Bonnet sets up your child's special needs trust, will and guardian plan in about an hour, online, for one flat price. A notary comes to your home.
For parents of a child with a lifelong disability, at any age.
If the answer is your child, their benefits could be at risk. Three quick questions tell you where your family stands.
It sounds backwards, but it is how the rules work. SSI and Medicaid are only for people with almost nothing in their name. An inheritance, a life insurance payout or a grandparent's gift left to your child directly can end both.
A special needs trust fixes this. The money sits in the trust, your child keeps their benefits, and the person you choose spends it on the life you want for them.
The most an adult on SSI can hold in their own name.
of parents of a child with a disability have a plan in place.
Eight documents, written for your state, drafted from your answers. Plus the forms that make them work.
About 45 minutes, in plain English. Stop and come back whenever you need to.
Each one explained in a page or less. Change an answer and the documents update.
A notary comes to your home with two witnesses. Or use your own.
Send the pre-filled beneficiary forms. We chase each one until it is confirmed.
Pay once. Nothing is charged until your documents are ready to sign.
All eight documents plus your beneficiary forms. You arrange your own notary and two witnesses.
Everything, plus a notary who comes to your home with two witnesses, anywhere in the country.
An attorney licensed in your state reviews your finished documents and answers your questions on a 30-minute call.
Keep it current for $99 a year: secure storage, reminders when the rules change, and unlimited updates. An estate planning attorney typically charges several thousand dollars for the same documents.
Because SSI and Medicaid are means-tested. An adult on SSI can hold only $2,000 in their own name. Money left to your child directly counts. Money in a special needs trust does not, and the trustee can spend it on your child's life: housing, therapy, travel, equipment, a phone, a vacation.
Only a small amount to make it official. Most families fund it later through life insurance and retirement accounts by naming the trust as the beneficiary. That is what the pre-filled forms are for.
Someone you trust to manage money and say no when needed, usually a sibling, relative or close friend, with a backup. If there is nobody, the trust can hand over to a nonprofit pooled trust. We walk you through this choice.
Pooled trusts run by nonprofits are a good option, especially for families without a trustee. They charge enrollment and annual fees and make the spending decisions. Bonnet's trust keeps control in your family, with a pooled trust as a fallback if you want one. Either way, you still need a will and the beneficiary forms.
No. The trust holds nothing of your child's and pays nothing to your child. It only changes where your assets go after you die.
Check two things: does it leave your child's share to a special needs trust, and do your beneficiary forms agree with it? Beneficiary forms override a will. The check at the top of this page is a good place to start.
No. Bonnet prepares your documents from your answers using templates written and reviewed by attorneys licensed in your state. If you want a lawyer to look over your documents and answer your questions, add the attorney review.
No. The questions are online. Signing happens at your home with a notary and two witnesses, or anywhere you choose with your own. Beneficiary forms go to your insurer and account providers by mail or upload.
We will email you within one business day with your next step. Nothing is charged.
Nothing has been charged.
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