Using Pooled Trusts as a Safety Net When Drafting Estate Plans
Ben Tiefenback, Esq.
January 28, 2026
Description:
Master Pooled Trust Strategies to Protect Your Clients—Even When the Unexpected Happens
Pooled special needs trusts can provide an essential safety net in estate plans. Attorneys who draft estate plans must anticipate the unexpected—a client’s unforeseen disability, a fiduciary who becomes ill, a contentious relationship between the beneficiary and the fiduciary, or assets that are depleted below the corporate fiduciary’s minimum. By including additional authorities in documents, attorneys-in-fact, executors, and trustees can react to unforeseen circumstances and create and fund pooled special needs trusts for clients and their loved ones without the need for court involvement. After giving an overview of pooled special needs trusts, this presentation will cover powers that should be considered for inclusion in trusts, wills, and powers of attorney to utilize pooled special needs trusts as a safety net.
What You’ll Learn:
- What is a pooled special needs trust (PSNT)?
- How to incorporate pooled special needs trusts into estate plans (will include sample drafting language)
- Overview of ABLE Act accounts
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Continuing Education Credits
InterActive Legal is not an approved Continuing Education (CE) Sponsor. However, several states and
regulatory agencies for a variety of professionals that participate on our teleconferences may still receive
continuing education credit for their participation. If a participant wishes to receive CE credit for their
participation in these teleconferences, they must apply to receive credit on their own and through their
individual states and regulatory authorities. It is the responsibility of the participant to file for CE
credit and is not guaranteed by the webinar sponsors.
Ben Tiefenback, Esq.
Ben Tiefenback, Esq., is Counsel and Director of Client Services at Commonwealth Community Trust, Prior to joining CCT, Mr. Tiefenback was a trust and estate attorney serving Hampton Roads, the Middle Peninsula, and the Northern Neck. His practice focused on estate planning and trust creation and administration, with an emphasis on special needs trust planning due to his personal experiences with special needs issues in his family. Mr. Tiefenback currently serves on the board of directors of the Alliance of Pooled Trusts (APT). He also writes for CCT and other publications, including NAELA News, and speaks at CLE seminars and other events across the country.
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