Planning for your child with special needs’ future is easier when you plan ahead. That is why I have partnered with ABLEnow® to share how an ABLEnow account lets you save money without jeopardizing your child’s eligibility for disability benefits. And, to tell you it makes the perfect holiday gift for a child with special needs!
Financial planning for a child with special needs
As parents, we want to plan for our children’s future and ensure that we set them up for success. When it comes to planning for the future of a child with special needs we run into an additional set of challenges.
My daughter is on the autism spectrum. She also has a motor processing disorder that makes it hard for her to do basic things. When I think about setting her up to be successful in the future, I have to consider a lot more than her education. I want to make sure that she has the support and the resources she needs to lead an independent and fulfilling life as an adult.
Ariane is 14 and next year she will be starting high school. And like any parent of a teenager, our focus now is on preparing her for life as an adult. She has big dreams. She loves animals, loves horseback riding and she wants to be a veterinary assistant when she grows up.
As the end of her school years is rapidly approaching, we are faced with new challenges and concerns. Will she be attending college or a vocational school? What post-secondary education programs are available for her? What are her job options? And most importantly how will we fund her education and ensure she has the financial means to lead an independent life?
That is why it’s so important for us to create a savings account for her. She will need money to pay for therapies, education, assistive technology and supports to be able to live independently. The best savings accounts do not charge monthly maintenance fees.
Until recently opening a regular savings account under her name could disqualify her for certain disability benefits like SSI. That is why I’m so excited to share the ABLEnow program. Thanks to the ABLE Act, I can save for my daughter’s future without endangering her eligibility for disability benefits.
And before Dec. 15, 2019, you can visit ABLEnow and enter for a chance to win a $1,000 contribution to an ABLEnow account!
What is the ABLE Act?
People with disabilities could not save for the future out of fear of losing their public benefits for far too long. Advocates fought hard to change this, and in 2014 they were successful – the federal ABLE Act was the result.
The ABLE act authorized states to establish tax-advantage savings programs for kids and adults with disabilities. Thanks to the ABLE Act, parents, guardians and caregivers of people with special needs can now help save for the future without jeopardizing their eligibility for disability benefits.
What is an ABLEnow savings account?
An ABLEnow account lets you save tax-free while maintaining eligibility for most public benefits. ABLEnow accounts can pay for a variety of qualified disability expenses related to maintaining health, independence and quality of life. It provides a greater sense of financial independence and a reliable tool to build the best life possible.
Thanks to ABLEnow, parents of children with special needs and adults with disabilities can save like never before. ABLEnow accounts are available to eligible individuals in all 50 states. Millions of Americans are eligible to open an ABLE account, but many people don’t know about it. That is why it’s so important to get the word out so that all eligible individuals can take advantage of this! Open and manage your ABLEnow account online at able-now.com.
I just recently learned about ABLEnow accounts and opened one for my daughter. Having an ABLEnow account for my daughter gives me so much peace of mind. Now I know that my daughter will have access to funds to cover all of those additional expenses that may arise. The funds in her ABLEnow account can be used for education, assistive technology, healthcare costs not covered by insurance, as well as future expenses related to her independent living.
Opening my daughter’s ABLEnow account was so easy. You can find out if you or your child is eligible at able-now.com.
The perfect gift for a child with special needs: investing in her future
I love that it’s easy for friends and family to contribute to my daughter’s ABLEnow savings account. And my family is very excited to have an easy way to make a positive impact and to make her future dreams come true. ABLEnow account contributions are the perfect holiday or birthday gift!
With a contribution to an ABLEnow account, family and friends can provide financial assistance without endangering an account owner’s eligibility for certain disability benefits.
This is a sponsored post in partnership with ABLEnow. However, all opinions are my own.
Paula studied architecture and now makes a living as a freelance writer,traveler and amateur photographer.She started her writing & publishing career as the editor of Bebé y Mamá, the first parenting magazine in Guatemala.She is the founder of www.GrowingUpBilingual.com and www.365thingsswfl.com and writes articles in Spanish and English for both magazines and the web on travel,food and bicultural and bilingual parenting .
When she is not on a plane or road trip she likes to create recipes inspired in the flavors of her native Guatemala.
- Guatemalan Dulce de Chilacayote Recipe (Crystalized Chilacayote Candy) - February 26, 2024
- Guatemalan Naranjas en Miel Recipe (Candied Oranges Recipe) - February 25, 2024
- Traditional Guatemalan Candy - February 25, 2024
I love this! I’ll keep it in mind for my son, who has autism. I always want to be sure he has money, especially when I”m gone.
This is something that I need for my boys. I want them to be able to go to college
This is awesome! How frustrating that having a savings account penalizes special needs children. But how awesome that ABLEnow can work around that. My special needs grandson will never be able to go to school, but he certainly can use the other benefits allowed by ABLEnow. I will pass this on to my daughter. Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing this valuable information with us. This is bound to help parents or guardians in a similar situation.
I don’t have a child, but I think it’s really important to think of our children’s future. No matter whether they’ve got special needs or not. 🙂
What an important topic for the parents of special needs children. We need to prepare for the future for all of us.
This was a beautiful post and I hope this helps other families with special needs children. My brother is autistic and 32 and times have evolved more to accommodate more children with learning disabilities.
This is an important topic today to get the information out for public knowledge. Thank you for this post.