Specialized Estate Planning

Custom planning for charitable goals, special needs, and family circumstances that require extra care.

Some estate plans need more than a basic will or trust. Sharpe Planning helps Fort Lauderdale and South Florida families create thoughtful plans for charitable giving, lifetime gifts, special needs planning, blended families, young children, aging loved ones, and other unique concerns.



With attorney-led guidance and tax-focused insight, Jennifer Sharpe helps clients build estate plans that reflect their values, protect loved ones, and account for the details that standard form documents often miss.

Charitable Trusts & Gifting

Giving can be one of the most meaningful parts of an estate plan. Whether you want to support a cause, help family during your lifetime, reduce future tax exposure, or create a lasting legacy, charitable trusts and gifting strategies can help you transfer assets with purpose.


Sharpe Planning helps clients evaluate charitable trusts, lifetime gifts, and related estate planning tools with both legal and tax considerations in mind.


A charitable trust may allow you to support one or more qualified charities while also providing income to you or your beneficiaries. Common options include charitable remainder trusts, which generally provide income first and pass remaining assets to charity later, and charitable lead trusts, which generally support charity first before remaining assets pass to family or other beneficiaries. 


Lifetime gifting can also be a valuable planning tool. Depending on your goals, gifts may be made directly, through trusts, through education planning vehicles, through charitable gifts, or through direct payments for certain expenses. These strategies should be coordinated with your broader estate plan so transfers are handled clearly and tax-sensitive issues are considered before gifts are made.


Sharpe Planning can assist with:

  • Choosing the right charitable or gifting structure
  • Drafting charitable trusts and related estate planning documents
  • Coordinating gifts with wills, trusts, and beneficiary designations
  • Reviewing tax-sensitive transfers before they are made
  • Planning for charitable goals while still protecting family needs
  • Updating your plan as assets, laws, or priorities change
  • Coordinating with your tax preparer to ensure the proper forms are being filed with the IRS


With the right guidance, charitable giving and lifetime gifts can be both generous and strategic.

Jennifer D. Sharpe, P.A.

Jennifer D. Sharpe is a Fort Lauderdale estate planning attorney and founder of Sharpe Planning, helping South Florida families with estate planning, probate, elder law, and trust administration. A former Deloitte CPA with an LL.M. in taxation, she brings both legal and financial insight to family planning decisions.

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Special Needs Trusts

If you have a child or loved one with a disability, planning for their future care can feel overwhelming. A special needs trust can help provide financial support while preserving access to important public benefits when the trust is properly structured.



Sharpe Planning helps families create special needs trusts designed to support a loved one’s quality of life without replacing essential benefit programs. These trusts can be used to pay for supplemental needs, such as personal care, transportation, education, recreation, therapy, technology, and other expenses that may not be fully covered by public benefits.


A third-party special needs trust is funded with assets from someone other than the person with a disability, often a parent, grandparent, or other family member. It is commonly used as part of a broader estate plan so gifts, inheritances, or trust funds can be managed for the beneficiary’s long-term support.


A special needs trust may help you:

  • Set aside funds for a loved one with a disability
  • Preserve eligibility for means-tested benefits when properly structured
  • Provide for quality-of-life expenses beyond basic support
  • Choose trusted people to manage funds after your death
  • Avoid leaving assets directly to a beneficiary who may be unable to manage them
  • Coordinate care planning with the rest of your estate plan


Sharpe Planning helps families decide how the trust should be funded, who should serve as trustee, how distributions should be handled, and how the trust fits with wills, revocable trusts, beneficiary designations, and other planning documents.

The goal is not just to prepare a document. It is to create a plan that gives your loved one support, structure, and protection over time.

Unique Considerations for Families

Every family has different planning needs. Your estate plan should reflect your relationships, responsibilities, assets, and concerns — not a one-size-fits-all template.

  • Young Families and New Parents

    Estate planning allows young parents to name guardians for minor children, create trusts for inherited assets, and put decision-makers in place if something unexpected happens. Planning early gives your children protection and gives your family clear direction.


  • Parents of College-Age Students

    Once a child turns 18, parents may need legal documents to help with medical, financial, or emergency decisions. Powers of attorney, health care surrogate designations, and HIPAA authorizations can help families stay prepared while a student is away at school.


  • Single Parents

    Single parents often need a plan that clearly names guardians, protects children financially, and identifies trusted people to manage important decisions. A well-built estate plan can reduce uncertainty and help protect your children’s future.


  • Blended Families

    Blended families benefit from careful planning that balances the needs of spouses, biological children, stepchildren, and other loved ones. Clear wills, trusts, and beneficiary designations can help prevent confusion and reduce the risk of conflict.


  • LGBTQ+ Families

    Estate planning helps LGBTQ+ individuals and families protect spouses, partners, children, co-parents, and chosen family. The right documents can make your wishes clear and help ensure the people you trust have legal authority when needed.


  • Retirees and Grandparents

    For retirees and grandparents, planning often focuses on preserving assets, updating beneficiary designations, and passing wealth to future generations. Trusts, retirement account planning, and gifting strategies can help create a smoother transition for your family.

Common Questions About Specialized Estate Planning

  • What makes estate planning “specialized”?

    Specialized estate planning addresses goals or family circumstances that require more than a basic will or trust. This may include charitable giving, tax-sensitive gifting, special needs planning, blended families, young children, family conflict concerns, or planning for beneficiaries who need additional protection.


  • Do I need a charitable trust to leave money to charity?

    Not always. Some charitable gifts can be made through a will, trust, beneficiary designation, or direct lifetime gift. A charitable trust may be useful when you want more structure, potential tax benefits, income planning, or long-term control over how charitable gifts are distributed.


  • Can gifting reduce estate taxes?

    Gifting can sometimes reduce future estate tax exposure by moving assets out of your estate during your lifetime. The impact depends on the value of the gift, the recipient, how the transfer is structured, and current federal tax rules. Because gifting can also create reporting obligations, it should be reviewed before significant transfers are made.


  • What is a third-party special needs trust?

    A third-party special needs trust is funded with assets belonging to someone other than the person with a disability, such as a parent or grandparent. It can be used to provide supplemental support while helping preserve access to means-tested benefits when properly structured.


  • Who should serve as trustee of a special needs trust?

    The trustee should be someone responsible, organized, and able to follow trust terms carefully. This person may need to manage funds, make distributions, communicate with family members, and understand how trust payments can affect public benefits. Some families choose an individual trustee, a professional trustee, or a combination of both.


Build a Plan Around Your Family’s Real Needs

Specialized planning helps address the details that standard estate planning documents may miss. Sharpe Planning can help you understand your options and create a plan that reflects your family, your values, and your long-term goals.