Estate Planning

A bill recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would finally allow military retirees to name special needs trusts as beneficiaries of Survivor Benefit Plans, a change that could dramatically improve the lives of military children with disabilities.

You may not want to leave any of the money in your estate directly to a relative with special needs, but the fine print in your estate planning documents might cause a catastrophic distribution anyway.

After years of behind-the-scenes advocacy by a Florida couple, Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL) recently introduced a bill that would provide a tax credit of up to $5,000 for people who incur legal expenses while pursing a guardianship of an adult...

Administering the California Special Needs Trust is the closest thing to having a special needs planner on call, 24 hours a day, no matter what state you're in.

Unique tax benefits are available to families with special needs individuals. Here's a partial rundown offered by a professor of accounting.

It can be very easy for untrustworthy people to steal from a trust designed to benefit a child with special needs, as a recent case from Rhode Island illustrates.

Trial lawyers can be held liable for failing to inform their clients of the effect proceeds of a suit can have on their benefits, even years after the matter has ended. While litigators need not become experts in probate and...

The trustee of a special needs trust recently faced a dilemma. Should the trustee allow trust funds to be spent on pay-per-view pornography that had been requested by the trust's beneficiary? Was this permitted? ...

After the donor of a special needs trust is no longer around to keep an eye on the trustee, a trust protector can ensure that a beneficiary is shielded from trustee mismanagement.