College Planning for Special Needs Students

College is an investment in your child’s future and it is no doubt worth it, but with education costs rising, it can certainly be expensive. Planning for your child’s education should be a priority and many benefit from starting early. Starting a “college fund” in a child’s early years can be a smart investment, as…

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Remarks on the 2012 Special Needs Trusts National Conference

This year’s Special Needs Trusts National Conference, held in St. Pete Beach, Florida, was exceptional. As a New Englander, heading down to Florida for a conference elicits a lot of jealous remarks-but it wasn’t the weather that cheered me up, it was the stellar material that was presented. I left feeling full of hope, because…

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2012 Special Needs Trusts National Conference

I’m looking forward to this year’s Special Needs Trusts National Conference next week in St. Pete Beach, Florida. This is the conference’s 14th year, and it’s going to be a great one. Speakers from all over the world will share their stories as leaders in the estate planning and special needs trusts fields. The conference…

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Special Needs Trusts: The Basics

The basic definition of a special needs trust or supplemental benefits trust is any trust intended to provide benefits without causing the beneficiary to lose public benefits that they may be able to receive.  Most commonly special needs trusts are intended to protect the public benefits of Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid.  However, these trust…

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About Special Needs Trusts

There are a few ways to fund a special needs trust. The trust can be funded through a will, or any type of donation or gift made directly to the trust. Or the trust can be funded with life insurance policies. In this case, upon the death of one or both parents, the insurance policy pay-out would directly fund the trust for the benefit of the disabled person.

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