April 5, 2022

Financial Planning for Families with Special Needs Children with Gordon Homes

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Season 1

In every walk of life, planning is important. This is especially true for parents of special needs children. How can parents provide the best support to their children and make plans for their future?

In today’s episode, Tommy talks with Gordon Homes, Special Care Financial Planner & Financial Services Executive at WestPoint Financial Group.

As a Special Care Planner, Gordon helps families who have children or other dependents with special needs address the serious questions concerning their future well-being. He works together with parents or caregivers to help ensure lifelong care and quality of life. Gordon also assists families with a myriad of issues including understanding and accessing public benefits, preserving benefit eligibility through Special Needs Trusts, and Guardianship concerns.

Gordon talks with Tommy about why he is passionate about helping families with special needs children, what are the first steps a family should take when their child is diagnosed with special needs, and how guardianship can still be applied even after the child reaches the age of maturity.


Key Takeaways

  • [03:23] - Why Gordon is passionate about helping families with special needs children.
  • [06:06] - What motivated Gordon to move his practice into special needs.
  • [11:11] - The first steps a family should take when a child is diagnosed with special needs.
  • [15:24] - How the First Steps program works.
  • [18:54] - The complementary roles of the Medicaid Waiver program and Disability Medicaid.
  • [25:04] - How reaching the age of maturity impacts special needs planning.
  • [29:38] - How guardianship can be applied even after the child reaches the age of maturity.
  • [33:25] - Why guardianship is important, especially for mature, special-needs children.
  • [37:02] - What SSI is and why people are drawn to it.
  • [49:26] - Gordon's perspective on using science to solve problems.


Quotes

[06:13] - "Part of the motivation in moving my practice into special needs was I really felt ill-equipped as a parent. It was something new, different. So I thought it would be personally beneficial to surround myself on a daily basis with other parents whose journey struck a familiar chord and learn from them." - Gordon Homes

[20:18] - "I have to say that in the 23 years that I have focused on special needs, we have come so far. It's just so encouraging to see the support, the programs, and the opportunities that exist. The focus is on quality of life. Instead of simply caring for our special needs population, it's investing in them and helping them create or become all that they can be." - Gordon Homes

[33:25] - "The guardianship papers enable parents to continue parenting and to remain in charge of things that the then 18-year-old simply is not capable of or not ready to handle." - Gordon Homes


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