Protect Your Child's Future.
Preserve Lifetime Dignity & Care.
Caring for a dependent with physical, developmental, or intellectual disabilities requires specialized fiduciary planning. Serving families across Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Lone Tree, and Douglas County, we design Third-Party Special Needs Trusts, optimize Colorado ABLE accounts, and protect essential Medicaid HCBS and SSI benefits so your child's quality of life is never left to chance.
Four Disciplines for Lifetime Care & Benefit Protection
Holistic estate coordination, government waiver alignment, and liquidity architecture for Colorado families.
Third-Party Special Needs Trusts (SNT)
A Third-Party SNT is the core legal vehicle for receiving family gifts, parental wills, and survivorship life insurance proceeds. Because the assets never legally belong to the individual with a disability, there is zero Medicaid payback required upon their death, allowing remaining assets to pass to siblings.
Colorado ABLE Account Architecture
Colorado ABLE accounts allow qualifying individuals to save and invest up to statutory annual contribution limits tax-free without counting toward the punitive $2,000 SSI/Medicaid resource ceiling. We coordinate ABLE accounts with trust distributions to empower personal financial autonomy.
Medicaid HCBS & SSI Preservation
Colorado’s Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers and SSI provide irreplaceable medical coverage, therapy, and residential support. Even an accidental $2,001 direct inheritance can trigger immediate benefit termination. We construct beneficiary designations to eliminate eligibility forfeiture.
Letter of Intent (LOI) & Trustee Succession
While trusts handle finances, a Letter of Intent conveys your personal wisdom to future guardians: medical history, routines, behavioral triggers, food preferences, and spiritual values. We guide families through trustee selection and operational transition roadmaps.
Special Needs Trust Lifetime Care
& Funding Gap Simulator
Model your dependent's monthly care needs, government assistance offsets, and required life insurance trust funding. Compare a protected Third-Party SNT against an unprotected direct inheritance that triggers Medicaid disqualification.
With total transition capital of $900,000 ($150,000 reserves + $750,000 survivorship life insurance), your trust produces approximately $46,800/yr in conservative return (5.2%). This fully covers the $2,050/mo ($24,600/yr) supplemental care gap while preserving essential Medicaid HCBS waivers and SSI eligibility indefinitely.
Connecting Families With Local Colorado Support
Financial planning works in tandem with state and county community centered boards, transition programs, and pediatric healthcare networks.
Developmental Pathways (CCB)
Serving Douglas and Arapahoe County residents, Developmental Pathways is the Community Centered Board (CCB) coordinating Medicaid HCBS waivers (CES, SLS, DD), early intervention, and family support service programs (FSSP).
Douglas County School District (DCSD)
For young adults aged 18–21 transitioning out of Highlands Ranch, Mountain Vista, Rock Canyon, and ThunderRidge high schools, DCSD’s Bridge program provides vital vocational training, community navigation, and independent life skills.
Children’s Hospital South Campus
Located on Plaza Drive in Highlands Ranch, Children's Hospital South Campus provides world-class pediatric therapy, developmental pediatricians, neurology, and specialized clinics supporting Douglas County families.
Frequently Asked Questions for Families
Clear fiduciary answers on Special Needs Trusts, Colorado ABLE, and benefit preservation.
How does a Colorado ABLE account complement a Special Needs Trust in 2026?
Colorado ABLE accounts allow individuals with qualifying disabilities to save up to statutory annual limits ($20,000 in 2026, plus additional earned income under ABLE to Work) without jeopardizing SSI or Medicaid eligibility. Up to $100,000 held in an ABLE account is completely excluded from the strict $2,000 SSI resource limit. While an SNT holds larger long-term investments, real estate, and life insurance proceeds managed by a trustee, an ABLE account provides immediate, tax-free spending autonomy for everyday disability expenses (housing, transportation, assistive technology, and healthcare).
What is a 530A Trump Account and how does the Age 17 ABLE rollover protect my child's benefits?
Section 530A "Trump Accounts" are tax-deferred savings accounts created under federal law to give children a long-term financial head start, featuring a $1,000 U.S. Treasury seed contribution for eligible newborns (born 2025–2028) and allowing up to $5,000/year in family and employer contributions. While the Social Security Administration excludes 530A funds from resource counting during childhood, the account converts to a traditional IRA at age 18. At that point, the balance becomes a countable resource that can push young adults over the $2,000 SSI limit and eliminate Medicaid HCBS waivers. The Crucial Window: During the calendar year your child turns 17, the law permits a direct, tax-free rollover of the entire 530A balance into an ABLE account. This qualified rollover does not count against the annual $20,000 ABLE contribution cap and protects the funds from SSI disqualification.
How can direct family inheritances accidentally disqualify a child from SSI and Medicaid?
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid have a strict $2,000 countable liquid asset threshold. If a well-meaning grandparent, aunt, or parent leaves even $5,000 directly to the individual, public benefits and HCBS waivers are immediately terminated until the funds are exhausted. Directing all family bequests into a Third-Party SNT protects eligibility permanently.
What is a Letter of Intent (LOI) and why is it essential?
A Letter of Intent is a non-legal guiding document written by parents that provides successor trustees, guardians, and caregivers with intimate, day-to-day knowledge about your child: daily routines, medical providers, behavioral triggers, dietary needs, friendships, and long-term hopes. It acts as the operational roadmap when parents are no longer able to provide direct oversight.
Build a Lifetime Blueprint for Your Child's Security
Schedule a confidential special needs planning consultation with principal wealth advisor Thomas Little, CFP®. Serving Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Lone Tree, and greater Douglas County.