, STEM practitioners and employees from Lockheed Martin and NREL. We run our practice on Agile methodology — two-week burndowns, Kanban boards, daily standups — because it works for complex, long-term deadline-driven projects, which is exactly what divorce is.
What You Need to Know
1. Colorado Is a No-Fault Divorce State
Colorado courts will not investigate who behaved badly during your marriage. Infidelity, neglect, and bad acts are legally irrelevant to asset division and support calculations unless they have a direct, recent financial impact.2 Under C.R.S. § 14-10-106, as long as one party states the marriage is “irretrievably broken,” the divorce proceeds. There is no threshold to meet, no blame to assign, and no court interest in rehashing who did what to whom in your marriage.
This works both ways: you can’t use the other party’s misconduct to get a better financial outcome, and they can’t use yours.
2. Colorado Practices Equitable Distribution, Which Means Fair — Not 50/50
Colorado follows equitable distribution under C.R.S. § 14-10-113, which means the court divides marital assets and debts fairly, not automatically in half. In practice, this means a higher-earning spouse may absorb a greater share of marital debt, and a lower-earning spouse may receive more assets in lieu of ongoing maintenance (alimony).
Courts will also not look at all assets the same. A $200,000 retirement account and $200,000 in a taxable brokerage account are not the same thing once you factor in tax treatment, penalties, and time horizons. If you collect the data, your lawyer can help you justify your proposed “budget,” and division of assets and debt as financially fair to both parties3.
3. Prenuptial, Post-Nuptial, and Cohabitation Agreements Are Generally Enforceable
Colorado courts typically honor marital agreements, but timing and context matter. You cannot enter into a post-nuptial (i.e., post-marriage) agreement in anticipation of divorce. Timing is a factor in deciding whether the agreement was in anticipation of divorce4.
Colorado also recognizes common law marriage5, which catches many cohabitating couples off guard. If you have been living together, filing joint taxes, or presenting publicly as a married couple, you may be legally married in Colorado without a formal ceremony. A cohabitation agreement can prevent you from being accidentally married. Protect yourself by addressing these issues early on. Once divorce proceedings have begun, it is too late for that protection. An attorney can help.
4. Parenting Time: Courts Favor Both Parents
Colorado courts strongly favor substantial parenting time and shared decision-making for both parents. Sole custody is rarely granted. Even if your work schedule has historically kept you less involved day-to-day, current and future involvement matters more than history. Increase your involvement immediately, if possible, or step it up over time, and document everything.
Maintain a parenting log with dates, activities, notes, and relevant texts and emails. Introduce yourself to teachers, coaches and doctors, and confirm you are listed as an authorized contact. If you did most of the parenting, that may change and you may need a Child Family Investigator (CFI) to document what is best for the children.6
5. Colorado Uses Formulas and Software to Calculate Maintenance and Child Support
This is the part most STEM professionals find most accessible and most useful to understand before mediation.
Maintenance (alimony) formula: Colorado uses a statutory guideline formula where I₁ equals the higher earner’s gross monthly income and I₂ equals the lower earner’:
(I₁ + I₂) × 0.4 − I₂ × 0.8
The 0.8 multiplier may adjust based on tax bracket, and duration is governed by a separate statutory chart. The formula produces a guideline. Courts can deviate based on circumstances, but it is the standard starting point.
Child support is calculated using Colorado’s Family Law Software, available free through the Colorado Judicial Branch website. It takes into consideration include gross incomes, parenting time percentages, health insurance costs, and child care expenses. Colorado’s child support guidelines were significantly updated as of March 1, 2026.
6. Full Financial Disclosure Is Mandatory
Colorado requires complete financial disclosure from both parties. You will need to complete court forms JDF 1111 (Sworn Financial Statement), JDF 1111SS (Simplified version, if applicable), JDF 1104, and JDF 1125. You will also need to build a comprehensive asset and debt spreadsheet.
Our office provides an Excel template for the asset and debt spreadsheet and genuinely welcomes clients who want to run the numbers themselves. We provide the legal analysis, you are welcome to bring the math.
7. The Burden Is on You to Prove Separate Property
Colorado courts do not divide separate property, but proving an asset is separate is your responsibility. Separate property includes assets owned before the marriage, inheritances, gifts received in your name only, and anything you agreed to keep separate.8 Once you have the underlying data, you need to trace the asset back to its separate source with documentation.
This requires financial records, account statements showing origin of funds, and sometimes a forensic accountant. Commingling — mixing separate funds with marital funds — can compromise the separate nature of an asset. Start pulling source documents early, and do not assume the court will take your word for it. A good attorney will help you hire the right experts and compile the right data.
8. Retirement Accounts and Equity Compensation Require the Right Legal Instruments
This is where STEM professionals face the most financial exposure, because getting this wrong is expensive and sometimes irreversible. Courts have divided thousands of investment and retirement accounts and expect you to know the type of account and the correct formula to employ. Different account types require different division mechanisms:
401(k): Requires a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO), which is a separate court order processed after the divorce decree. Without a QDRO, the division cannot occur.
Pension / defined benefit plan: Colorado courts apply the Hunt formulation from In re Marriage of Hunt, 909 P.2d 525, 531 (Colo. 1995) — a “time rule” formula: Years of Service During Marriage × Monthly Benefit × Years of Total (After Taxes) Service. There are variables such as whether the employed spouse will increase in rank subsequent to divorce.
