Today, we’re sitting down with one of your favorite guests, Paul Curley, to get into the details of the ABLE Age Adjustment Act, which passed as a part of SECURE 2.0 in December 2022.

It’s April, which is recognized as Autism Acceptance Month. Last week, when we talked to Sara, she let us onto another way to celebrate April, by rebranding it as Autism Action Month.

Joyce’s idea of reaching out to Autistic people and Autistic families this month to provide direct support was absolutely spot-on. For a lot of people listening, you are those families.

So today we’re going to talk about other ways to take action during Autism Action month and beyond. Ways you can engage in democracy and continue to make your financial life and the lives of your children better not just now, but in the future.

We’re so excited that the ABLE Age Adjustment Act passed, but there’s still a lot of work to do, and Paul teaches us some of the best areas to focus on as we interact with our legislators.

IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE, SUBSCRIBE TO PAUL’S NEWSLETTER! https://www.529conference.com/subscribe/

Difference between Autism Acceptance & Autism Awareness: https://momautismmoney.com/autism-acceptance-vs-autism-awareness/

Find out how to contact your federal and state legislators: https://www.lwv.org/take-action/find-your-elected-officials

IRS publication 907 can help you learn more about ABLE accounts: https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-907

Follow Joyce’s work: https://www.mystayathomeadventures.com/

Follow Brynne’s work: https://femmefrugality.com/

Read The Feminist Financial Handbook: https://amzn.to/2s0utTt

Sara Bradford is an Autistic woman with an Autistic family. Everyone from her husband to her two children are on the spectrum.

Living in Utah, Sara has been uniquely equipped to navigate the state’s difficult and often inadequate systems for her autistic family, and even still has faced exclusion at various points. But she marches on to try to change things in her community and make them better.

Today we’ll cover all kinds of issues Sara has dealt with while raising her family, from diagnosis to schooling to police violence and beyond.

Autism consulting for families from SJ Childs LLC: https://sjchilds.org/

Listen to the SJ Childs Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sj-childs-show/id1559173761

Read Sara’s books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/SJ-Childs/author/B07YBMJ5YW

Join the Autism Advocates Support Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/795894134284656/

Full episode transcript: https://momautismmoney.com/sara-bradford/

What happens when a financial planning firm is both Autistic-centered and Autistic-owned?

Planning Across the Spectrum is what happens.

Planning Across the Spectrum is a full-service financial planning firm that can help you do all the traditional things like plan for retirement, establish life insurance to take care of your children after you’re gone, and manage your investments. But they do so much more on top of these traditional services.

They can help you navigate benefits, Medicaid waivers, and plan for unique situations like getting the supports and savings your child may need to move out of your home and live independently. They’ve even got a neurdiversity index fund!

Joining us to educate us about all the services is Liz Yoder, Director of Financial Planning.

Planning Across the Spectrum’s website: https://planningacrossthespectrum.com/

Follow Planning Across the Spectrum on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/planningacrossthespectrum

Check out more info on the Neurodiversity Index: https://planningacrossthespectrum.com/intro-neurodiversity-index/

Listen to the Two Autistic$ Talk Money podcast: https://www.twoautisticstalkmoney.com/

Full episode transcript: https://momautismmoney.com/planning-across-the-spectrum/

On top of completely changing the trajectory of an entire industry by bettering animal welfare in corporately-owned settings, Temple Grandin is also a huge financial literacy advocate. And today, she’s joining us to talk about the best way to teach financial literacy skills to your Autistic child.

We’ll talk about an array of different topics including:

·     Managing an allowance.

·        Transforming money from an abstract concept into something more concrete and real.

·        Teaching kids how to save.

·        Teaching kids (and ourselves) about investing.

·        Teaching kids about debt.

·        Digital banking and debit cards for kids.

Press play to start educating yourself – money skills are important for our children!

Read Temple’s Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Temple-Grandin/author/B000AP9AQU

Learn more about Temple’s work at Colorado State University: https://agsci.colostate.edu/people/directory-page/personnel-information/?userName=grandin

Go back and listen to the interview with ASAN’s Legal Director on Supported Decision Making vs Guardianship, and why establishing as much independence for your Autistic child as possible is imperative: https://momautismmoney.com/episode-7-guardianship-supported-decision-making-with-sam-crane/

Roundup of best kids’ checking accounts from The College Investor: https://thecollegeinvestor.com/34189/best-starter-checking-accounts-for-kids/

Read The Simple Path to Wealth: https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Path-Wealth-financial-independence/dp/1533667926/

Full episode transcript: https://momautismmoney.com/temple-grandin/

This week we're talking all things ABLE accounts! From eligibility to qualified disability expenses to using your ABLE account as a tax-advantaged investment vehicle, we've got you covered.

Joining us to discuss these accounts is Mary Rubenis, VP of Client Relationship Management and ABLE Savings at Vestwell. Vestwell is the program administrator for ABLE accounts in 20 states. But today's episode is for everyone -- regardless of which state you live in! Get out a pencil and notebook and get ready to learn.

