The pooled special needs trust maintains a separate account for each beneficiary of the trust. A beneficiary’s parent, grandparent, guardian, or individual with the disability must first set up the account. An initial enrollment fee and annual maintenance fee vary depending on the trust provider. The pooled trust achieves the same objectives as an individual special needs trust – to maintain the beneficiary’s government benefits such as Supplemental Security Income or Medicaid while using the trust monies to supplement government benefits.

Decisions to recommend a one-to-one aide must weigh the factors of both: –          The student’s individual needs; –          The available supports in the setting where the student’s IEP will be implemented. There are certain important considerations that must be made by the CPSE/CSE in regard to the factors above. These include, but are not limited…

Littman Krooks Selected Among U.S.News “Best Law Firm” In New York for 2011-2012 New York, NY (November 1, 2011) – Littman Krooks LLP has been selected among the 2011-2012 U.S.News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” in the New York metropolitan area. The firm, with offices in New York and White Plains, received Tier 1…

Women are so busy raising kids, taking care of their elderly parents, and maintaining a household and career that they often do not focus on what will happen to them in retirement and beyond. A new white paper by the Volunteers of America called “Boomer Bust 2011: Still Unprepared and Unaware” highlights how unprepared seniors and their caregivers are as they age.

Entering a nursing home can provide highly sought-after services and around-the-clock care. Family members and loved ones can have the expertise of skilled staff that provides peace of mind for your elderly parent. But if proper planning for the monies involved in nursing home care and estate planning are not done in advance, it can put your loved one at risk financially.

The Washington, D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) new proxy access rule 14a-11 is “arbitrary and capricious” and thus invalidated the rule. The DC Circuit Courts decided in Business Roundtable v. SEC that the SEC’s rule had unsupported assertions and arguments.

The SEC proxy access rule states that public companies need to provide shareholders with information regarding shareholder-backed candidates when board of directors are going to be voted on. The Business Roundtable and U.S. Chamber of Commerce said this rule violates the Administrative Procedure Act…

Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are great tools to save money for retirement and are also a critical part of an individual’s estate plan. As each person and family has a different objective as they reach the golden years, it is a wise step to speak to an experienced estate planning lawyer to make sure it is set up properly and achieves the goals you want in the event of your death. IRAs can be complex, and without proper planning, you and your beneficiaries could face hefty taxes on the monies.

Long-term care costs can add up quickly. The expenses to the individual and their loved ones can be exorbitant and compromise other financial plans. Two recent U.S. Tax Court decisions are critical for people dealing with chronic medical conditions. These rulings give direction on what needs to be done to write off health care costs on annual taxes.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission recently updated its whistleblower program to provide monetary incentives to employees who report misconduct within their companies directly to the government. The Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, passed last July, required the SEC to pay 10 to 30 percent of any monetary sanctions over $1 million levied after company misconduct to the whistleblower who reported it.  Congress hopes the law will encourage employees to alert the government to fraud and mismanagement.

On May 16, 2011, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) launched the  FINRA Disciplinary Actions Online database, a new free database system that makes its disciplinary actions available to the public via its website.  The database allows users to search for FINRA actions by several criteria, including case number, document text, document type, action date, and…