In Re the MARRIAGE OF Gloria Bonita BOYER and Larry Charles Boyer. Upon the Petition of Gloria Bonita Boyer, Appellee, and Concerning Larry Charles Boyer, Appellant

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538 N.W.2d 293 (1995) 
 In re the MARRIAGE OF Gloria Bonita BOYER and Larry Charles Boyer. 
Upon the Petition of Gloria Bonita Boyer, Appellee, 
And Concerning 
Larry Charles Boyer, Appellant. 
 No. 94-213. 
 Supreme Court of Iowa. 
 September 20, 1995. 
 Leslie Babich of Babich, McConnell & Renzo, P.C., Des Moines, for appellant. 
 Thomas D. Hanson and Brenda K. O'Neil of Hanson, Bjork & Russell, Des Moines, for appellee. 
 Considered by McGIVERIN, C.J., and HARRIS, NEUMAN, ANDREASEN, and TERNUS, JJ. 
 HARRIS, Justice. 
 We granted further review in this dissolution of marriage case in order to resolve a question on which the court of appeals is divided. Under federal legislation, social security benefits for the most part are beyond the reach of those seeking satisfaction of state court judgments, and state courts are generally without power to order otherwise. The question here is whether, in ordering the division of marital property, a court may consider the fact that one party can anticipate greater social security benefits upon retirement. We agree that a court cannot \divide\" the anticipated benefits or establish any exact setoffs on such a basis. But we think a state court is not required to pretend to be oblivious of the fact that one party *294 expects benefits that will not be enjoyed by the other. This contrasting economic security can be weighed as a factor in fixing the economic terms of a dissolution decree. We vacate a contrary holding by the court of appeals. We modify and affirm the judgment of the district court.