IRA: Divided via a transfer incident to divorce — no QDRO required, but specific procedures apply to avoid triggering taxes and penalties.
PERA (Colorado state employees): Requires a specific Colorado state division order with its own rules and process.
FERS, TSP, FEGLI (federal employees): Governed by federal law, not Colorado’s standard process. They have different criteria and proposed orders such as an RBCO (retirement benefits court order).9
Military retirement: Governed by the Uniformed Services Former Spouses’ Protection Act (USFSPA) with specific eligibility criteria and direct payment rules.
If you have held positions across private, federal, state, or military employment, which is common among aerospace and defense professionals, you may have multiple account types simultaneously. Each needs to be identified, correctly valued, and divided with the right instrument. We can help negotiate this very technical and tricky area of divorce law, which can have thousands or even millions of dollars at stake.
9. Mediation Is Required in Colorado — and Usually Your Best Option
Colorado courts mandate mediation before a contested hearing and usually issue a mediation order requiring parties to follow a strict mediation schedule if they cannot agree on their own. For many people, mediation is also the best venue for resolution: faster, cheaper, and far more in your control than a courtroom where a judge may have only a few hours to decide issues that can affect you for decades.
A mediator is like a referee, a neutral facilitator, not your advocate. You may still need your own lawyer to represent your best interests and ensure that you understand any proposed agreement before signing. Come prepared with your numbers, your proposed parenting schedule, and a clear sense of what matters most to you versus what you are willing to trade. Do not sign anything at mediation without time to review it.
10. Efficiency Is a Strategy, So Choose Your Attorney Accordingly
The longer a divorce drags on, the more it costs: in fees, in time, in stress, and in opportunity cost. An attorney who is slow to respond or fails to move your case forward is not just inefficient, they are expensive.
Our firm applies Agile project management to every case: defined tasks, clear timelines, and a small, accountable team of attorneys, paralegals and support staff. We offer unbundled legal services (so you pay only for what you need), text-based communication, digital weekly billing, and mediation representation — all designed to move your case forward as efficiently, transparently and collaboratively as possible.
Should STEM Professionals Use AI Tools During Divorce?
Many of our STEM clients are already using AI tools during the divorce process: organizing financial records, summarizing documents, drafting initial spreadsheets. Used appropriately, these tools can help you prepare faster and walk into consultations better informed.
There are meaningful limits, however. AI tools do not know Colorado family law. They cannot review your specific facts and advise you on what is actually at stake. They produce confident-sounding responses that are sometimes simply wrong — a problem called hallucination. They cannot represent you in mediation or court. And anything you type into a consumer AI platform may not carry the same privacy protections as attorney-client communications.
Use AI to get organized. Use an attorney to understand what your situation actually means.
I love working with people in the STEM field and am more than happy to meet and discuss the best course of action for your divorce. Do not hesitate to call or text my cell at 303-808-4794 or call the office at 720-922-3880 for a free consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is property divided in a Colorado divorce? Colorado uses equitable distribution, meaning marital assets and debts are divided fairly — not automatically 50/50. Courts consider factors including each spouse’s financial resources, earning capacity, and the nature of the assets.
Does it matter who caused the divorce in Colorado? No. Colorado is a no-fault divorce state. The court does not consider marital misconduct when dividing property or calculating support, except in limited circumstances involving recent financial harm.
How is a 401(k) divided in a Colorado divorce? A 401(k) is divided using a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO), which is a separate court order submitted to the plan administrator after the divorce decree is entered.
What is the maintenance formula in Colorado? Colorado uses a statutory guideline: (I₁ + I₂) × 0.4 − I₂ × 0.8, where I₁ is the higher earner’s gross monthly income and I₂ is the lower earner’s. Duration is governed by a separate statutory chart.
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1Let me be clear, there is no one Myers Briggs personality type who is superior at divorce. An INTJ engineer-type will have just as much success and struggle as an ENFP life coach. They each bring different skills to the table. Myers Briggs Type Preferences Perception Judgment I have found opposite personality types often marry each other as they have traits that start out as complimentary yet in divorce seem confounding.
2 Colorado’s no fault divorce statute C.R.S. 14-10-106(1)(a)(II) states: “The district court shall enter a decree of dissolution of marriage or a decree of legal separation when: The court finds that one of the parties has been domiciled in this state for ninety-one days next preceding the commencement of the proceeding (and) the court finds that the marriage is irretrievably broken…” So as long as one party says the marriage is “irretrievably broken” the parties can divorce.
3 Equitable distribution in Colorado is outlined in Colorado Revised Statutes Sections 14-10-113: Disposition of (Marital) Property in Dissolution or Legal Separation.
4 Prenuptial Agreements – Andersen Law PC
5 Colorado Common Law Marriage | StateRecords.org
6 Allocation of Parental Responsibilities – Andersen Law PC; see also CRS 14-10-116.5; Colorado Title 14. Domestic Matters § 14-10-116.5 | FindLaw
7 Spousal Maintenance Advisement February 2021 FINAL.pdf
8 Colorado Title 14. Domestic Matters § 14-10-113 | FindLaw
9 I’m separated or I’m getting divorced Learn more about court-ordered retirement benefits Attorney Handbook
Updated March 2026
