PLANTATION, Florida—Northstar Financial Planners announced today that firm President Allen Giese has earned the Chartered Special Needs Consultant® (ChSNC®) designation from The American College.

The designation helps experienced financial planners gain specialized expertise focused on people with special needs, as well as their parents and caregivers. Giese already has personal and professional experience with special needs planning. He said the credential will aid in his commitment to helping families prepare for the future.

“When we realized our son will probably require life-long care, everything changed,” Giese said. “My wife and I realized that we weren’t just saving for our future now. We were saving for our son’s as well.”

The experience led Giese, a financial planner, to focus increasingly on the needs of people with special needs and their families. In 2018, he published When Mental Illness Strikes: Crisis Intervention for the Financial Plan to help parents of children with special needs understand the financial planning challenges they face.

“Parents and caregivers are on the horns of a dilemma,” he said. “They need to know their child is going to be OK even after they’re gone, and they need to do it without hurting their own ability to retire. Meanwhile, many financial advisors lack the specialized knowledge that special needs planning requires.”

Planning areas include disability law, special needs trusts, government benefits, special education, and Medicaid complexities.

“It is very, very easy to make an honest mistake that could end up hurting your child’s ability to access, for example, government benefits,” Giese said.

In addition to the ChSNC®, Giese holds the Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) and Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) credentials. He has been a financial advisor since 1991 and is the founding partner of Northstar Financial Planners, a fee-only, fiduciary Registered Investment Advisor in Plantation, Florida.

Last year, he and his wife, Gayle, received the EPIC Award for their contributions to the mental wellness of others.

To reach Allen Giese, call 954-693-0030 or email allen@northstarplanners.com.

About Northstar Financial Planners Inc.

Northstar Financial Planners is an independent Registered Investment Advisor committed to helping people achieve what is most important to them in life. Based in Plantation, Florida, the fee-only advisory firm provides financial planning and investment management services to clients including pre-retirees, Florida Retirement System special-risk employees, and families of children with special needs. Contact Northstar Financial Planners at 954-693-0030 or www.northstarplanners.com.

Press Contact

Allen Giese, ChSNC, ChFC®, CLU®
President, Northstar Financial Planners

Phone: 954-693-0030 | Email: 954-693-0030