Special Needs Certified Financial PlanningTM Founder
Liz Yoder
Founder
Liz Yoder
Founder
Liz is a Certified Financial PlanningTM Professional and is serving our clients as the Director of Financial Planning. Liz joined Planning Across the Spectrum in February 2021 after working with two traditional financial planning firms. She will work mostly remotely from Maryland, where she lives with her husband, son, puppy and backyard chickens. She is excited to move beyond traditional into the specialized world supporting families with I/DD and ASD.
Liz found the path to financial planning while attending national disability conferences held in the DC area when she was a live-in care giver and member of L’Arche home. Each conference, parents and siblings had the questions of how to keep lifeline benefits in-tact. At each conference, she met very few people who did not have a family member with a diagnosis. She grew frustrated that not enough people were doing the work to educate families and lift the earning potential of ready to work people who receive government benefits.
Liz grew up along shoreline Connecticut, where her family still resides.
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We are a certified financial planningTM firm specializing in financial solutions for families with special needs dependent children of all ages. Our company was founded on a simple but powerful belief: families with special needs children require specialized financial planning guidance and support. Our founder and certified financial plannerTM, Liz Yoder, knows firsthand what it is like to care for a special needs dependent, having experienced the joys and challenges of caregiving. This passion drives our commitment to provide compassionate, personalized financial services to parents and families who share similar experiences.
We understand that financial planning for families with special needs dependent children is a complex matter. We also understand that the financial security and well-being of these families are deeply interconnected. Our financial planners work closely with families to develop customized financial plans that address the specific needs of your child and family. Our expertise and personal approach helps each family receives the support they need to achieve their financial goals and protect their assets.
We believe that every family deserves to live the life they envision, and we are dedicated to helping our clients achieve the financial freedom they need to maintain their quality of life while providing the best possible care for their special needs children. Our company's mission is to serve as a trusted partner, guiding parents every step of the way, so they can focus on what matters most - their loved ones. We strive every day to achieve this mission, and we look forward to being your partner on your financial planning journey.
Special Needs Referral Partners
Our referral partners manage planning considerations that we do not, including financial coaching and insurance.
Our Certified Financial Planners do not currently hold insurance licenses because we want to eliminate any conflict of interest when we recommend you review your insurance policies with a qualified professional. We are happy to have colleagues who are a part of the disability community who work independently from any individual insurance company.
Robert Dillard
Medicare and Insurance Specialist
Robert Dillard
Medicare and Insurance Specialist
Robert Dillard has been involved in the insurance industry since 2007. Robert chose to focus on property and casualty insurance before discovering a passion for advanced planning through life insurance.
Because of his own struggles with dyslexia and his son’s autism spectrum diagnosis, Robert has realized a great need for knowledgeable professionals to help neurodivergent individuals and their families navigate the complex and often frustrating world of insurance.
Robert continuously strives to fill this need and ensure that those he serves are taken care of no matter the situation. In his free time Robert is usually with his wife, son, and two dogs, Abby and Daisy. They enjoy spending time outdoors, swimming, visiting aquariums, and hiking.
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Shannon Caissie
Director of Financial Education And Wellness
Shannon Caissie
Director of Financial Education And Wellness
Shannon Caissie (she/her or they/them) is a credit counselor in Barkhamsted, Connecticut, certified by the NACCC to educate others on the workings of credit scoring and reporting, as well as basic money management.
Her special interest in the credit scoring system and financial literacy in general is partly inspired by growing up watching her mother navigate feeding a family of 7 on a single low income. Today, she recognizes how little most people know about finances even years after entering the world of loans, mortgages, and credit scoring. Her goal is to change that, one family at a time.
Diagnosed with autism as an adult, she has experience with the difficulties of moving through school, life, and a career in retail without proper support, but now wishes to help others in similar situations reach stability. In her free time, Shannon enjoys watching Star Trek with her partner Evan and talking about chicken behaviorism to anyone who will listen.
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Deeply rooted within the special needs community.