LPH72: Mary McDirmid on Special Needs Trusts and Disability Financial Planning

How do you plan for your child’s future when you know you won’t always be there?

Special needs financial planning, ABLE accounts, special needs trusts, and government benefits can feel overwhelming, but getting started can protect your loved one’s future. I talked with Mary McDirmid, CEO of All Needs Planning, certified special needs consultant, co-author of Care, Protect, Grow, and mom to Ruth, her daughter with the rare disease tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).

We talk about how Ruth’s diagnosis changed Mary’s family and her work as a financial planner, and why families need to think beyond today’s caregiving needs. We also covered protecting Medicaid and Social Security benefits, using ABLE accounts and special needs trusts, preparing for adult housing and care, and recognizing everything parents do as caregivers.

Her message is a reassuring one: you don’t have to figure out the entire future today. You just have to take the next step.

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