Autism and PDD Resources web
site's Estate Planning page excellent!
PLAN was developed to support families develop a safe, secure and quality future for their relatives with a disability. David Wetherow describes this organization and their book which both are valuable resources for parents with older children.
TRI Online's links for special needs trusts
article on The Special Needs Trust by Richard W. Fee, M.A., M.Ed, National Institute on Life Planning for Persons with Disabilities
A Family Handbook on Future Planning, by The Arc.
Microsoft's MoneyCentral "Prepare a Will"
National Institute On Life Planning For Persons With Disabilities
(Canadian Trusts &
Wills) "What will happen to my child when I'm gone? Preserving
Your Child's Inheritance in the Face of Cutbacks"
KENNETH C. POPE
Barrister, Solicitor, Notary Public
Suite 205 - 460 O'Connor Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5H3
Describes a Gift Annuity (to a nonprofit organization) rather than a special needs trust to provide for a child with a disability.
Special
needs trusts You can ask questions from a professional at this
site.
Supplemental Needs Trusts for Disabled Persons, by David Goldfarb, Goldfarb & Abrandt, New York law. A lot of information on the special needs trust law.
Financial Planning For Families Caring for a Member with a Disability Beyond Wills & Trusts(TM)
Special Needs Trust Document A unzipped Word Perfect document which, when downloaded and unzipped, could be used to write your own special needs trust. I don't have any information if this works with laws of various states.
Be sure to replace "YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS" with your information.
Special Needs Trusts Email List - Milton Blackstone, Listowner. To subscribe visit the link & enter your email address in the space provided.
Trusts,
Riverbend Down Syndrome Parent Support Group - A properly drafted trust
will provide additional opportunities for the individual with a disability
without making them ineligible for government benefits or exposing the
assets to collection by state agencies who have provided services to the
individual.
Inevitably, friends and family members face questions about securing the future for their sons and daughters with disabilities -- wills and estate planning, developing relationships, housing options, supported decision-making, lifelong planning.
PLAN's (Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network's) comprehensive book on future planning - A Good Life - is now available through their website. It is a practical guide to specific steps that families can take to ensure lifelong security for their relative with a disability. The 328 page volume includes 15 family worksheets and access to a personal set of password-protected worksheets on the Internet.
Although PLAN originated in Canada, every section of the new book is written for a broader North American (in fact international) audience. The broad issues that families face are universal. Legislation and regulations dealing with wills and estates and supported decision-making are specific to _localities_, not countries. The book provides detailed guidelines to help the family and their own lawyers and financial planners create solutions within their local context.
PLAN was developed to support families develop a safe, secure and quality future for their relatives with a disability. To accomplish this they:
Visit the website at http://www.plan.ca. I've followed PLAN's development since its inception in 1989. It is probably the best-designed and most comprehensive of the 'future planning' resources. Dave Wetherow