For a child who will need care for life
Money for the extras, without losing the benefits
Many benefits for people with disabilities stop if they own more than a small amount. A supplemental needs trust holds the money instead, and pays for the things that make a life fuller. The flat fee covers the trust, your updated will and a letter of intent, and is quoted in writing before you decide.
The trust
Written so family can leave money to it in a will, a life insurance policy or a retirement account, and so it never counts as your child's.
The trustee plan
Who manages the money, who takes over after them, and what they may spend it on: therapies, trips, a phone, a better wheelchair.
A letter of intent
Your child's routines, doctors, foods and fears, written down for the next person. Not legal, and the part families say matters most.
Turning 18
What changes at adulthood, and whether supported decision-making, powers of attorney or a guardianship fits your child.
Grandparents too
Tell the rest of the family before they write a check
A grandparent who leaves money straight to your child can undo years of planning. Once the trust exists, I write a short note you can pass to relatives with the trust's exact name, so their gifts land in the right place.
Questions parents bring
Can a sibling be the trustee?
Yes, and often they are. I suggest naming a backup too, and a professional trustee for a large trust.
What about money my child already has?
That needs a different kind of trust, with a payback rule. I explain both and tell you which one fits.
Does the trust need a tax return?
Usually, once it holds money. I give your trustee a one-page list of the yearly tasks.
Talk through your child's plan
Bring what you know about their benefits. I'll take it from there.