ChSNC® Chartered Special Needs Consultant® Program

ChSNC® Chartered Special Needs Consultant® Program
program
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ChSNC
Chartered Special Needs Consultant
Best For
Professionals seeking specialized planning knowledge for those with special needs and caregivers.
Complete In
As Few as Five Months
Format
Specialize as a special needs planner through our self-paced, online curriculum and support from the nation’s preeminent thought leaders.
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100% Virtual
Tuition
Starting at $1,025/course
Packages starting at $2,895
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Be Your Clients’ Best Advocate
Make an Impact
Support clients’ unique needs and journeys with applied, in-depth, and empathetic planning knowledge.
Build Professional Connections
Multidisciplinary program offers insights from lawyers, attorneys, financial planners, and more.
Flexible Learning Options
Complete each course on your own schedule with our fully-online ChSNC® special needs planning program.
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Planning Expertise for Special Needs Advocacy
Tour the Program Now
Join esteemed thought leader Joellen Meckley, JD, MHS, along with one of the program’s alums, Mindy Neira, ChSNC®, CFP®, for a video tour of the ChSNC® Program.
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ChSNC
Program Overview
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Admissions Requirements
There are no prerequisite courses required to begin the ChSNC
Program other than a high school diploma or the equivalent.
To receive the ChSNC
designation, you must:
Successfully complete the three required courses
Agree to comply with The American College
Code of Ethics and Procedures
Have at least five years of professional experience in financial services or the practice of law (with a focus on income tax and/or estate planning), OR
Have four years of relevant professional financial services experience and an undergraduate\degree from a regionally accredited institution
Participation in the annual
Professional Recertification Program
is required to maintain the designation.
What You'll Learn
The all-online ChSNC® Program signifies expertise in financial planning for special needs individuals, their families, and caregivers. The program equips you with the specialized skill and advanced knowledge to champion for special needs individuals with honesty, ethics, and compassion.
Your learning outcomes include:
Develop specialized knowledge of the contemporary issues important to those requiring special needs financial planning, including tax planning, SSI, special needs trusts, and other federal benefits
Learn how to set special needs individuals and their family members or caregivers up for current and future financial success with life insurance options and estate planning
Prepare for costs of long-term care for those with special needs through management of healthcare planning and Medicaid complexities
Fully address the concerns, goals, and hopes of members of this underserved community
Course Delivery
Earn your special needs planning designation online while studying the curriculum at your own pace and get support from our academic advising team and the top thought leaders in the industry today.
Finish Faster
: An accelerated learning path enables you to complete each course in as little as five weeks, though you have up to 20 weeks!
All-Online Resources
: All-virtual lessons organized in sequential units and supported by short videos, knowledge checks, quizzes, and case studies.
Flexible Start Dates
: Courses start the first Monday of each month and are accompanied by a “welcome” unit which is available two weeks before your start date. Register up to a month before or as late as two weeks after the course has started.
Grading
: Earn a final course grade of 70% or higher to pass.
Testing
: There is no high-stakes final cumulative exam in the ChSNC® Program; each course features its own exam.
Enroll Now
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Tuition Overview
Single Courses
Starting at $1,025
Packages
Starting at $2,895
Single Courses
Just $1,025 per course
Single courses in the ChSNC® Program are only $1,025 each. To complete the full program, complete the three required courses. Eligible courses include:
HS 375 Introduction to Disability and Lifetime Planning
— Introduces the field of disability and provides an orientation to working with individuals with disabilities and their families.
HS 376 Legal and Financial Issues for Special Needs Families
— Covers unique legal techniques and tools that apply to special needs planning.
HS 377 Financial Planning for Families Caring for Those with Special Needs
— Delivered as a live webinar, this course examines financial issues for families of special needs individuals, both minors and adults.
