Special Needs Planning
Planning that protects the people who will always be loved first.
When a child or family member has a disability, planning becomes an act of love that has to reach far into the future. Sheri builds quiet, durable plans designed to protect care, benefits, and stability, for as long as your loved one needs them.
(401) 600-0146·No pressure. No paperwork to bring. Just a first conversation.
What families often feel
Most special-needs families carry the same quiet questions.
They aren’t legal questions, at least not at first. They’re the questions every parent and sibling holds when planning a future they may not be there to see.
“Who will love and look after them when we no longer can?”
“How do we leave something behind without putting their benefits at risk?”
“How do we make sure their daily life stays stable and familiar?”
“How do we share this responsibility fairly with their siblings?”
“We've been told to plan — but no one has ever explained how.”
“We want a plan that protects them gently, not just legally.”
You don’t have to have answers before the first conversation. That’s what the conversation is for.
A plan built around your loved one
What a thoughtful special needs plan looks like.
Every plan is shaped around the specific person being protected: their needs today, the supports they may need decades from now, and the benefits that quietly hold their life together. Sheri designs each piece with that whole picture in mind.
Special Needs Trusts (SNTs)
Carefully drafted trusts that hold resources for your loved one without disrupting eligibility for SSI, Medicaid, and other essential benefits.
Third-Party & First-Party trust planning
Whether the funds come from parents, grandparents, an inheritance, or a settlement, Sheri builds the right type of trust around the source and your goals.
Letters of intent
A written, deeply personal guide that captures your loved one's routines, preferences, supports, and what brings them comfort — so future caregivers truly know them.
Choosing trustees and care coordinators
Thoughtful guidance on who manages funds, who oversees care, and how to share the responsibility across family members or with a professional trustee.
Guardianship & supported decision-making
Thoughtful guidance on the right legal framework once a child with disabilities reaches adulthood — with as much independence and dignity as possible.
Coordinating with your full estate plan
Aligning wills, beneficiary designations, retirement accounts, and life insurance so nothing accidentally flows directly to your loved one and unsettles their benefits.
How Sheri helps special-needs families
Quiet, careful planning — for a lifetime, not a paperwork moment.
Special needs planning is one of the most emotionally weighted areas of law. Sheri approaches it the way families wish more professionals would approach it: with patience, plain language, and a long-term view.
She listens to the whole person, not just the diagnosis.
Before any document, Sheri wants to understand who your loved one is — what helps them thrive, who already supports them, and what your family's vision for their future looks like.
She protects benefits without sacrificing care.
The wrong inheritance or gift can quietly cost a family essential public benefits. Sheri designs structures that preserve eligibility while still providing meaningfully for quality of life.
She helps families share the responsibility.
Siblings, grandparents, and extended family often want to help and aren't sure how. Sheri brings clarity to roles, expectations, and how everyone can contribute over time.
She stays available as life changes.
Benefits change. Rules change. Your loved one's needs evolve. Sheri remains a familiar voice your family can call — not someone you have to start over with each time.
How planning unfolds
Three unhurried steps, at the pace your family needs.
Most families have lived with these worries for years before reaching out. The first step is not paperwork. It is simply being heard.
A first, gentle conversation
No documents to bring. We talk about your loved one, what already works, and what's keeping you up at night.
Map the supports & resources
Together we look at current benefits, family resources, who's involved in care, and what the long arc of support might look like.
Build the plan, gently
Sheri drafts a plan in plain language, walks through every piece with you, and adjusts until it truly fits your family's life.
For years we carried this worry quietly. Sheri was the first person who took the time to understand our son before talking about any documents. We finally feel like he’s protected — and so are we.
Special needs trust & long-term planning
Educational resource
A Family Guide to Special Needs Planning
A plain-language overview Sheri shares with families before their first meeting — what to think about, what benefits are at stake, and the gentle questions that help every plan start in the right place.
- How SSI and Medicaid eligibility actually work — in plain terms
- Why direct inheritances can quietly do harm — and how to prevent it
- The difference between first-party and third-party special needs trusts
- How to choose trustees, successor trustees, and care advocates
- What a letter of intent should include — and why it matters so much
- How siblings can be involved without carrying it all alone
Common questions families ask
Honest answers, in plain language.
When you’re ready
Quiet planning, for the people you’ll always worry about.
Sheri will listen first, take the time to understand your loved one, and help your family build a plan that protects them well beyond your lifetime, with no pressure and no obligation.
Unhurried. Always confidential.