Professionals and family members who turn to True Link have one important thing in common: they want to improve the lives of the people they care for and support. And through the True Link Visa® Prepaid Card, caregivers are empowered with a better way to help support their loved ones, manage their finances, and safeguard their independence.

For every person who receives a True Link Visa Card, there is a unique story of how a family or professional uses our tools to enhance quality of life. Recently, we learned of an Elder Law Attorney who recommended True Link to a family trustee as a way to provide her and her beneficiary more freedom and flexibility. Here’s their story: 

‍A family trustee who wants to help her son thrive

Ryan, an established Elder Law Attorney, was working with his client Jennifer to draft a Supplemental Needs Trust (also known as a “Special Needs Trust” or SNT). Jennifer is the mother of a young adult with autism whom we’ll call Eric. 

Eric is able to live a full life. He enjoys many social activities with friends, such as going to the movies and playing board games, and he works a part-time job at the local library. Jennifer describes Eric as a kind-hearted, empathetic person. Jennifer is Eric’s primary caregiver and also acts as his trustee. This means that she’s not only responsible for her son’s health, but his financial wellbeing as well. 

Currently, her son relies on Medicaid for healthcare coverage and is in the process of applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits to help pay for essentials like food and housing. Jennifer and Eric plan for him to use the funds from his newly written trust to build for his future and supplement his current needs that aren’t covered by public benefits.

An Elder Law Attorney sees an opportunity to help

Every day, families use the True Link Visa Card to help protect the finances and independence of the people they care for, including several of Ryan’s clients. While working with Jennifer to draft her son’s Supplemental Needs Trust, Ryan recommended the True Link Visa Card, as he does for the majority of family trustees he works with. For Jennifer, he believed that True Link could help provide some peace of mind as a parent while helping her fulfill her trustee responsibilities. For Eric, Ryan saw True Link as a way to help safeguard his funds and benefit’s eligibility, empowering Eric to make his own purchases and have more autonomy.

How True Link can help make life easier

Jennifer liked what she heard from Ryan. After learning more about True Link and how the Visa card was used by other families like hers, she was excited to move forward. Ultimately, Jennifer decided it was a good option for her and her son because it helped empower her to: 

Protect her son’s benefits eligibility through spending preferences

Jennifer wants Eric to be able to spend money on things he likes such as movie tickets or a new board game, but she also worries about him unintentionally making purchases that could jeopardize his eligibility for important public benefits. With True Link’s platform, Jennifer can customize where the Visa card works and where it doesn’t. Eric will still be able to have fun with his friends, and Jennifer can set the Visa card to not be used at restaurants or grocery stores (as the Social Security Administration has strict restrictions around SNT funds being used for food purchases). 

Reduce the need to track and approve every purchase

Jennifer wants Eric to use his funds appropriately, but being involved in every purchase he wants to make has become time-consuming and frustrating for them both. With True Link’s recordkeeping and alert features, Jennifer can stay informed about her son’s spending without having to worry about approving every single purchase. This also gives Eric more freedom and autonomy in managing his spending, something he wasn’t able to do before True Link.

Schedule funds to disburse automatically from the SNT

By using True Link’s automatic funding features to disburse money from the trust on a routine basis, Jennifer can make sure her son has access to funds he needs without having to write physical checks every time he wants to make a purchase on his own. Knowing how much money he has to spend each week is also helping Eric learn to budget and make spending decisions more independently. 

Stay aware of concerning spending with real-time spending alerts 

Being able to use real-time alerts to know where, when, and how much money is being spent, helps Jennifer keep an eye on out-of-character spending while alleviating the stress of having to monitor every single purchase. This allows Jennifer to feel comfortable giving Eric more freedom in his everyday life and worry a little bit less about him being taken advantage of by frauds and scams.

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Using True Link has been a win-win for Jennifer and her son Eric. With the platform’s built in features and automation, they’re able to spend less time discussing money and worrying about benefits eligibility and more time focusing on what makes them happy. Getting a True Link Visa Card hasn’t just had financial benefits, it has helped improve the family’s quality of life and helped give them the freedom and flexibility they both deserve.  

Does this story sound like some of the clients you work with? Share True Link’s benefits with the family trustees you support to help make their jobs easier and improve the quality of life for their beneficiaries. 

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This article is not intended to provide investment, legal, tax, accounting or medical advice. Before making decisions involving investing, legal, tax, accounting or medical concerns, you should consult appropriate professionals regarding your specific situation. Certain elements of this story have been concealed to protect personal information

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