Did you know that one in four adults in the U.S. have a disability?[1] As the numbers and needs of disabled Americans continues to grow, so does the need for expert advisory services in the area of special needs care.
As a caregiver to someone with special needs, there can be many issues for you to consider that may be outside of your comfort zone. These might include planning for and providing sufficient financial support, setting up special-needs trusts, establishing long-term care, understanding government and health benefits as well as disability law, and many other issues.
For these reasons, you may want to consider the benefits of hiring a Chartered Special Needs Consultant® when looking for a financial advisor that can assist you with the specialized needs of a loved one with a disability.
More About the ChSNC® Designation
Some financial advisors may claim to be experts in helping those with disabilities, but only those that carry the Chartered Special Needs Consultant® designation have been specifically educated and vetted in a standardized way to ensure their proper qualifications for this unique area of financial planning.
The American College of Financial Services, which has been sponsoring a variety of financial services education and training programs since 1927, is the sponsor of the Chartered Special Needs Consultant® designation. The College requires certain educational standards in order to earn the ChSNC® designation. Among them, the ChSNC® candidate must have at least five years of professional experience in a financial services or law practice, or have an undergraduate degree and four years of professional experience.
The ChSNC® education program is a three-course curriculum that trains advisors in the subject matters most pertinent to those with disabilities, including:
- Disability law
- Life insurance
- Healthcare issues
- Special needs trusts
- The ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) Act
- Government benefits
- Social Security
- Medicaid complexities
- Special education
- Estate planning
- Retirement planning
- Tax deductions
Importantly, ChSNC® holders must adhere to The American College of Financial Services Code of Ethics. To comply, holders need to regularly complete the College’s Professional Recertification Program, which includes an annual ethics questionnaire, a bi-annual continuing education requirement, and a recertification fee.
You can verify whether your advisor has the ChSNC® designation on the American College’s website.
A ChSNC® Designation Has Its Benefits
You may have family members with special needs that require a particular financial expertise. An advisor with a Chartered Special Needs Consultant® or ChSNC® designation can be a critical resource to you, providing strategies and insights to help make your lives easier and more cost-efficient.
About Us: Modera Wealth Management can support you with financial advisors holding the ChSNC® designation. Our Modera team includes a variety of specialists who are expertly versed in the needs of those with disabilities.
Modera is proudly a fee-only and independently owned financial planning firm that acts as a fiduciary for our clients. We have built our organization to put our clients’ interests first.
Call Modera and our Atlanta financial advisors to learn more and set up an initial meeting with our team.
Modera Wealth Management, LLC (“Modera”) is an SEC-registered investment advisor with places of business in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Modera may only transact business in those states in which it is registered or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration requirements. SEC registration does not imply any level of skill or training. For information pertaining to our registration status, fees and services, please contact us or refer to the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure web site (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov) to obtain a copy of our disclosure statement set forth in Form ADV Part 2A. Please read the disclosure statement carefully before you invest or send money.
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