QUDRO (Qualified Domestic Relations Order--pronounced "kwad-row")

A court order directed to a "plan administrator" or "custodian" allocating retirement benefits between spouses.
QUDROs often are used when one party, usually the husband, has a large pension or 401K and when liquid assets are insufficient to "even up," i.e., pay cash to the party without or with smaller pension benefits. While judicial policy is to avoid long-term entanglements, sometimes there is no choice but to approve a QUDRO.