Special Needs Trusts

Choosing the right person to serve as trustee of a special needs trust is one of the most important and difficult issues in creating the trust.  Here are five considerations to help in the choice of who should serve.

A common fear among beneficiaries or their families is that the trustee may not do what’s in the beneficiary’s best interests and that, if this happens, the beneficiary may not be able to do anything about it.

You may have heard the terms "special" needs trust and "supplemental" needs trust and wondered what the difference is. The short answer is that there's no difference. Here's the long answer.

An often overlooked aspect of a special needs trust (SNT) is how the trust is taxed. Tax savings can be substantial depending on how the trust is structured.

If you are the main person managing the care of the beneficiary of a special needs trust, have you planned yet for a time when you may no longer be able to perform this crucial role?...

ABLE accounts, the new tax-free savings accounts for people with disabilities, can be used in many creative ways to make a big difference to families with special needs children.

A parent serving as trustee can confront many daunting problems involving trust laws and public benefits regulations that affect the administration of a special needs trust. ...

A trustee's level of involvement in the beneficiary's affairs can be confusing for beneficiaries and families, who may be under the impression that the trustee has the decision-making power in all aspects of a beneficiary’s life. ...

At a recent webinar, members of the Academy of Special Needs Planners (ASNP) discussed the possible impact on people with special needs of legislation crafted by House Republicans to replace Obamacare.  ...