Financial planning for special-needs children

If you have a child with special needs, you are well-acquainted with IEPs, the individualized education plans that provide a customized approach to support their school experience.

But do you have an "FWY" plan in place?

That stands for "Future Without You" and is the focus of a free presentation by financial planning expert Jim Flanagan at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at the Easter Seals DuPage and Fox Valley, 830 S. Addison Ave., Villa Park.

The full name of the one-hour program encapsulates the important information that Flanagan will cover: "Assuring a Happy and Secure Life for Your Special Needs Child When You Are Gone."

Registration is encouraged. To register, contact Sharon Pike at (630) 282-2036 or spike@EasterSealsDFVR.org.

Among school-age children in the United States, about one in 20 has a special need of some kind, such as Down syndrome, autism, learning disabilities, or hearing, speech or language impairments, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

In more than 20 years working with a wide spectrum of people, Flanagan has helped many families prepare for the time when they are no longer around to care for a loved one with special needs.

"Nobody enjoys thinking about, let alone planning for, their deaths, but it's an especially important step for those caring for loved ones with extraordinary needs," Flanagan said. "Those situations, and the challenges that go with them in even the best of circumstances, require additional levels of diligence and forethought."

In his presentation, Flanagan will lead attendees through a series of questions that help them to envision the best possible future for their children, as well as to formulate a plan to turn that vision into a reality. Those questions include: Who will be with their children? What are their children doing? Where are they living? How did they get to that point?

Other topics to be covered include special needs trusts and the basics of estate planning, such as pour-over wills, HIPAA releases, bequeaths of certain gifts, and a "love letter" that serves as an instruction manual for their children.

A lifelong resident of River Forest, Flanagan is the founder of Bentron Financial Group, based in Naperville. He has been advising people at or near retirement age for more than 20 years.

In 2005, Flanagan joined the Oak Park/River Forest Township Senior Services Committee and he has served as chairman since 2008. In 2010, he founded the Celebrating Seniors Coalition, a not-for-profit organization that, among other services, helps seniors with emergency needs and raises public awareness of issues affecting seniors in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park.

For information, visit celebratingseniors.net. Bentron Financial Group is online at bentron.com.