“Most people don’t plan to fail, they simply fail to plan.”

The idea of preparing for a lifetime of protection for a family member or loved one with special needs is often overwhelming. Lifetime of Hope is designed to help our clients as they work through the steps in developing a comprehensive strategy for their loved ones by breaking down the process into the following segments: Lifetime Considerations, Needs and Resources, and Estate Planning.

Lifetime Considerations

Often, the first step is to understand how preparing for an individual with special needs differs and why there are extra steps and precautions that should be considered as part of developing a strategy. Additionally, we want to assist you in evaluating the current strategy and identifying any potential shortfalls and opportunities. We have created a nine-question scorecard to start the conversation that concentrates on critical areas. Finally, it is incredibly important that you are aware of the many potential pitfalls that exist in the area of special needs planning so we can help to avoid them. The following information and tools will be useful as you begin to engage in the planning process.

Needs and Resources

As those who have family members or loved ones with special needs know, developing a strategy to protect the individual’s lifelong support is often more important than securing their own retirement and long-term income protection. As part of the process, we want to assist you in thinking about what the income and expenses of the individual with special needs may look like in order to help determine what his or her lifelong support needs may be. Once we understand what the future needs will be, we can compare that to the resources currently available to give you an analysis as to whether any shortfalls currently exist. Of course, part of understanding what resources will be available to an individual with special needs is also understanding what benefits may be provided by the government to help supplement your own resources.

Estate Planning

Your death or disability can have a profound impact on the life and care of your family member or loved one with special needs. Without a properly developed estate plan, the support and resources available to the individual could be negatively impacted. We want to ensure that your overall strategy takes into account the important legal documents that you will need and other steps you need to consider in order to provide your loved ones and their resources with the proper protection.