Compassionate, Clear Guidance for Families Navigating Complex Needs
Caring for a loved one with disabilities brings unique responsibilities, and planning ahead is one of the most important things you can do. You may be juggling medical appointments, caregiving duties, and daily life, making it hard to focus on long-term financial planning. But you don’t have to do it alone.
At Mercer Advisors, we’ll help you prioritize what matters most, understand what can wait, and build a plan that gives you confidence so that you can focus on what truly matters: your loved one’s well-being.
Why Wealth Management for Dependents with Special Needs Matters
Planning for a loved one with special needs requires a thoughtful, lifelong approach. From preserving eligibility for essential benefits like SSI and Medicaid, to properly funding and maintaining special needs trusts, every decision carries long-term implications.
As your family navigates transitions such as guardianship, adulthood, or changes in care, a customized wealth plan from a fiduciary special needs advisor can provide clarity, continuity, and reassurance. We’re here to help you build a future that protects your loved one’s dignity, independence, and security.
How Mercer Advisors Supports Families with Dependents with Special Needs
When you’re caring for someone with special needs, the weight of financial decisions can feel overwhelming, especially when every choice impacts their future well-being. You want to do what’s best, but the path isn’t always clear.
At Mercer Advisors, we walk beside you with compassion and clarity. Whether you’re just starting to plan or navigating complex transitions, we provide specialized guidance tailored to your family’s unique journey, so you can move forward with confidence, knowing you’re not alone.
Key Milestones We Support:
- Getting Started: We help you make sense of what’s urgent and what can wait. Our team works with you to prioritize financial tasks, identify what can be delegated, and offer a clear, supportive path forward.
- Transition to Adulthood: We guide families through critical transitions like SSI eligibility, Medicaid enrollment, and establishing guardianship. We also connect you with trusted professionals to support legal and care decisions.
- Planning for Aging Caregivers: As parents age, planning becomes more complex. We help you build a retirement and estate plan that includes your dependent’s lifelong needs, helping ensure continuity of care, housing, and financial security.
Specialized Services Include:
- Financial planning for special needs diagnoses
- Special needs trust planning
- ABLE account coordination
- Tax-smart strategies for funding and maintaining trusts
- Estate planning and legacy documentation support
- Investment management to support long-term needs
- Benefit eligibility strategies monitoring
- Continuity of care planning
Mercer Advisors is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice to clients. All estate planning document preparation and other legal advice is provided through select third parties unaffiliated to Mercer Advisors.
Tax preparation and tax filing are a separate fee from our investment management and planning services.
What You Can Expect from Our Advisors
Supporting a dependent with special needs requires partnership, compassion, and expertise. That’s where we come in.
Compassionate Planning
Guidance that balances care, compassion, and expertise.Team Collaboration
Coordination with any your loved one’s team: doctors, caregivers, attorneys, and more.Trusted Family Experience
Experience with families navigating similar challenges.Plans That Evolve With You
Flexible plans that adapt as your needs change.Build a plan that supports your family – now & long into the future.
Get Started →Solutions Supporting Your Broader Financial Picture
Planning for a loved one with special needs doesn’t happen in isolation. That’s why we take a comprehensive approach—connecting your trust planning, tax strategy, and overall financial health. Our goal is to make sure every piece of your plan works in harmony to help protect your loved one’s future.
FAQs About Special Needs Financial Planning
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To set up a special needs trust, consult an estate planning attorney experienced in disability law to draft a trust document that complies with federal and state regulations. You’ll need to choose a trustee, decide on the type of trust (first-party or third-party), and fund it with appropriate assets.
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Special needs trusts are typically taxed as either grantor or non-grantor trusts, depending on how they are structured. Income retained in the trust may be taxed at higher trust tax rates, while distributions used for the beneficiary’s benefit may shift the tax burden to the beneficiary, often at a lower rate.
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A special needs trust can hold unlimited funds and be used for a wide range of expenses without affecting eligibility for government benefits. An ABLE account, on the other hand, has annual contribution limits and is only available to individuals whose disability began before age 26, but it offers tax-free growth for qualified expenses. Learn more: ABLE Accounts vs. Special Needs Trusts: Which Do You Need?
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Yes, if not properly structured, a trust can disqualify a beneficiary from receiving SSI or Medicaid. However, a correctly drafted special needs trust is designed to supplement, not replace, government benefits, preserving eligibility while providing additional support.
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The trustee should be someone trustworthy, financially responsible, and knowledgeable about government benefit rules. This could be a family member, a professional trustee, or a nonprofit organization. It’s crucial they understand how to manage the trust without jeopardizing the beneficiary’s public benefits.
Your Special Needs Planning Checklist
Key moves to make now:
