Recent Articles

Inheritance and the Importance of Creating a Special Needs Trust

March 14, 2012 19:03

An inheritance left to a person with special needs must be distributed to a special needs trust to avoid jeopardizing such person’s government benefits.  A special needs trust can be created during lifetime or through a person’s Will upon death.  If a special needs trust is...

DSM May Narrow the Definition of Autism

January 23, 2012 21:05

The New York Times reported last week that the American Psychiatric Association, which publishes the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or D.S.M.,  is expected to narrow the definition of autism in its next edition.  Narrowing the definition will mean that less people...

Government Benefits for Special Needs Individuals

Lori I. Wolf
October 03, 2011 14:16

Click here to listen to this article as a podcast or subscribe to our podcasts on iTunes. While it is critical to ensure that you have adequate planning in place to preserve your child’s eligibility for government assistance, it is important for individuals to know what government benefits...

Government Benefits for Special Needs Individuals

Lori I. Wolf
September 26, 2011 18:16

Click here to listen to this article as a podcast or subscribe to our podcasts on iTunes. While it is critical to ensure that you have adequate planning in place to preserve your child’s eligibility for government assistance, it is important for individuals to know what government benefits...

Pooled Trusts vs. Special Needs Trusts

September 06, 2011 14:30

Click here to listen to this article as a podcast or subscribe to our podcasts on iTunes Pooled trusts can be a good alternative to a special needs trust.  However, pooled trusts are not appropriate for everyone. To understand why, let’s take a step back and review some basics. A pooled...

The Magic Age

Lori I. Wolf
August 08, 2011 13:20

Click here to listen to this article as a podcast or subscribe to our podcasts on iTunes  There are certain ages in a child’s life that are benchmarks for changes.  For some children, turning age 17 is an important day, since that is when the child can obtain a driver’s...

The Magic Age

Lori I. Wolf
July 26, 2011 13:20

There are certain ages in a child’s life that are benchmarks for changes.  For some children, turning age 17 is an important day, since that is when the child can obtain a driver’s license and for some age 18 is an important age, when they become emancipated and legally...

Disinheriting A Child With Special Needs

Lori I. Wolf
June 09, 2011 17:55

Sometimes family members consider disinheriting a child with special needs to avoid putting the child with special needs at risk of becoming ineligible for government assistance.  Parents may leave assets to a typical child instead of dividing the assets between the child with special needs...

Terminating a Special Needs Trust

May 09, 2011 14:02

There are several circumstances where it is appropriate to terminate a third party Special Needs Trust. A third party trust is a trust that is comprised of assets that were either gifted or bequeathed from someone other than the trust beneficiary. Most commonly, a termination will occur at the...

Laws to Help Families With Special Needs

April 18, 2011 18:46

Parade has published an article on recent legislation aimed at helping families with special needs.  The article covers laws on both the federal and state levels and offers information on how to support the respective pieces of legislation.  Please click here to view the full article...