Special Needs Trusts: Protect Your Child's Financial Future Book

1. Providing for a Loved One With a Special Needs Trust

Why It's Usually a Bad Idea to Leave Money Directly to a Disabled Loved One
How a Special Needs Trust Can Help
Who Can Benefit From a Special Needs Trust
Who Can Set Up a Special Needs Trust
Alternatives to a Special Needs Trust
How the Special Needs Trust Works -- Nuts and Bolts
Terminating the Trust

2. Who Can Benefit From a Special Needs Trust

Someone With a Permanent Disability
Someone Who May Get Better
Someone Who May Need a Special Needs Trust Later
Someone Who Is Eligible for Medicare or SSDI

3. How Trust Funds Can (and Cannot) Be Used

SSI Income and Resource Limits: An Overview
Assets in the Special Needs Trust
What Trust Funds Can Pay For
Gifts of Cash
Payments for Food or Shelter
Gifts of Food or Shelter From Other Sources
What the Trustee Cannot Pay For: Countable Assets

4. Getting Money Into a Special Needs Trust

What Assets to Put Into a Special Needs Trust
Making Gifts to a Special Needs Trust
How Much Money Will Your Loved One Need?
How to Leave Money to a Special Needs Trust
Don't Add the Beneficiary's Property to the Trust

5. The Trustee's Job

The Trustee's Basic Duties
Working With a Guardian or Conservator
Investing Trust Property
Spending Trust Money for the Beneficiary
Managing a Remainder Beneficiary's Property
Preserving Eligibility for SSI and Medicaid
Paying Taxes
Going to Court
The Trustee's Duties Letter

6. Choosing Trustees

An Overview of Your Options
Signing Up for a Pooled Trust
Picking the Ideal Trustee
Naming the InitialTrustee
Naming Successor Trustees
Naming Cotrustees
Hiring a Corporate or Professional Trustee

7. Joining a Pooled Trust

An Overview of Pooled Trusts
Can You Use a Pooled Trust?
How Pooled Trusts Work
Joining a Pooled Trust
What Happens When the Trust Ends
If the Pooled Trust Stops Operating

8. Creating Your Special Needs Trust

Drafting the Trust Document
Making the Trust Legal and Effective
Keeping the Special Needs Trust Up to Date
Sample Special Needs Trust

9. Finalizing and Funding Your Special Needs Trust

Making Your Trust Legal
Taxes
Opening the Trust's Deposit Account
Incorporating the Trust Into Your Estate Plan

10. Where to Get More Help

Lawyers
Paralegals
Certified Financial Planners
SSA and Medicaid Personnel
Keeping Up to Date
Books

Glossary

Appendix A: Pooled Trusts

Appendix B: Letter to Trustee/Trustee's Duties

Letter to Trustee
Managing a Special Needs Trust
Documenting the Authority of Successor Trustees

Appendix C: Sample Beneficiary Information Letter

Appendix D: How to Use the CD-ROM

Installing the Form Files Onto Your Computer
Using the Word Processing Files to Create Documents
Using PDF Files to Print Out Forms
List of Forms Included on the Forms CD-ROM

Index