Newsletter
July 2026
The particular focus of July’s newsletter is the opportunities CCT provides for minors.
Minors, because of their dependency, inexperience, and susceptibility to influence, are vulnerable. We are honored to serve minors whether we are safeguarding a settlement until adulthood through our Settlement Preservation Pooled Trust, protecting benefits through our First-Party Pooled Special Needs Trust, or sheltering an inheritance with either our Third-Party Protection Pooled Trust or our Third-Party Pooled Special Needs Trust. You’ll find out more about how our services for minors can serve your clients.
In this newsletter, you will also read about the parental obligation of support and how it interacts with minors’ trusts, and you will learn from a real-life example in Jessica Morris’s heartfelt piece.
Pictured is a CCT Beneficiary who has kindly given permission for us to share the image.
In my 26 years at the helm of CCT, it has always been difficult when a Trust and Estate Attorney would call to discuss future planning by a parent or grandparent for a minor or vulnerable adult who does not have a disability. At the time, we did not have a solution. Now, with our Third-Party Pooled Protection Trust, we do.
Similarly, when a Personal Injury Attorney calls because their client is a minor receiving an award and does not have a disability, our Settlement Protection Pooled Trust provides a solution.
I hope you will find this newsletter helpful in your practice, and know that we are here to assist.
With gratitude for the opportunity to serve our clients and the trust you have in us,
Joanne Marcus, MSW
President and CEO
Our staff are available to answer questions and provide support.
Counsel & Director of Trust Onboarding
Client Services Coordinator
Trust Onboarding Specialist
Pooled Trust Options for Minors
At CCT, we are committed to helping attorneys, settlement planners, fiduciaries and families find practical trust solutions for vulnerable individuals, injured parties, and people with disabilities. Many of the beneficiaries we serve are minors, and CCT offers several pooled trust options designed to help protect, preserve, and administer funds for children in a thoughtful and practical way.
When a minor receives a settlement, award, or inheritance, the families of minors are often faced with important questions: Where should the funds be held? Who will administer them? What happens if the child has a disability or later becomes eligible for means-tested government benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Medicaid? What if there is no appropriate individual trustee available? The court?
CCT can help address these questions by offering pooled trust solutions tailored to different circumstances. Whether the funds come from a personal injury settlement, wrongful death recovery, estate plan, beneficiary designation, or other inheritance, CCT provides professional trust administration designed to support the minor’s needs while preserving flexibility for the future.
Pictured is a CCT Beneficiary who has kindly given permission for us to share the image.
In all cases, CCT invests funds for potential growth and administers distributions for the benefit of the minor. CCT accepts lump sum deposits and settlements that are structured. Our goal is to help find a reliable, workable solution that supports the child today and plans responsibly for tomorrow.
CCT offers four pooled trust options for minor beneficiaries, depending on the source of the funds and whether a disability or special needs planning concern is present.
First-Party Pooled Special Needs Trust
For minors receiving settlement funds who have a disability
For a minor who receives a settlement and has a disability, CCT’s First-Party Pooled Special Needs Trust, can help preserve eligibility for means-tested benefits such as SSI and Medicaid while allowing the settlement funds to be used for the minor’s supplemental needs.
Joining Kits Available
CCT has joining materials available for you and your clients! In addition to information and documents on our comprehensive and user-friendly website, we offer paper joining kits you can use for your own reference or share with clients. Simply reach out to us to request the type of kits you want and number you need. Keep them on hand in your office to reference and share wth colleagues and clients as needed.
FAQ
Question: What Exactly is a Pooled Trust?
Answer:
Our Client Services Staff Who Sets Us Apart
Written by
Jessica Morris, LCSW
Client Services Manager
When reviewing disbursement requests for minor beneficiaries, is it incumbent upon Commonwealth Community Trust (CCT), as fiduciary, to ensure that the child’s trust not be used for expenses that are considered to be parental responsibility. Generally, parents are obligated to provide the minor with clothing, food, and shelter. Family situations and finances can be complex, however, so CCT evaluates each request individually.
Suzanne is a 2-year-old beneficiary of a Settlement Preservation Pooled Trust, funded by a personal injury settlement. She is raised by a young single mother who secured a job but needed assistance paying for childcare and rent until her paychecks became regular. CCT received a request for Suzanne’s trust to pay for several months of back rent to avoid eviction from their apartment, as well as to temporarily pay a relative to watch Suzanne while her mother is working.
While rent and childcare are considered parent responsibilities, CCT’s team needed to consider all factors in this situation in order to ensure the beneficiary’s housing and ongoing safety. Several factors included steps the mother has taken to apply for benefits and child support, her anticipated income once she is able to work full shifts, and Suzanne’s ongoing needs. Ultimately, it was agreed that the rent cost and childcare would be paid on a short-term basis, while Suzanne’s mother sought an increase in financial stability. The team also considered that ongoing requests for these payments may lead to a plan for the mother to pay back Suzanne’s trust.
CCT’s vision for trust administration includes the consideration of every request as unique and individual. This view may, at times, lead to exceptions requiring out-of-the-box thinking, all with the goal of protecting our beneficiaries.
Conferences & Presentations
July
July 8, 2026 | Brain Injury Florida - Presentation by M. Benjamin Tiefenback, Esq. – Fundamentals of Pooled Special Needs Trusts
July 15, 2026 | Alliance of Pooled Trusts – Monthly Education Program – Presentation by Jessica Morris, MSW – Working with Difficult Clients
July 23, 2026 | Pennsylvania Bar Institute – Elder Law Institute 2026 – CLE Presentation by M. Benjamin Tiefenback, Esq. – Panel: Hot Topics for Pooled Trust
July 23 – 25, 2026 | North Carolina Bar Association – Annual Estate Planning & Fiduciary Law Section
July 29, 2026 | Barbri – Live Webinar - CLE Presentation by M. Benjamin Tiefenback, Esq. & Sean Murphy, Esq. – Basics of a Pooled Special Needs Trust
August
August 6-8, 2026 | South Carolina Advocates for Justice – Annual Convention
August 17, 2026 | Virginia CLE – CLE Presentation by M. Benjamin Tiefenback, Esq. – Protecting Minor Clients: Pooled Special Needs Trusts and Settlement Preservation Pooled Trusts
August 18, 2026 | Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia – Presentation by M. Benjamin Tiefenback, Esq. – Fundamentals of Pooled Special Needs Trusts
August 19, 2026 | Lawline – CLE Presentation by M. Benjamin Tiefenback, Esq. & Sean Murphy, Esq. – Protecting Vulnerable Plaintiffs
August 27, 2026 | Virginia Trial Lawyers Association – Discovery is a Highway: Winning Best Practices Seminar
September
September 10, 2026 | North Carolina Bar – CLE Presentation by M. Benjamin Tiefenback, Esq. & Sean Murphy, Esq. - Using Pooled Trusts as a Safety Net When Drafting Estate Plans
September 11, 2026 | Virginia Academy of Elder Law Attorneys – 2026 Fall Conference
September 15, 2026 | The Alaska Bar Association – CLE Presentation by Sean Murphy, Esq. – Pooled Trust Options for Minor Clients
September 16-19, 2026 | Arcadia – 2026 Annual Meeting
September 17-19, 2026 | Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys – Annual Symposium
(Click the Image to Watch the Video)
Our staff are available to answer questions and provide support.
