Reg previous review. Yes it was scary. But later it turned out to be better. I think John is very knowledgeable but he is never available on phone to discuss. Only way is long email in which he will respond to the points he like and ignores the points he does not want to address. If he does not want to address he will give a generic reply with no definite answer. Yes but to previous people review i think we was fair and he does respond via email only. No calls entertained. read more

TOTAL FRAUDS!!! I have not received a fucking dime of my settlement not a fucking dime. These people are so fucking corrupt they steal everyone's money fuck this company. I'm reporting them to the county presiding judge for their failure to do anything correct!! this has been going on for 10 fucking years and I haven't got a single fucking penny. !!! The judge did a contempt of court order on them and they still haven't provided my money!! read more

They don't return phone calls, they don't have real people answering the phones. I've left at least 12 messages on both their phone numbers and nothing for weeks! Horrible customer service read more

Don't waste your money on hiring this actuary. My ex-spouse and I paid MSM over $2500 to calculate our QDRO and it was not only done erroneously, but also without any attempt to correct it. We worked with Matt Schwartz who never checked in with both of us to be sure that he received all the back up documents before proceeding with the QDRO. As a result, Matt's final number was hundreds of thousands of dollars less than the correct amount. Though I emailed and called his office multiple times, neither Matt nor the office staff ever replied. The whole process was like throwing money into a black hole. We ended up having to search and hire another actuary. Moon, Schwartz and Madden is not a firm with integrity and does not deserve to be entrusted with a service that could greatly affect people's lives. read more

My QDRO report was prepared by John Madden. First he got the math wrong, so apparently he does not know how to use a calculator. Here is an exact calculation of Mr. Madden that he included in my Report: (14.153 x 50% = 7.077 - 1.0 = 6.077 ÷ 100 = 42.93%) Second, he did not read the court ordered division of property and he gave my rights to my ex. Third, he violated the law, as he got too cozy with the opposing attorney and was communicating directly with her without copying me violating California Family Law. He was dealing and wheeling, unethically, with the opposing attorney behind doors for a reason or another. This warrant a lawsuit against Mr. Madden, however, I have enough on my plate. Forth: Customer Service and responsiveness are alien concepts to this firm Result, is a garbage report that I spent thousands of dollars to fight and correct in the court. Most people won't realize the damage experts like Mr. Madden are doing but will get the short end of their rights in the future when collecting their retirements. My advice, do not trust Mr. Madden, and if you have to use him, have a third party review the childish and unprofessional work he does. read more

Only bad thing I can say is the receptionist is rude but maybe that's her job other than that..... they explained the process . Not their fault my ex and lawyer did not read the part that says "It is a good idea before getting signatures to send a copy to the proposed plan for review" which I did do... I followed the assignment... read more

When my ex and I were first attempting to do the divorce on our own, we hired another service to divide our accounts for us. She completed it in a month. Gave us multiple division options. For 1/3 what these guys charge. Unfortunately things took a turn and we eventually got lawyers, and too much time passed so we could no longer use those original figures. These guys? Criminally overpriced. Zero communication or updates. Missed deadlines. No voicemail to leave messages. Not available during lunch hours and - oh hey! - they close early on Fridays too. They swear they sent the final report four months ago but my attorneys never received it. Still trying to get another copy out of them. After having such a pleasant and easy experience with the last company,. I cannot believe these people are still in business. read more

John Madden has been absolutely amazing. I'm so impressed by his knowledge, expertise, thorough explanations, and for always getting back to me so quickly. I also appreciate the articles he's written that provide detailed information on pension plans and the client resources available on their webpage. The webpage is fantastic and provides information that other company's would charge for. My spouse and I both had CalPERS and I was so thankful that John specialized in this type of pension plan. I highly recommend this company and I'm so grateful that he was able to provide us with pension actuarial and valuations. read more

Dealing with a separation is never fun, but you'd at least want to work with professionals who can answer questions clearly (I'd bet most people in this situation have not gone through it before) and be polite in their interactions (it's a difficult process as it is). We were referred to this firm by a (very good) financial professional who handled that aspect of our arrangements. Every single interaction I've had with this firm has ranged from surly to condescending, and always profoundly unhelpful. Even when I itemize precise questions, the answers are muddled and unclear. When I ask for clarification, the responses embody the worst kind of condescension. And it's even worse on the phone (that was by email). At least from looking at the reviews here I see I'm not the only one who's had this experience. read more

The worst service. I paid for my divorce QDRO on 2-15-2018 they did not complete it until May 25 2022. Do Not ever use this company. Avoid this company. read more

BAD, Bad, bad business. They have held up my QDRO for several years due to a secrete deal with opposing counsel. Incompetence or criminal, we'll soon see. read more

As referred by the court to seek help but my first ever experience was very unimpressive. They are not personable and willing to help. Customer service is very poor. read more

Avoid at all costs! Because *cost* is the only part you can rely upon with MSM. These guys make encounters with the DMV and the IRS look efficient and heartwarming. It's been a year and we still don't have QDROs completed. Want to ask them a question or inquire about next steps in the process? Expect master-level condescension. Unless your divorce is in need of some further cost, stress and angst, I do not recommend Moon Schwartz & Madden. read more