Compare plans with ABLE National Resource Center: https://www.ablenrc.org/compare-states/

Learn more about ABLE accounts at ABLE Today: https://www.abletoday.org/

Check social security functional limitations to see if you qualify for an ABLE account even without SSI or SSDI via the SSA Blue Book: https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/

Spotlight on ABLE from the SSA: https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/spotlights/spot-able.html

Social Security Benefits Counseling by state via the Ticket to Work program: https://choosework.ssa.gov/about/meet-your-employment-team/

POMS document for ABLE & Social Security: https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0501130740

Check out the Vestwell website: https://www.vestwell.com/

(Though if you want to apply for an ABLE account, visit your state’s ABLE website. You’ll interact with Vestwell once you have an account set up, if you’re in one of the 19 states they service.)

Full episode transcript: https://momautismmoney.com/able-mary-rubenis/

Today we’re back with researchers from Drexel’s Autism Institute to explore the intersections of race, poverty, and health outcomes for Autistic kids. They covered this topic in their 2022 National Autism Indicators Report.

Some of the findings you might have predicted, like the fact that no matter how much income you make, societal structures around race may negatively impact your health outcomes.

Others may be more surprising, like the fact that in many cases, Autistic children from middle-income households actually have some of the worst health outcomes.

Let’s dig a little deeper into these findings, and explore some of the potential research and policy implementations that might help us do better.

Read the full 2022 National Autism Indicator Report: https://drexel.edu/autismoutcomes/publications-and-reports/publications/NAIRIntersection/

Check out the full series: https://drexel.edu/autismoutcomes/publications-and-reports/nat-autism-indicators-report/

Learn about other research topics and community outreach at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute: https://drexel.edu/autisminstitute/

Check out Autism Navigator from FSU for more resources navigating systems: https://autismnavigator.com/

Full episode transcript: https://momautismmoney.com/autistic-health-outcomes/

Average student loan debt is nearly $40,000 -- per person! This economic burden can massively impact all the other money moves you make in your life. 

Luckily, there is a disability discharge program for federal student loans, and more people qualify than you might think. Plus, the program is getting a lot easier to navigate, with some big, positive changes promised starting in July 2023. 

Today, we'll talk to Heather Watkins, a writer and disability advocate who successfully had her student loans discharged through this program. We're also joined by Persis Yu, Deputy Executive Director and Managing Counsel of the Student Borrower Protection Center, who has been instrumental in advocating for improvements to the program and for student loan borrowers at large. 

By the end of this episode, you'll have a better idea of who qualifies for this program, how it's expected to function after this summer, and what it may or may not mean as your child is figuring out how to finance their own education. This episode is also great for anyone who may qualify for the discharge program due to their own disability -- it's not just for parents. 

Follow Heather’s Work: http://slowwalkersseemore.com/

Utilize resources from Persis and her peers at the SBPC: https://www.cancelmystudentdebt.org/

Where to get started with the Disability Discharge program for federal student loans: https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/disability-discharge

Currently, loan amounts canceled through this program are not counted as taxable income. But that could change on Jan. 1, 2026 if this portion of tax law isn’t extended. Contact your congressperson and Senator to request that this provision be extended. You can find your senator and congressperson here: https://www.lwv.org/take-action/find-your-elected-officials

And if you want to provide the specific provision you want to see extended to your representatives, it’s Section 11031 of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1/text

Connect with your local Center for Independent Living for resources here: https://acl.gov/programs/centers-independent-living/list-cils-and-spils

Heather references Mass Rehab Commission, which is a vocational rehabilitation program in Massachusetts. Voc rehab programs can help disabled people pay for college depending on your state. We covered voc rehab in this episode: https://momautismmoney.com/vocational-rehabilitation/

And you can find your state’s vocational rehabilitation program here: https://rsa.ed.gov/about/states

Want to consolidate your old loans to take advantage of the recount of payments for student loan forgiveness that Persis was talking about? Here’s where you can find the consolidation application (must be done by May 1, 2023  or earlier to qualify for this specific program): https://studentaid.gov/app/launchConsolidation.action

Here is more detailed information on the IDR Account Adjustment and how it might affect you as a borrower: https://www.cancelmystudentdebt.org/income-driven-repayment

Full Episode Transcript: https://momautismmoney.com/disability-discharge/

No joke – Sheletta Brundidge has secured $200,000 in grant funding for her Autistic children’s needs.

And today, she’s going to help you learn how to get some of that grant money regardless of your child’s disability. You can use this money to fund therapy and healthcare needs, on top of everyday needs like weighted blankets, trampolines, fences, and home security systems. We’ll talk about how to find grants, how to write a successful application essay, and how to avoid scams as you conduct your search.

Sheletta will also talk to us about how she built her own media company to support and uplift her community, and why running an ethical business and living in integrity has been so critical to her success.

Sheletta Makes Me Laugh: https://www.shelettamakesmelaugh.com/

Houston Chronicle Feature: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investigations/article/Faced-with-a-two-decade-wait-these-families-had-17358895.php

United Healthcare Children’s Foundation: https://www.uhccf.org/

Variety Children’s Charity (iPads and AAC devices): https://variety.org/

My Goal Autism Grant: https://mygoalinc.org/mygoal-autism-grant-program/

Updates on ABLE accounts: https://www.thepennyhoarder.com/bank-accounts/able-accounts/

Full episode transcript: https://momautismmoney.com/autism-grants/