Parenting Impossible – The Special Needs Survival Podcast Annette Hines

In this episode, Host Annette Hines welcomes back Author Jess Ronne to the show to discuss her newest book, Lovin’ with Grit and Grace that was just released in February. Jessica Ronne is an author, speaker, podcast host of Coffee with Caregivers, associate producer of the “UNSEEN” documentary, and caregiver advocate. She is founder and executive director of The Lucas Project, a non-profit dedicated to serving parent caregivers with recognition, respite, and resources. Jess and her husband Ryan live in Michigan with their eight children, including their son Lucas who has profound disabilities. Her story of beauty from ashes is detailed in her memoir, Sunlight Burning at Midnight. 
 
Lovin’ with Grit and Grace: https://www.amazon.com/Lovin-Grit-Grace-Straight-Talk-Romance/dp/1684260922
 
You can listen to the previous episode with Jess on our website:
https://specialneedscompanies.com/episode-126-caregivers-need-our-support-with-jess-ronne
 
Connect with Jess Ronne: 
Website: www.thelucasproject.org
Facebook: Facebook/theofficiallucasproject
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-ronne-4b412670/

It is tax time and we want to revisit a popular episode!
Learn from Host Annette Hines and her favorite guest, law partner, and husband, Mark Worthington about answers to four top questions people ask about tax preparation and tax reporting:
Can I claim my adult child as a dependent? If I charge my adult child room and board when they are living with me, is that taxable income to me? And how does this impact their Supplemental Security Income (SSI)? Taxation of special needs trusts and SECURE (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement) Act of 2019 updates. How are caregiver payments such as Adult Family Care (AFC) and Personal Care Attendant (PCA) taxed to the recipient? In relation to #3 on taxation of special needs trusts and the SECURE Act, Mark and Annette discuss the proposed regulations that were released in February 2022. The SECURE Act shifted how distributions could be taken from retirement accounts after the account owner dies.  If you are considering including a retirement account in a special needs trust for a disabled beneficiary or if you are a trustee managing a trust that has an inherited retirement account, you must be talking with a special needs estate planner like Annette or Mark or a tax advisor.  If you or are working with an individual who lives in Massachusetts and need guidance on special needs trusts, you can contact their firm, Special Needs Law Group of Massachusetts, PA on their website: https://specialneeds-law.com/contact/
Since the recording of this episode, Congress signed into law SECURE 2.0 Act in late 2022, and updated how people save money for retirement and withdraw funds from retirement accounts. SECURE 2.0 completely revised the rules for the age at which retirees must take required minimum distributions (RMDs) from their retirement plans.  If your trust has an inherited retirement account or if you are the beneficiary of one directly, you will have to pay attention to the new required minimum distribution (RMD) rules.
Finally, an important point that Annette and Mark make is that distribution decisions for a special needs trust to a beneficiary cannot be made based on taxes. Rather these decisions should be made best on what is in the best interest of the beneficiary, how much needs to be saved, the size of the trust, form of the distribution.
What types of tax questions do you have? What can Annette or Mark answer for you in future episodes? Leave us a comment or question here: https://specialneedscompanies.com/podcasts

In this episode as we celebrate Women's History Month in March, Host Annette Hines talked with Danielle Sullivan - the founder of Neurodiverging Coaching, an online, sliding scale coaching practice supporting a worldwide, diverse clientele with issues related to neurodiversity, ADHD, autism, and executive functioning for adults and families. In this episode, Danielle shared parenting techniques especially for neurodivergent families.  Her organization's mission is to help neurodivergent folks find the resources needed to live better lives as individuals, and to further disability awareness and social justice efforts to improve all of the lives of those living with disabilities as part of the larger world community. Her coaching program supports strength-based, evidence-based assessment and skill-building, social and disability justice paradigms, and a commitment to taking care of one another. 

Connect with Danielle Sullivan:
Website: https://neurodiverging.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielleatneurodiverging
Facebook: facebook.com/neurodiverging
Let us know what you think of this episode! What topics related to the disability community would you like to hear?  If you're a parent, what types of resources are you needing?  Leave a comment on our website: https://specialneedscompanies.com/podcasts

This episode commemorates International Rare Disease Day which occurs on last day of February annually. This day is dedicated to raising awareness for the approximately 300 million people around the world living with a rare disease. Host Annette Hines recognizes this day in memory of her daughter, Elizabeth who died in 2013 because of mitochondrial disease - a rare or orphan disease. 
Moreover, every February is a month that Hines reminds caregivers and families of disabled loved ones to care for themselves. An important part of self-care is thinking positively. She shares the metaphor of the coffee bean and its ability to create something amazing from adversity from Damon West's book, The Coffee Bean, which teaches readers how to transform their environment, overcome challenges, and create positive change: https://coffeebeanbook.com/
Let us know what you think of this episode! Please leave a review or a comment on our website: https://specialneedscompanies.com/podcasts
 
 
 

In this episode, Laura Hernandez and Host Annette Hines discuss the life of a mom and how to reduce the workload and run the home smoothly by applying the organization strategies that Laura developed through her agency, Mama Systems. As a mother of ten, Laura developed these techniques to ensure that her family could have a more peaceful lifestyle. In just five years, she and her husband had six children - three biological and three through adoption. Incredibly Laura manages 20+ appointments a week for her four special needs children. Thus she is very passionate and dedicated to helping women bring more peace to their home. Her specialty is designing customized systems that help a family run more smoothly and reduce daily work.
Request your free Mama Systems Self-Care Guide as a Parenting Impossible Listener here: https://www.mamasystems.net/parentingimpossible
Connect with Laura Hernandez
Website: www.mamasystems.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mamasystems.net
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mamasystems www.instagram.com/fasdmama

In this episode, Host Annette Hines speaks with Lois Letchford. Lois is an educator, writer, and public speaker. When Lois was 39 years old, while she was faced with teaching her son Nicholas how to read, she discovered she had dyslexia. She modified and changed classes as a result of reflecting on her son's reading failures. Now Lois serves as a reading specialist and tutor and helps other struggling students by utilizing her unconventional background, extensive international experience, and dedication.
Lois got her teaching certifications from SUNY, NY, as well as degrees from Australia and Texas. She has acquired a special skill set and perspective from her teaching and studying, and frequently works with students who have struggled in other reading programs.
Lois Letchford
 Reversed: A Memoir
Let us know what you think of this episode! Please leave a review or a comment on our website: https://specialneedscompanies.com/podcasts