On 11/11/2020 I wrote an unflattering review of this business. My review was based on incorrect information that was provided by a third party. I am offering my apology for my rush to blame their office who provided a quality QDRO in a timely fashion. I was wrong. read more

I've never had responses that were so rude. I'm still shaking my head. This was court appointed and I'm going to do my damnedest to switch. She's lucky I didn't walk into the office and received that treatment. What an ahole. krikey read more

Do not hire this company . I was extremely dissatisfied with the work of John Madden . He did not perform the work we paid him for in a timely or efficient manner . He did not pay attention to detail, made several mistakes, which cost me unnecessary attorney fees , time , and aggravation . Find another company to perform your Quadro . A divorce is difficult enough , this just added more stress to an already stressful time. read more

A QDRO, for those fortunate enough not to need one, is a Qualified Domestic Relations Order. It is used when people are getting a divorce and there is a pension fund or retirement account as part of the marital assets. This is the place our attorneys sent us for the QDRO on our divorce. If the goal is to be uncommunicative, opaque, and as confusing as possible these guys hit it out of the park. It takes multiple phone calls leaving messages on their machine to get an acknowledgement that they got an email. To be fair, they may not be worse than any other QDRO outfit. Divorce in California is a racket. read more

I had to communicate with their office manager, Ms. Slater, regarding a QDRO this company is preparing for my divorce. Ms. Slater was impatient with me on the phone and unwilling to share information. Later, I emailed her a detail about our QDRO (to create a communications trail of my request), only to receive a rude and unprofessional reply. Since I'm paying half of the QDRO preparation fees, I expect to be treated politely and professionally. I would never choose to deal with these guys again! read more

Very disappointed with there service, Errors in our prepared documents. Then to find out that we need to fill out more court documents to complete the paper work that we thought we paid them for. Thanks for the 80% effort read more

Mr. Schwartz and the staff at Moon, Schwartz, and Madden have always been helpful and professional. They are good at what they do and they are always available to answer questions or make revisions to documents at no additional charge. My emails are always answered on the same day I send them. Very easy to work with! read more

It was ordered by the court to use this company and I have to say they are the worst. They have no people skills and never return your phone call and then when I did finally get a hold of them she would not answer a simple question on what documents need to be sent in. Only to talk over me and tell me not to speak to her like she was a child. And then to hang up on me. This lady is obviously having a bad day already if she couldn't answer a simple question about the business she is supposed to be providing for the court. And then when I tried to call back she wouldn't answer. As I'm reading these other reviews I'm seriously wondering why yolo county is forcing us to use this company. It's downright ridiculous! read more

This firm was hired by my ex's attorney. Mr Schwartz was responsive in a timely manner, however made several calculation errors, amounting to over $30,000 in my ex's favor. He did not fully research the policies of my retirement plan and gave my ex credit for values of both my monthly pension and lump sum amounts when, in fact, I receive one OR the other. He also miscalculated my ex's entitlement to monies from another account by giving him credit for a full year of deposits when he was only entitled to 3 months' worth, according to our date of separation. Fortunately I was able to catch these errors and they were corrected. Also, be sure to specify whether you want plan A or B when submitting a CalPERS QDRO. There is a big difference. I told the staff that I wanted plan A, but that did not get communicated. I was presented with a plan B without having been contacted about what option I wanted. Again, this was corrected. read more

These people are impossible to get a hold of. Never answer calls. Rarely if ever answer emails. Horrible work hours. (Makes me wonder if they even have an office. I have yet to speak with someone there. If you are ever unfortunate (or fortunate depending on your circumstances I suppose), and your attorney wants you to use these people for your QDRO - RUN the other way. Find someone else if you can. I've been in this thing for years. Seriously. read more

I agree with the experience that many have had here, there's little more to add. I wasn't surprised to see other 1 star reviews. I daresay they are in a "captive" market for QDROs. read more

This agency is a nightmare! They were eager to take my money to provide a "fair" division of assets, but 8 months later they come back with an absurd proposal. They fail to communicate and promise timely service but dont deliver. Stay away! read more

I wish I could say how good these people were, BUT I have been trying to finalize my QDRO for the past 3 years and NEVER get a call or information back. They just took our money and that's it. I guess it is time to go back to court AGAINST them!!!!!!! read more

I'm not sure what's going on with these comment but I have never had a problem with "John C. Madden" at Moon Schwartz & Madden. I worked at a family law office and he always provided me/us with awesome service! I would contact him often to ask him questions for the attorney. He answered my emails promptly! He would call and have telephone consults on the phone when our clients were in the office for their appt's making it very convenient for everyone. He was very knowledgeable!! Once he was on vacation and answered my email! Now that's service, come on folks! Call his office and ask him to give you a call. Leave a message he will call you back. read more

