Estate Planning

Special Needs Planning and Retirement Benefits

Retirement accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs make up the majority of most people's savings. While these plans encourage saving by offering significant tax rewards, they were certainly not set up to help families with special needs.

5 Issues to Consider When Creating a Special Needs Trust

Here are some of the questions you will need to consider in guiding your attorney to create a special needs trust.

Most Adults With Special Needs Require Estate Planning Documents

In most cases, people with disabilities have the capacity to create their own estate planning documents, and in some cases it is crucial that they do so.

Guardianship Can Have Its Limits

For an individual who can make some decisions on his or her own, a full guardianship may not be appropriate.

What Is a Pooled Trust and How Does It Protect My Family Member?

Because beneficiaries of programs like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid must be quite poor to qualify, they can lose their benefits when they come into an inheritance, receive money in their own names from an accident settlement, or merely...

Before Settling a Personal Injury Claim, Consider a Special Needs Trust

If a person with special needs receives a large personal injury award, paying for health insurance could become an unaffordable expense unless precautions are taken. A special needs trust could be the answer.

What Is a Special Needs Trust?

A special needs trust is set up for a person with special needs to supplement any benefits the person with special needs may receive from government programs. A properly drafted special needs trust will allow the beneficiary to receive government...