Author: Treasurer Don Stenberg 

As a father myself, I know how it feels to want everything for your children – happiness, personal achievement and financial stability. One of the most important duties a father faces is to set his children up for financial success and independence.

Before the ABLE act was passed by Congress in 2014, individuals with disabilities could not save more than $2,000 in their own name without impacting their public benefits such as SNAP, Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income. To have one’s child face a future of financial insecurity is a worrisome thought. Now, thanks to plans like the Enable Savings Plan, individuals with disabilities can save up to $14,000 annually in their own names, and their total assets can grow to $100,000 without affecting benefits.

As Father’s Day approaches this Sunday, I’d like to take you back to a blog that was posted a few weeks ago. Stuart Spielman, Autism Speaks Senior Policy Advisor and Counsel and father to Zac, a young man with autism, wrote a powerful guest blog about his family’s ABLE journey. When Zac celebrated his bar mitzvah ten years ago, he was unable to accept any monetary gifts. Instead Stuart and his wife urged friends and family to give $18 or a multiple of $18 to Autism Speaks (in Hebrew, 18 or “Chai” symbolizes life). Although this scenario would no longer happen today, I’m still struck by the injustice of it.

For all of the fathers who had to endure situations similar to this, we salute you. Thank you to those who tirelessly advocated on behalf of their children and sought change. On behalf of the entire Enable Savings Plan team, I hope you have a wonderful Father’s Day with your families.

To read the full blog post by Stuart, link here: https://www.enablesavings.com/home/blog-list/article-post/blog/april-is-national-autism-awarene.html.