Suppose that you were headed towards a comfortable retirement, but wanted to provide something for your two children, one of whom happened to have autism. When the Orlandos first came to Grimaldi & Yeung they were particularly concerned about their younger child, a man in his early 20s. Although his autism was of the “high functioning” kind, he lived at home and relied on his parents for many things. In addition, their daughter had just gotten married and the Orlandos wanted to be sure that she had the freedom to raise her family. Although the Orlandos were in their 50s, they wanted to be prepared for any eventuality. We helped them:

• Inventory their assets, including home, investments, retirement accounts, bank accounts and insurance policies.
• Update their wills.
• Issue Advanced Directives to ensure that their wishes for their own lives were carried out.
• Set up a Special Needs Trust for their son.
• Prepare a Letter of Intent documenting their son’s needs and preferences.
• Develop a complete, flexible estate plan involving the whole family and the transfer of many of their assets into a revocable living trust.

The process of creating their family plan made the Orlandos an even closer family — and relieved a significant source of anxiety.