Visible Works in Partnership with Attorneys
Special Needs and Estate Planning attorneys have a special and unique place as experts, long-term advocates, and trusted advisors to special needs family members and organizations.
Over time, the number of families who can benefit from special needs trusts has grown significantly, and managing organizations that steward special needs trusts – and invest and distribute funds – has become increasingly complex and costly. As a result, confidently selecting a special needs trust provider – often for a multi-decade engagement – can be challenging.
Visible National Trust brings modern pooled special needs trusts to as many families as possible by effectively managing costs, delivering outstanding client service and independent governance, and by leveraging trusted national and global financial institutions. Visible also supports modern directed trust services for complex situations.
As an institution, managing special needs trusts is our core business – we do not provide legal services such as wills and estate plans. We actively encourage our clients to work closely with attorneys and support those relationships. As a trusted advisor, you and your clients have full online visibility into trust account activity.
Hallmarks of our approach include:
- Reasonable, accessible fees. Visible charges a standard annual fee based on trust assets; we do not pay or accept revenue-sharing from investment managers and we do not retain funds at trust account closing.
- Customized client service. Pooled trusts use master trust documents (1st and 3rd Party) that govern individual trust accounts according to federal and state law. As part of our trust account setup process, we work closely with families and their trusted advisors to determine and establish the best client service approach for their unique needs.
- Durable governance structure. Visible’s organizational structure includes a non-profit trustee (Visible Foundation), a trust administrator (Visible National Trust, LLC), a custodial bank where trust funds are held (Huntington Bank), and investment providers including BlackRock Investment Management. By design, the Visible team does not have direct access to trust account assets. The Visible Foundation Board of Directors comprises independent investment, healthcare, and nonprofit executives. Links to their background information are available here.
Account assets do not determine the optimal special needs trust business model – individual or pooled – under Medicaid rules or special needs trust law. The same federal SSI and state Medicaid rules establish permissible distributions for all special needs trusts.
For more information or to review trust documents and materials, please reach out directly to Lisa Cohen, CEO, Visible National Trust by email or by calling 800-760-4234.