Book Review: The Special Needs Planning Guide

John W. Nadworny and Cynthia R. Haddad. The Special Needs Planning Guide: How to Prepare for Every Stage of Your Child'™s Life. Baltimore, Maryland: Brookes Publishing, 2007. 336 pages. $29.95.

Parents and caregivers of special needs children face numerous challenges '“ financial, emotional and legal. How do you create a financially sound plan for your special needs child that takes into account future costs and supplemental needs? What are the key elements of any special needs trust? Can you create a special needs trust and maintain government benefits?

In their new book, The Special Needs Planning Guide: How to Prepare for Every Stage of Your Child'™s Life, John W. Nadworny and Cynthia R. Haddad answer these and other key questions in an easy-to-understand resource that divides special needs planning into four stages '“ birth to age 3, 3-15, 16-21, and 22 and beyond. Recognizing that each stage of life summons different issues, the authors '“ certified financial planners with special needs family members -- creatively interweave case examples from their own clients'™ experiences, placing a human face on a potentially dense topic. Special needs planning pointers and assessments give readers quick summaries of important points and issues.

Nadworny and Haddad cover every aspect of the subject, including family factors such as lifestyle, emotional factors such as denial, and financial and legal factors such as estate planning and government benefits. An accompanying CD-Rom contains printable and modifiable versions of a personal special needs planning timeline, a budget and expense worksheet, a letter of intent and an estimated monthly supplementary expense worksheet.

The guide transforms the confusion and anxiety of special needs planning into a comprehensive book with useful tools that any person can access and comprehend. The Special Needs Planning Guide will prove valuable for any family with special needs children.