CRESCENDO NOTES Special Needs Financial Planning

Managing through the Lifestages while raising a child with Special Needs.

Back to School August is coming to an end. These lazy days of summer fade away with back to school shopping, preseason football and a garden full of zucchini!  It is time to transition back to a more scheduled routine, and the full work weeks while we wait for the next holiday which is over three months away!  Summer is a beautiful time in the state of Wisconsin, and it does seem to fly by.  I have been enjoying the extra time this season provides to spend with my kids, although I am ready for them to get back to school!  My youngest daughter Emily who has Down syndrome will be entering the 1 st Grade when she returns.  It is hard to imagine that this will be the case, but it’s true. In my mind, she is entering a grade where academics get serious. 4k and Kindergarten still had nap time, snack time, and play time, but 1 st Grade is a different story, at least in my mind. The transition is coming, and there is nothing I can do!

Life Transitions I can remember as if it was yesterday when we first received her post-natal diagnosis of Down syndrome . 24 hours after her birth, the Pediatrician delivered the diagnosis with me sitting in the hospital bed, my husband standing over me, and Emily in her bassinet. I can honestly say that I don’t remember much past the Doctor telling us that we needed to test her from Down syndrome. What I do recall, and my husband would agree is that one of our first thoughts upon processing what this shocking diagnosis would mean for us was that Emily would live with us for the rest of her life!   We went from the joy, excitement and celebration of having a newborn to picturing Emily at the age of 45 living with us into our retirement.   This thought has stuck in my mind these past six years, and as I have been serving my clients as a Financial Advisor, I have come to understand both personally and professionally that there needs to be a better way to understand and manage the life events, transitions, and milestones that occur in the life of a child with Special Needs.  Parents need help in knowing what to do for their child from a Financial Planning Perspective based on their age, current needs, and the upcoming transitions.

Special Needs Lifestage Planning At Crescendo, we have been using a Lifestage Timeline to assist our clients with Traditional Financial Planning.   Traditional meaning the “typical” milestones that occur in an individual, or family’s life, from birth to college, to marriage and retirement.   As parents of children with Special Needs, we know there are milestones, however they may be different, and they may take longer to achieve.   But, the crucial point here is that there are stages of transition that occur, and it’s much easier to think of planning within those stages instead of being overwhelmed with not knowing where to go next.  In the next few monthly newsletters I will be sharing more details of what should occur within the Lifestages. See the image below to view my S pecial Needs Lifestage Planning Timeline.

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UPCOMING PRESENTATION Please consider attending my presentation below to learn more about the Special Needs Planning Lifestages. No matter what age your child is, you will find valuable information to determine if you are doing the things you need to insure your child has a secure financial future. When: Thursday, October 12, 2017 @ 8 pm  What:   Special Needs Planning Through the Life stages           Who : Down Syndrome Association Of Wisconsin (DSAW) - Webinar        Click here to Register:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8940476875397454594

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