Three-Course Package
$2,895
Purchase the full ChSNC® Program containing all three required courses for only $2,895 (a $180 savings from individual course purchases!):
HS 375 Introduction to Disability and Lifetime Planning
— Introduces the field of disability and provides an orientation to working with individuals with disabilities and their families.
HS 376 Legal and Financial Issues for Special Needs Families
— Covers unique legal techniques and tools that apply to special needs planning.
HS 377 Financial Planning for Families Caring for Those with Special Needs
— Delivered as a live webinar, this course examines financial issues for families of special needs individuals, both minors and adults.
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Why Enroll With Us?
You Want to Serve the Special Needs Community
The Only Recognized Special Needs Planning Credential
If you work with special needs clients, ChSNC® is the only designation program with an actionable curriculum focused on special needs planning that drills deep into complex planning situations.
You Deliver Value in Complexity
Actual Planning Requires a Knowledgeable Advocate
The ChSNC®’s multidisciplinary curriculum delivers a comprehensive overview of special needs issues for lawyers, financial planners, and trust attorneys.
Your Clients Have Diverse Needs
Become a Well-Rounded Expert
You will receive specialized knowledge on governmental benefits, special needs trusts, and ABLE accounts.
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What Your Peers Say
Enroll Now
75%
Greater improvement in business practices than advisors with no designations.
95%
Greater impact for clients than advisors with no designations.
63%
Higher client satisfaction than advisors with no designations.
Enroll Now
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Course Overview
Courses to Complete
Three
Typical Completion Time
As Few as Five Months
HS 375 Introduction to Disability and Lifetime Planning
Introduces the field of disability and provides an orientation to working with individuals with disabilities and their families.
Upon completion of this course, you’ll be able to:
Understand the steps in creating an effective lifetime plan
Identify disability and special needs requirements in collaboration with family members by evaluating the client's current situation
Determine how to advise caregivers
Evaluate employment, housing, state waivers, social security, and other programs and threats to achieving client goals
Integrate governmental programs, tools, and strategies into client plans
HS 376 Legal and Financial Issues for Special Needs Families
Covers unique legal techniques and tools that apply to special needs planning.
After completion of this course you will be able to:
Recommend usage of third-party funded special needs trusts as part of an estate plan
Help the client evaluate wills, powers-of-attorney, guardianships, ABLE accounts, and self-settled special needs trusts established under federal and state law
Understand applicable issues surrounding Social Security and Medicaid
Have a better understanding of how special income tax topics and identify tax deductions and/or credits
Address unique aspects of the medical expense deduction, the child and dependent care credit, the adoption credit, and the dependency exemption rules
Examine potential alternative minimum tax traps that may affect some families
HS 377 Financial Planning for Families Caring for Those with Special Needs
Delivered as a live webinar, this course examines financial issues for families of special needs individuals, both minors and adults.
This knowledge will help you:
Understand unique federal income tax issues
Help a client with the creation and administration of special needs trusts
Navigate the ABLE account, SSI, Medicaid, and disability-related issues
Help a client prepare for their long-term care needs
Navigate housing decisions and address potential strategies
Identify the key ethical issues in disability and special needs planning
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Mindy’s Story
The knowledge I gained from this program has been invaluable. It provided me with the tools to help more individuals and families, meet and grow a network of professionals in the special needs space, and support other advisors at my firm in better serving their clients.
Mindy Neira, ChSNC
, CFP
There’s very little formal education for planners to properly serve families with special needs. The ChSNC
has been a critical component to my ongoing education, giving me an excellent knowledge foundation in various issues that need to be addressed when planning for those with disabilities.
Jeff Vistica , ChSNC
, CFP
, AIF
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Learn From the Leaders in Disability and Special Needs Planning
Thomas M. Brinker, Jr.
JD, LLM, PFS/CPA, AEP®, ChFC®
Adjunct Professor
Read Bio
Mary Houser
EdD
Adjunct Professor
Read Bio
Lesley Mehalick
JD, LLM
Adjunct Professor
Read Bio
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Thomas M. Brinker, Jr.
