ChSNC®
Chartered Special Needs Consultant®
Best For
Financial professionals who work with special needs and disabled clients.
Timing
<12 Months
Format
The ChSNC® is a three-course program taught 100% online. Learn more below.
100% Virtual
Tuition
Starting at
$995/course
Three-course package available for $2,795
Request More Information
Provide us with your information and we will get back to you with additional details.
Experience the ChSNC® Program
Planning Expertise for Special Needs Advocacy
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.
ChSNC® at a Glance
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:
1. Successfully complete the three required courses
2. Agree to comply with The American College Code of Ethics and Procedures
3. 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
4. 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.
Tuition & Scholarships
Program tuition can be paid on a per-course basis or packaged together at a reduced rate. Tuition covers your course fees, final exam, and course materials.
Individual course (HS 375 and HS 376): $995
Individual course (HS 377 with live webinars): $1,250
3-course package: $2,795
Scholarship opportunities are available for those who qualify, learn more here.
What You'll Learn
The ChSNC® 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
Study the three-course curriculum at your own pace, engage through virtual office hours, and receive support from esteemed disability and special needs thought leaders and our academic advising team.
You will receive:
- Downloadable content for easy following
- Video lectures and expert interviews
- Practice exams and assessment questions
Why Become a ChSNC®
75%
Greater improvement in business practices than advisors with no designations.1
95%
Greater impact for clients than advisors with no designations.1
63%
Higher client satisfaction than advisors with no designations.1
The ChSNC® is Right For You If:
Inside the ChSNC® Program
Courses to Complete
Three
Typical Completion Time
<12 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'll 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
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®
01/00
Learn From the Who's Who of Disability and Special Needs Planning
Thomas M. Brinker, Jr.
JD, LLM, PFS/CPA, AEP®, ChFC®
Adjunct Professor of Taxation and Special Needs Planning
Connect on LinkedIn
Read Bio
Lesley Mehalick
JD, LLM
Adjunct Professor of Taxation and Special Needs Planning
Connect on LinkedIn
Read Bio
01 / 00
Thomas M. Brinker, Jr.
JD, LLM, PFS/CPA, AEP®, ChFC®
Adjunct Professor of Taxation and Special Needs Planning
Connect on LinkedIn
Read Bio
Lesley Mehalick
JD, LLM
Adjunct Professor of Taxation and Special Needs Planning
Connect on LinkedIn
Read Bio
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
ChSNC® Program FAQs
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 12 months or less 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.
Take the Next Step
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.
1 FUSE Research Network. The American College of Financial Services Designation Outcomes Study. 2024. Based on reported three-year growth.