Style & Living

“Someone who is not dealing with a special needs child or children, can’t appreciate the lows and the highs - the difficulties and the beautiful moments - that we go through every day, week, month, and year.”  This is what I have heard from my clients and it is clear that their experiences are the very reason that a 2018 study by Professor Meghan Burke at the University of Illinois found that “fewer than half of parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities make long-term plans about who will take over their child’s care if the parent or other relative providing care dies or becomes incapacitated.”

Often, when I work with children who have elderly parents, or the senior individuals themselves, I find them struggling with long term care planning concepts, including Medicare and Medicaid.

No one likes to think about the possibility of their own disability or the disability of a loved one. However, as the statistics below demonstrate, we should all plan for at least a temporary disability. This article examines the eye-opening statistics surrounding disability and some of the common disability planning options. Disability planning is one area where we can give each and every person and family we work with great comfort in knowing that if they or a loved one becomes disabled, they will be prepared.

 As we approach the 21st century, more people are purchasing services and items on the Internet that they can put together themselves. Although the idea of saving money is attractive at first, many of us find that either the instructions don’t exactly work, or a piece may be missing, leaving the object unstable at best, and subject to rapid deterioration. With the advent of online legal services, some people compromise themselves and risk the loss of their family’s financial security by utilizing services that offer a cheap alternative to professional legal counseling and proper legal documentation. If you’re considering a do-it yourself estate-planning kit, it’s a bad idea for you and the people you love.

Most married couples who prepare their estate plans typically leave everything they have to their surviving spouse. If the couple has minor children, they rely on the survivor to provide and care for their young ones. Although it’s not easy, planning for the possibility of both parents passing away simultaneously, or one shortly after the other, is a very important component of planning, particularly when the couple has minor children.

A comprehensive estate plan can protect the things that matter most. When we say “what matters most,” we’re talking about the ones we love most – our family. Not only is planning about passing things on, but it also can provide protection. One of the most important protections involves planning for minor children and providing for legal guardianship just in case tragedy strikes. Knowing this is taken care of can provide tremendous peace of mind.