Planning for the future of someone you love can bring up a lot of questions.

What plans should you have in place? How could financial decisions affect benefits? What should you consider as your family’s needs change over time?

Based on feedback from the Family Connections Council survey, Plan Ahead with Confidence is a free webinar created for families supporting a loved one with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Our presenters will share practical information about legal and financial planning, benefits, decision-making and planning for future support needs. Families will also have an opportunity to ask questions and learn about resources that can help them make informed decisions with their loved one’s needs and wishes at the center.

You don’t need to have everything figured out. This is simply a place to start.

Victoria Z. Sulerzyski
Estates & Trusts Attorney and Special Needs Planning Advocate 

Victoria brings more than 20 years of experience helping families navigate estate and trust law, special needs planning, guardianship and alternatives to guardianship, and public benefits. She understands these decisions from a personal perspective, too. As the parent of a daughter with multiple disabilities, Victoria knows that future planning is about much more than documents and finances. It is about understanding your options and making thoughtful decisions based on the needs and wishes of the person you love.

Sarah Rosenthal, ChSNC, CFP
Financial Advisor and Senior Portfolio Advisor, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management

Sarah specializes in helping families that include a person with a disability think through the financial side of future planning. As a Chartered Special Needs Consultant® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional, she helps families understand how financial decisions, public benefits and long-term planning can work together. Sarah also brings personal understanding to this work through her own family’s experience with neurodiversity, helping her approach these conversations with the realities families face in mind.

Clay Bowden
Penn-Mar Quality Coordinator

Clay helps people supported by Penn-Mar understand and maintain their benefits, including Social Security and Maryland benefits. He works directly with applications, renewals and other requirements that can sometimes be difficult to navigate. During the webinar, Clay can help families better understand how benefits fit into future planning and what they may need to consider along the way.

Janae Householder
Penn-Mar Intake Coordinator

Janae helps families learn about Penn-Mar services and guides them through the admissions process for services in Maryland. She understands the questions families have when they are considering what support a loved one may need now or in the future. During the webinar, Janae can help families better understand available services, how to get started and where to turn when they have questions.