Supporting families through special needs planning
Caring for a loved one with special needs requires planning tailored to your specific circumstances. You want to safeguard their quality of life without interfering with their eligibility for vital government benefits. Maintaining these benefits requires an extensive, coordinated effort.
The experienced professionals at Tailored Financial Strategies can help. Both of our principal team members have immediate family members with special needs and have firsthand knowledge of the need for careful planning. At your discretion, we will collaborate with your tax and legal professionals and consider your options for securing your loved one’s quality of life, even if you are unable to do so.
Those options include setting up a special needs trust through our affiliate, Raymond James Trust, N.A. This type of trust is designed to supplement public benefits, paying for things such as education, recreation and equipment needed for mobility. Working alongside trust specialists, we can help you navigate this challenging terrain to create a plan designed to sustain quality of life. We can also assist with selecting strategies, which provides individuals with disabilities and their families tax-advantaged ways to save.
As a parent or caregiver, you want to know that your loved one with special needs will be taken care of no matter what. Our team can help provide personalized planning in pursuit of clarity and confidence on what that might look like for you.
A generous aunt seeking to support her nephew
Case Study
Situation
Setting her family up for success was a high priority for Christine. So when her nephew was born with special needs, she wanted to make a significant gift to help provide for him. However, she soon realized that giving money directly to her nephew would interfere with his ability to access needed benefits. She wanted advice on how to navigate this complexity and maximize the resources available to her loved one.
Tailored solution
First, we obtained a deeper understanding of Christine’s vision for how the gift would be used to support her nephew. Then we arranged the details into a clear picture of her vision for the future and laid out her options for giving without interfering with benefits. Knowing that her goals were long term, we discussed various options that would provide confidence for her nephew’s future. Collaborating with our affiliate, Raymond James Trust, N.A., we referred a specialized attorney who could handle this type of legal planning, taking a comprehensive approach, to ensure Christine could offer her family this vital support.
This case study is for illustrative purposes only. Individual cases will vary. Any information is not a complete summary or statement of all available data necessary for making an investment decision and does not constitute a recommendation. Prior to making any investment decision, you should consult with your financial advisor about your individual situation. .
