Estate Planning

Beneficiaries of a special needs trust can still qualify for federal housing assistance programs like Section 8, but careful planning is required to avoid having benefits reduced or eliminated.

The trustee of a special needs trust (SNT) has all of the duties of any trustee, but what are the added responsibilities due to the special needs of the beneficiary? How do I choose the right trustee? ...

Parents of children with special needs often want to direct required distributions from IRAs following their deaths into a special needs trust (SNT) for the child. But if the trust is not set up properly, the income tax consequences can...

This book offers a boilerplate special needs trust. Our reviewer finds many flaws and asks: Why would you want to scrimp on the one tool that will provide for your child'™s lifetime care?...

What expenses can't be paid by a special needs trust?...

In many cases, the trustee of a special needs trust should hire a professional investment adviser. Here are some guidelines for hiring one.

The New Hampshire Supreme Court has put off the question of whether a special needs trust beneficiary is eligible for Medicaid until the state can locate its apparently lost Medicaid plan from 1972.

Parents of children with special needs must ensure that medical and financial decisions will continue to be made in their child's best interest once they reach age 18 -- the age of legal capacity. You have options.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently ruled that when a person dies, his or her IRA may be transferred to a child's SNT free of estate or gift taxes, and that required minimum distributions from that IRA to the SNT...