Category Archives: Special Needs Planning
ABLE Accounts vs. Special Needs Trusts
Special needs trust (SNT’s) and “Achieving a Better Life Experience” Accounts (a.k.a ABLE Accounts) each provide a tax-free way for people with disabilities to save money. Both options provide a mechanism for saving money and protecting resources that ensures the disabled individual remains eligible for public benefits. Accumulating resources without jeopardizing key government benefits… Read More »
Able Accounts Can Play a Key Role In Special Needs Plans
Special needs plans that utilize ABLE accounts can enhance quality of life for people with disabilities, offering financial protection while preserving access to public benefits for some individuals. Living with a disability can present numerous financial challenges. Many people with disabilities bear the costs of health care, accessible vehicles, assistive technologies, and more. According… Read More »
Funding a Special Needs Trust With a Structured Settlement
If you win a personal injury lawsuit, you may receive your award in a lump sum or as a structured settlement. With a structured settlement, you will receive payments over time; you may opt for a substantial initial amount, with lesser succeeding payments to provide for lost income. These periodic payments don’t count for… Read More »
What You Can Learn from the Leno Conservatorship Proceedings
When most people think about creating an estate plan, they usually focus on what will happen when they die. They typically do not consider what their wishes would be if they were alive but unable to manage their own affairs (in other words, if they are incapacitated). In many cases, failing to plan for… Read More »
Who Should Be the Trustee of a Third-Party Special Needs Trust?
Family members with special needs may require assistance throughout their lives. If you want to ensure that a loved one with a disability is taken care of after you are gone, you can help manage resources for them by using a third-party special needs trust (SNT). Also known as a supplemental needs trust, a… Read More »
How An ABLE Account Can Help Boost Your Financial Health
For many people with disabilities, maintaining financial well-being can prove particularly challenging amid the marginalization, societal stereotypes, and employment and health care barriers they may regularly face. This includes anything from inaccessible workplaces to reduced income to limited options for building up their savings. Financial Health of People with Disabilities According to a new report,… Read More »
SECURE Act 2.0: Impact on Special Needs Trusts
A special needs trust (SNT), or a supplemental needs trust, is a legal entity that helps individuals of any age with disabilities maintain their eligibility for government benefits and receive additional financial support. Under the SSA expenditure rules, an SNT can provide additional monies to enhance the beneficiary’s lifestyle while maintaining Medicaid or Supplemental… Read More »
Guardianship or Conservatorship for Adults with Disabilities
For individuals with developmental disabilities who can’t make important decisions or care for themselves in adulthood, guardianship or conservatorship are both legal arrangements that should be given consideration. Establishing a legal guardian is the job of the court, which appoints a person (guardian) to make personal and financial decisions for individuals lacking the capacity… Read More »
Does Disinheriting Your Special Needs Child Protect Their Government Benefits?
Families with special needs children face unique challenges and opportunities to protect their children’s futures. Providing appropriate medical, educational, recreational, and employment opportunities for your special needs child can result in a lifetime of pursuing public and private programs and services. Too often, the parents or persons responsible for financial and medical management of… Read More »
Taxes and Special Needs Trusts
Families who care for a loved one with special needs or a disability will often create and fund a special needs trust. It can provide peace of mind to improve a family member’s future quality of life without jeopardizing their eligibility for government benefits. However, families must also consider the tax implications of special… Read More »