JD, LLM, PFS/CPA, AEP®, ChFC®
Adjunct Professor
Read Bio
Mary Houser
EdD
Adjunct Professor
Read Bio
Lesley Mehalick
JD, LLM
Adjunct Professor
Read Bio
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There’s Even More to Explore
Download the Brochure
Read more about the ChSNC
Access the Program Demo
Hear from a peer, a professor, and take a tour
View Special Needs Insights
Explore the latest news and expertise from College faculty
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ChSNC
Program FAQs
Special needs planning is a specialized field of financial planning focused on advising individuals with disabilities or other special needs, as well as their families and caregivers. Special needs planning focuses on protecting the wellbeing of all these individuals with tools and financial planning strategies to ensure individuals with disabilities or special needs have the means to live comfortably and build a life for themselves.
According to research by the U.S. government and leading financial firms, over one-quarter of American adults have some type of disability — yet 85% of caregivers have no plan to address their physical, emotional, and financial responsibilities of special needs planning. The Chartered Special Needs Consultant® (ChSNC®) Program includes information on many aspects of special needs planning, including protecting government benefits, ensuring financial security, estate and transition planning, and caregiver support. It also delivers expertise in special needs planning tools including special needs trusts, ABLE accounts, powers of attorney and guardianship, and more.
The Chartered Special Needs Consultant® (ChSNC®) is a specialized designation for special needs financial planning and disability planning offered by The American College of Financial Services. The ChSNC® gives financial professionals interested in special needs planning the expertise to advocate for and partner with individuals with special needs or disabilities, their families, and caregivers through strategies including special needs trusts, disability planning, life insurance, and estate planning. The ChSNC® is a powerful educational option for financial professionals, as there is no comparable designation focusing specifically on special needs planning or disability planning in the industry.
To become a successful special needs planning partner through the ChSNC®, you must complete the three-course program, including all associated classwork and a final exam for each course. These online courses make earning this financial planning certification easier to tailor to your busy schedule.
The Chartered Special Needs Consultant® (ChSNC®) designation can be completed in as few as five months and is considered a specialized financial planning certification for professionals who want extensive knowledge in the fields of special needs financial planning and disability planning. According to FUSE Research’s 2024 Designation Outcomes Study over a three-year period, 75% of financial professionals who earn the ChSNC® designation reported improvement in client conversations and 72% say the designation has helped them meet a greater number of client goals compared to professionals with no designations.
In addition, research demonstrates the potential pool of clients financial professionals can access with specialized education in special needs planning. According to studies from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Fidelity Investments, 26% of adults in the U.S. have some type of disability; however, 58% of caregivers say they don’t know where to turn for planning resources, and 85% have no plan to address physical, emotional, and financial responsibilities.
Although there is no pre-requisite academic or financial services background to enroll in the program other than a high school diploma or the equivalent, students must understand that the ChSNC
Program is designed to supplement a broader financial education. As a three-course program, it is designed as an introduction to the field of special needs planning. Ongoing education beyond completion of these courses is mandatory for every practitioner in the field. The program is not intended to be a stand-alone designation, but rather a specialization to complement a primary financial planning degree or designation, such as MSFS, MSFP, MS in financial planning, ChFC
, CFP
certification; CPA, or JD/LLM.  The program and designation are viewed by the College as an area of specialization within a practitioner’s broader based financial planning education.
Each course contains 14 weeks of material. You should expect to spend 5-8 hours per week to complete each course in the 14-week timeframe. Upon enrolling, you will have a four-month window to complete the course, plus the remainder of the month in which you enrolled.
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Take the Next Step and Enroll
As a ChSNC
, you'll stand out as an expert in a marketplace lacking credible guidance in special needs financial planning, including tax planning, SSI, special needs trusts, and other federal benefits.
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footnotes
FUSE Research Network. The American College of Financial Services Designation Outcomes Study. 2024. Based on reported three-year growth.