Financial Planning For Neurodiverse Families
We work with families on financial planning, and we say that knowing full well exactly what financial planning for a family’s future entails. Raising a family is not an easy task, and it’s often a chaotic and overwhelming one, sometimes even as chaotic as it is rewarding. As neurodiverse individuals with various disabilities ourselves (including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and learning disabilities to name a few) some of whom are currently raising our own families, we get it. We’ve worked closely with the intellectually disabled, neurodiverse, special needs, and autistic communities and we’ve learned from others' experiences as well as our own. We bring everything we’ve learned to the work we do. We know what it takes to succeed in this world as disabled people and we know how to set them up for success in a way that makes their loved ones confident about their future. Everything from prioritizing mental health support, to setting up support systems after someone who is currently making the decisions passes away, to providing support through each stage of life, even those unique to disabled individuals, we get it and we deeply understand its importance. We understand your priorities and we understand you.
It doesn’t help that there are simply too many unnecessary barriers and stressors that make raising a family these days unnecessarily difficult. These can become increasingly overwhelming as you or a loved one carve out their own unique path in the world which may not fit society's expectations. As certified neurodiverse financial planners with families of our own, we are painfully aware of how financial decisions can fall by the wayside, especially with distractions in the form of everything from getting ready for school to figuring out assisted living arrangements after graduating college. We’ve routinely worked with adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities who are entering a new stage in their life and want to be excited about it but are worried by all of the financial aspects they don’t understand. Through working together, we have been able to help them address and understand financial issues before they became a problem. The happiest times in your life should not also be the most stressful, but we all know finances can get in the way of that. When families typically talk to us, they don’t know what they need. But they know they could be getting more from their current situations. More for their families, and more for their family’s future. And they’re right.
The Important Moments Are When We Can Help the Neurodiverse Family Most
During moments of serious transition in one’s life, such as finding new living arrangements, applying to college, acquiring consistent mental health support, or applying for new benefits, financial decisions can become overwhelming simply because there are just so many decisions to be made. And it is true that they are all important. In fact, we know how each of these decisions can make your life a little easier and leave a little more room for the exciting moments of neurodiverse progress and development. We will work with you to help your family take advantage of every opportunity at your door. Then we’ll go further than that and develop a deeper understanding of your finances and circumstances so that we can find every possible opportunity out there. The important thing is to give you the ease to enjoy those important moments while also feeling confident about the future despite the unexpected turns it can take.
This is Long Term Neurodiverse Financial Planning!
We at Planning Across the Spectrum want to work with families long-term because we know that’s the only way to effectively financially plan for families. The big moments in your family’s life run the spectrum from eagerly anticipated, such as acquiring a driver’s license or living independently for the first time, to completely unexpected, such as a new issue at school or a sudden medical expense. You cannot plan for every eventuality, but we like to think we come close because we’ve seen it all. And we’ve lived through most of it. We have answers to questions that you don’t even realize you have to ask. Questions such as how to set a child or loved one up with housing that is paid for throughout their entire life, so they can focus on living their best life as an individual with autism, down syndrome, or high support needs for any reason. We will help you find the real issues that are causing you stress with your current financial circumstances and work with you to understand them and eliminate them.
Neurodiverse families go through so many financial changes as they grow and shift and become led by younger generations, and there is always something slipping through the cracks that are causing hardship. This becomes even more true when a disabled child or adult is involved who consistently requires specific or ever-changing services. At Planning Across the Spectrum, we have the certified financial planning expertise necessary to sit down with a family and find all the ways that they could be saving money or getting more bang for their buck. You have enough to worry about, and even more to be excited about as you and your family grow. We will keep track of the financial decisions that need to be made in order to continue towards the future your family wants. As financial planners, we know you’re in it for the long haul, so we are too.
Financial Planning & Investing In Your Future
Our certified neurodiverse financial planning consultants will help you prepare for the moments when you need financial leeway, by taking advantage of the opportunities in your family’s lives. As we get to know our clients, we get to be there for each stage of their life, and we get to help them put the pieces together on how one stage leads to the next. The first time a neurodiverse individual qualifies to receive benefits or finds a stable and well-paying job is an important and proud moment, but it’s also an opportunity, and if truly made the most of through the kind of expertise and experience we have, it can prepare them for the next stages of their lives. This can help them take advantage of opportunities to receive important services such as job coaching and access to transitional programs, as well as opportunities to receive aid for housing or medical expenses.
We are investors as well as certified financial planners, and we know how much smart investing can do to help a family, especially as they go through periods of high expenses due to unique educational, recreational, or medical services. These costs can be very high and can sometimes skyrocket unexpectedly, the cost of care for your family is never completely stable. Through effective investing, we not only help the families we work with feel ready for the future, but we help them prepare for futures beyond what they can plan for. Investing is a beautiful concept in our opinion. It speaks to making smart decisions, but also putting your money where your values are with your goals in mind, and if done right, it builds upon itself and helps build a better future for the investors.
Investing in Each Other
We at Planning Across the Spectrum want to invest in you as much as you invest in us. The closer our certified neurodiversity financial planners work together with you the more effectively we understand your family’s goals and hopes for the future, and the more effectively we can both grow through making smart decisions built on trust and understanding. Your family is going to grow, and we want to be there to help it happen. Let’s grow together, let’s invest in each other’s future.