text: Benefits of A Financial Strategy When Your Family Member Has A Special Need - Charterpoint Wealth Strategies
  Reduce stress — when you have peace of mind that your finances are in order, you can focus better on other issues at h and.
  To help you get organized and prepare for a time when you can no longer provide care for your family member with special needs — whether temporarily or permanently — be sure to consider completing a Letter of Intent. This document records personal, medical, educational and social information about your family member with special needs. Once you've documented this information, regular updating will help ensure that anyone providing care for your loved one will have the information they need to maintain quality of life, ultimately providing you peace of mind.
  Creating a financial strategy may seem overwhelming. You may not even know where to start. Your first step should be to connect with resources that can help you approach your finances in manageable parts, one step at a time to help you achieve your hopes and dreams. Key resources that can help in your decision-making process include family members, a Financial Professional with special needs experience, such as a Special Care Planner or ChSNC1, an attorney with special needs experience, an accountant, banker, social workers and advocates, and medical providers. Each of these individuals has something to contribute that will add to the financial strategy discussion.
  Once you've taken the first step and connected with a team to help with your plan, you might find that gaining momentum is easier than you imagined. Next steps may include making a family budget, juggling how money you save is distributed, or completing a health care proxy and living will. You may also find that tasks you think are more time consuming, such as writing your will — or even impossible, such as funding a special needs trust — may be less complicated and indeed attainable when you have the information and resources available. The important thing to remember is that you set the pace. Life can be hectic, so you should approach each step in the planning process when you're ready.