Achieving your future financial goals and objectives requires an intentional effort and commitment to planning.  Just as you have a blueprint when building a home, or a business plan for our business, we believe that it’s critical for everyone to have a financial blueprint.

There will be life events that will inevitably have a significant impact on your life: i.e. buying a home, getting married, having children, college, special or unexpected events, and retirement.  Having a financial blueprint will help prepare you for all that life has in store for you.

A comprehensive financial plan includes a focus on retirement, risk management, short and long-term investment management, tax reduction strategy, and estate planning considerations.

There was a time when retirement was viewed primarily as an ending. Today, retirement is often a new beginning. It can be a change in direction or just one of many stages you envision in fulfilling dreams, goals and aspirations. You may want to give back to your community, spend more time with family, focus on self-enrichment, travel the world, or embark on a career where the work matters more than the money.

Success in retirement–  as you define it — requires careful preparation that begins long before you retire.  At the core is a comprehensive financial plan encompassing all your financial needs, risks and options.  If you have started yet, or if you’re ready to reexamine your previous plans, there’s no time like the present to move forward.  

Do you know the answer to each of these questions?

• What portion of your retirement income is guaranteed for life?
• Are you aware how much money you need to retire?
• Are your long-term goals identifiable and quantifiable?
• Are your investments in line with those long-term goals?
• Are you familiar with your pension or 401(k) elections?
• Do you know the advantages of lump sum payouts vs. a stream of payments, and joint-survivor vs. single life distributions?

Whether you are currently working and planning for your retirement or are already retired, it is never too soon to begin addressing these issues. The Legacy Group can help.

Estate Planning is the process of identifying the most effective way to transfer your wealth to the next generation.  There are many unintended consequences that can result in a significant reduction of what is left for your family.  A common Misconception is that estate planning is something that is done only by very affluent people preparing for an orderly distribution of assets after death.  In actual practice, however, estate planning is an important part of life, including for those of modest means.

Are you aware of what would happen to your assets if you prematurely passed away today?  The greatest benefit may lie in knowing that your wishes will be respected.  Taking the necessary steps to name your heirs can relieve them of the unnecessary cost and stress of settling your estate.

Do you know the answer to each of these questions?

• What would happen to your assets if you were to pass away today?
• Does your will protect the assets you leave to your children from reckless spending, creditors, lawsuits and/or divorce?
• Are there any future heirs who have special needs which need to be planned for? (Not planning for heirs receiving government benefits may cause them to lose those benefits.)
• Is there a plan to pay estate taxes, which can be as high as 50% when considering both federal and state estate taxes? Is there sufficient liquidity to pay those taxes?

The Legacy Group will work with you to discover your goals and preferences, and then determines the best way to plan for life and death in relation to the passing of your assets.

Caring for a loved one with special needs requires special care. The Legacy Group has qualified representatives who are experts in and official planners of Mass Mutual’s SpecialCare program. SpecialCare^SM is a MassMutual program that provides access to information and resources to families with dependents of any age who have special needs.

The SpecialCare^SM program provides access to information from what you need to know in order to provide the best care to your loved one, to how to manage the needs of yourself and other family members. Our representatives will examine aspects that need to be considered in developing a life care plan that will help to provide the best future possible. Key areas that are addressed with our planning process include: 

• How to create financial security during uncertain times
• Strategies to protect the individual’s assets
• Special Needs Trusts
• Government Benefits
• Guardianship
• Future housing concerns.

The SpecialCare^SM program, is an innovative outreach initiative that provides access to information, specialists, and financial products and services that can help improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and other special needs and their families and caregivers.

Getting Started

By following a person-centered life care planning process, you can keep the person with a disability, or other special need, as the primary focus, and develop a life care plan that helps enable that person to obtain the best quality of life possible.

A life care plan is a coordinated program of social, medical, financial, and legal strategies for people with disabilities and their families. A life care plan continually changes to adapt to the needs of the individual throughout his or her life.

Special Needs Planning Process: An advisor who specializes in working with special needs issues will work with the person with a disability or other special need, their family members or caregiver, and their other advisors to help you:

• Understand the social, medical, and legal needs of the person with the disability or special need
• Review your financial picture
• Learn about options that make sense for your situation
• Ensure benefits such as Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income won’t inadvertently be jeopardized
• Maximize finances, and help maintain the lifestyle of the individual with special needs.

Here are some external website links to provide families with further information to support loved ones with special needs.

Links to Organizations

• Academy of Special Needs Planners
• Brain Injury Association of America
• Autism Speaks
• Easter Seals
• Autism Society of America
• National Down Syndrome Congress
• National Down Syndrome Society
• National Spinal Cord Injury Association
• Paralyzed Veterans of America
• Special Needs Alliance
• United Cerebral Palsy

Links to Services

• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• Individual Education Plan (IEP)
• Office of Special Education & Rehabilitation Services (OSERS)

Links to Educational Materials

• Exceptional Parent
• Family Care America
• For Caregivers, About Caregivers, By Caregivers