Product Description

The forms and information you need for peace of mind...

If you care for a child or other loved one with a disability, you've no doubt thought about what will happen when you're no longer able to give that care. Fortunately, there's a simple solution to this dilemma -- create a "special needs trust."

Special Needs Trusts shows you how to leave any amount of money to your disabled loved one, without jeopardizing government benefits. It provides plain-English information and forms that let you create a special needs trust by modifying your will or living trust document.

Funds in a special needs trust can make a big difference in quality of life by paying for:

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #538348 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Review
"Does a good job of explaining what a special needs trust can do to protect the benefits of a person with disabilities.... Even if after reading the book you feel you need a lawyer, you will have the knowledge to approach the subject." -- Support for Families of Children With Disabilities Newsletter

About the Author
Stephen R. Elias is an attorney and former associate publisher at Nolo, as well as current President of National Bankruptcy Law Project. He is the author of many Nolo books, most recently The New Bankruptcy: Will It Work for You? Other titles include Special Needs Trusts: Protect Your Child's Financial Future, How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, and Legal Research: How to Find and Understand the Law. He is also one of the original authors/designers of Nolo's bestselling WillMaker software. Steve holds a law degree from Hastings College of Law and was a practicing attorney in California, New York and Vermont before joining Nolo in 1980. He has been featured in such major media as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Good Morning America, 20/20, Money magazine, and more.

Customer Reviews

Valuable Reference for Planning a Special Needs Trust
This book is designed to help readers set up their own special needs trust without an attorney--and you could do that with the resources provided, but I expect most readers will prefer to use a professional to establish an estate plan with the special needs trust as an important element. Whether or not you plan to use an attorney, however, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone considering a special needs trust.

I have attended seminars on Special Needs Trusts, and my wife and I have had an initial meeting with an attorney to set up a trust for our disabled daughter. As a result, I came to this book with a well-developed idea of what could be accomplished with Special Needs Trust. Still, I learned a great deal from this book. There were several issues related to handling of assets within the trust and the management of housing expenses that became much clearer to me after reading this book.

Reading this book helped form important questions that we will be exploring with our attorney, and helps us understand in greater depth what she will be doing for us. In this way, this book is helping us maximize the value we get from our attorney's services.

Very basic guide
I bought this book hoping to find some guidance on establishing a Special Needs Trust. It is very basic and most of the information can easily be found on the internet. The Special Needs Trust Administration Manual is a much better reference.

Special Needs trusts guidance
I have already set up a special needs trust using a lawyer, but I wanted to read more on these types of trusts. I would say this is a valuable resource for subsequent or co-trustees. It contains some information about the practical aspects of setting up, and administering trusts for those who are not professionals.