I am writing this review for Mr. Schwartz. I used his services during my divorce for the Part B QDRO distribution back in 2009 with simplicity and ease. Fast forward 2016 I had him do my Part A Pension QDRO. No words can express my gratitude for the amount of revisions he has helped me with my QDRO. Simply stated he has gone above and beyond to help me with my revisions so that my ex can finally sign. (Even though it has always been approved by the union just not my ex)Thank you Mr. Schwartz for taking the time I am forever grateful. Let's hope this last one is acceptable to my ex. Always available. Always helpful. read more

Called to ask for an appointment. I was told they don't accept appointments due to security reasons. Not sure what that means. I think they have a model where they don't meet with people which is fine. The woman I spoke with was short and not helpful. Said she would send me information the next day. I did not receive it and called her again. She said she sent it as we spoke. I asked for the email address she sent it to and she couldn't give it to me. Then asked that I give it to her again. I wanted to hear her repeat it so I could make sure it was correct so I suggested she look into her sent file. She put me on hold and then hung up. read more

I have hired John Madden to provide 3 separate services to include two QDROs and one pension valuation. In my initial contact email I provided the information they request on their website. I was pleased to have an immediate response and once paid as agreed my first draft QDRO in a timely manner. John quickly made a few changes needed and I was in business. The pension valuation went the same way. Unlike some of the other reviews, I have been quite impressed with their response time to any communication I have initiated! My second QDRO was a tricky one. John used his research skills and was able to provide me with an accepted QDRO once again. I went into this thinking it would be a long process. John Madden shortened it considerably! I would definitely recommend Moon, Schwartz & Madden to anyone needing the services they provide. read more

I am a tax lawyer and often work on QDRO's in connection with clients' divorces. I like working on cases in which John Madden is involved. He is knowledgeable, reasonable, responsive and practical. read more

Working with John Madden was an excellent experience. He was readily available by e mail and kept us posted at every step. As a note, at the start of our work with him there was considerable confusion about the QRDO since it was filed after the deadline. However, Mr Madden create an excellent solution and he even consulted another tax attorney to be certain. This was a necessary but unpleasant task that Mr Madden changed into a positive experience. In a nutshell ... he is an excellent professional. read more

They did in fact update the data based on actual documents and did not use my brother's ex wife's numbers based on her recollection (she had no statements, just wishes that she keep the lions share of everything). In the end it turned out fair. Still not settled, but that is not their fault that is the fault of the ex not being happy that she did not get her way. read more

I have had the absolute worst experience of any company in Orinda in my 18 years living here with this firm. This company never returns phone calls or emails. They refuse to produce an accounting of my charges when requested multiple times. I went to the office to make another payment. I knocked and knocked and no one answered. Finally, after more than 5 minutes of waiting, the door was opened. The female office manager was rude and simply unprofessional. The principal was visible from where I was standing, outside his personal office inside the overall small office, and refused to get up from his chair or greet me despite being paid thousands of dollars for services. This was an absolutely unprofessional experience. I would do everything in my power to choose any other firm, any other firm. I intend to file complaints with both the Orinda chamber of commerce and the better business bureau about the terrible customer service and completely dissatisfying experience received by this unprofessional firm. If given an opportunity to evaluate them with ZERO stars on yelp, that would be my evaluation of their services. read more

We had a similar experience with Moon Schwartz and Madden. They lost our check, said they would take five days to give us a report - and it has been now six weeks and we still don't have it. They don't return calls. read more

I am in agreement with all of the "one star" raters. I especially agree with Vince's review. I paid MSM 1050.00 March of 2015 for them to complete my QDRO which needs to be done because I am to gain a portion of my ex's retirement from our ongoing divorce. My ex was told to pay the other 1050.00 to MSM. I finally got in touch with MSM, and they lied and said my ex paid them and they were getting on the work, so I was under the impression that they were getting the QDRO done. A couple of months pass, and I have no updates. I call and call, and no response. I finally get in touch with them (after a couple of weeks), and they said that they hadn't started the work because my ex "never paid them". So,fast forward, now they've had my money for over a year and half and ZERO work has gotten done. I want my money back, but I can't get in touch with them! Michael Finney, 7 On Your Side, please help! This is shoddy, unprofessional business. How are they allowed to do this? The lack of communication makes me fear their competency. I'm still waiting MSM. Now, will I need another law suit on top of my divorce in order for this QDRO to become finalized or I actually get my money back? Just do the right thing MSM. read more

I had a quadro prepared by moon Schwartz and Madden and they did a very poor job . I paid $625 for the 5 business day turnaround and it took them 13 ! They made a mistake on the paperwork and put the wrong retirement company on there and when I pointed it out they were very slow to correct it . When I called to complain that it had still not been corrected 13 days later a manager called Marlys was very unprofessional on the phone and spoke over me vs listening to my complaint - then to my shock she hung up on me .I waited thinking she might call back .No call. When I called back Amanda who is very nice kept telling me Marlys was too busy on another call and after 15 minutes of waiting I gave up. I then got a call from Mark who had been emailing me that he would correct the mistake ( but failing to do so ) and a few hours later I got the correct document . It shouldn't be this difficult with such poor customer service. read more