Legal & Financial Planning for Those With Special Needs

Description

Planning for Special Needs: Legal and Financial Steps Caregivers Can Take in Providing for Those With Disabilities Wednesday, March 25, 2015 6:30 ? 8:30 p.m., Sorensen Student Center, 206B Utah Valley University, 800 West University Parkway, Orem Free seminar Light snack provided ? Do you worry about how a certain child, sibling, parent or other person in your life will be provided for if something happens to you? ? Are you worried that if you bequeath funds to such a person it will compromise his or her federal benefits? ? Do you wonder who will make decisions for the welfare of this family member if you are not available? The term ?special needs? covers a staggering range of disabilities for people from infancy all the way through advanced age. It includes conditions as disparate as severe cognitive impairment (e.g., autism, Alzheimer?s disease) and serious, life-changing physical impairment (e.g., combat injuries). Caregivers for those with special needs often have to deal with financial, legal, emotional and physical challenges and uncertainties not commonly shared by others. In this workshop the presenters provide a checklist and blueprint of important steps to take, explain the federal benefits available and how to preserve them, describe legal tools such as trusts that benefit individuals with special needs specifically, and outline in general the options available for individuals and families dealing with these important issues. Registration is required ? but attendance is free. It is suggested that you register early by contacting Vicky at 801-863-5426 or Vicky.Hopper@uvu.edu to reserve your seat. A light snack will be provided. This educational opportunity is brought to you by the Utah Valley University Foundation Gift Planning Department. Visit us at www.uvgift.org. All seminars are strictly educational and do not promote any products or companies. There will be a brief intermission for snacks. Parking by the UVU Library and Wellness building is free. The Sorensen Center parking garage is $1 per hour. John Unice CFP?, CWC John is a principal, co-founder, and senior partner of Keeler Thomas. He has been educating and working with the public in the financial and estate-planning industry for over 30 years. He has spearheaded the formation of the firm?s current emphasis on providing customized financial services and multi-generational wealth planning for families. His involvement with special needs spans decades and includes working with client families and volunteer programs as well as within his own family. John has taught all of these principles over the years to participants across the United States. John currently serves as a volunteer in a number of organizations. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Utah National Parks Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the I Care Foundation and as a member of the Advisory Board for the College of Science at Utah Valley University. Within Keeler Thomas he serves as chair of the Investment Advisory Committee. He earned a bachelor?s degree in economics from Brigham Young University. He is a certified financial planner; holds Series 7, 63, and 24 securities registrations; and is a registered securities principal. Bill O. Heder, esq. Bill is a founding partner in MHM, having joined with his law school classmate, Paul MacArthur, in 2003. He graduated from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University in 1998, where he received the Utah State Bar Foundation?s Student Professional Responsibility Award. Bill?s thesis on Search and Seizure in Public Schools was published in the BYU Education and Law Journal. Bill is a former Vice President and Board Member for the Utah Valley Estate Planning Council and a founding board member for the Mountainland Foundation, which raises money for programs benefitting the elderly in Utah and Wasatch Counties. His practice includes elder law, estate planning, probate and adoption, and he is a court-certified mediator focusing on elder care, probate and estate dispute resolution. In his work with the elderly and disabled, Bill has drafted and helped advise the administration of special-needs trusts in many different family circumstances and has presented on the subject to various audiences throughout the state. Jessica M. Tyler, Associate Attorney Jessica joined MacArthur, Heder & Metler in 2013 as an Associate Attorney working directly with Bill O. Heder, one of the founding Partners of MHM. She attended the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Education & Law Journal and as Secretary of the Family Law Society. Prior to joining MHM, Jessica worked as a law clerk for the BYU Office of the General Counsel. Her practice focuses on Elder Law issues, including Estate Planning and Guardianship, as well as Probate administration. In her work with the elderly and disabled, Jessica has drafted and helped advise the administration of special-needs trusts in many different family circumstances. Jessica is also passionate about Adoption Law, and is proud to be a part of MHM's active adoption practice.