Special needs trusts, ABLE accounts, and letters of intent designed to keep your family member supported, dignified, and qualified for every benefit they're entitled to, for the rest of their life.
Most needs-based public benefits, SSI, Medicaid, housing assistance, have strict asset limits, often as low as $2,000. A grandparent's well-meaning bequest, a small lawsuit settlement, or a 401(k) beneficiary designation can wipe out eligibility overnight.
A properly designed special needs trust holds those resources separately. The benefits stay intact. The funds enrich the person's life, therapy, travel, technology, comfort, without ever counting against them.
Special needs planning is rarely one tool, it's a careful combination, sized to your family's resources and the person's needs.
Funded by parents, grandparents, or other relatives, typically through their will or trust. The most common structure for an inheritance.
For assets the person already owns, settlements, inheritances received outright, or back-due Social Security. Funded with the person's own money.
Tax-advantaged savings accounts (529A) for individuals whose disability began before age 26 (or 46 starting in 2026). Up to $18,000/year, balance under $100k doesn't affect SSI.
Not legally binding, but invaluable: a written guide to your loved one's daily life, preferences, medical history, support team, and the small things that matter most.
For the first time since our son's diagnosis, we have a plan that doesn't end with us. Lisa built something that will outlive us, and we sleep differently because of it.
A first meeting to get acquainted and see if we're the right fit for your family.
Schedule a consultation