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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 o ..read more

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 sav ..read more

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 19 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-state ..read more

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 ..read more

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 Direc ..read more

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 upli ..read more

We are joined once again by Paul Curley, and he comes bearing NEWS! The ABLE Age Adjustment Act has finally made it into a bill. Now, it just needs to make it into law.  Upping the age of onset of disability from 26 to 46 means about 7 million more people would qualify for ABLE accounts, including one million veterans. A larger pool of eligible account holders means lower fees on ABLE accounts and more bargaining power in Washington for things like removing Medicaid clawback provisions -- in ALL the states.  To help increase the odds that the ABLE Age Adjustment Act passes into law ..read more

Today on Mom Autism Money, we learn that Joyce has a cleaning habit. It helps her relieve stress. But what about the rest of us who maybe aren’t super on top of it? We’re talking to Corinne Schmitt of Wondermom Wannabe to learn her strategies to stay organized. It’s all about hacking your brain to make things easier. Corinne uses a color-coded organization system to keep herself and her five children organized. This simple system is applicable for everything from your kid’s toy room to your filing cabinet and personal finances. Let’s get organized with Corinne! Visit Wondermom Wannabe: https ..read more