Stephen Ehrens, CPA, CLTC

Office: 203-256-2162

1 Eliot Pl Ste 200
Fairfield, CT 06824-5154

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Stephen Ehrens, CPA, CLTC: An Expert in Special Needs Planning

Parents of children with special needs are faced with extraordinary challenges every day of their lives.  Looking "Beyond One Day at a Time", however, will help ensure that the quality of life parents have envisioned for their children, if they are no longer able to care for their loved ones, will continue and thrive.  Being prepared, setting goals for the future and understanding what it takes to achieve those goals are imperative to your family's future-and will make a world of difference. 

Financial Advisor Stephen Ehrens has made it his personal and professional goal to ensure that families look to their children's life "Beyond One Day at a Time" with knowledge, optimism, hope and confidence. 

As a Financial Professional and a passionate advocate for his child with special needs, Steve is uniquely positioned to guide parents through the process of developing a customized financial and life care plan for their child tailored to meet his/her future needs.

Learn more about special needs families.

Team Members:

Jeannie St. Onge - Administrative Assistant

Allan Alper -Strategic Employee Benefit Services

Josh Miller - Director of Financial Security Support

Special Needs Workshops

One of Steve's passions is to address special needs groups in Connecticut and New York to empower parents and caregivers on the value of developing a special needs trust life care plan. 

 
Here is a list of Online Resources: 

• The Northwestern Mutual Five-Step Special Needs Planning Process
• U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Ed and Rehabilitative Services
• Connecticut Birth to Three Program
• Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities
• Connecticut State Department of Education Special Education Link
• SERC State Education Resource Guide
• Autism Spectrum Resource Center
• Connecticut Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities
• Connecticut Down Syndrome Congress
• Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center (CPAC)
• SEPTA (Special Education PTA'S)
• Special Olympics Connecticut 
• Autism Spectrum News

My Mission

My mission is to meet with each family, one at a time, and ensure that their hopes and dreams of financial security will be achieved-as I have done for my own family.  In my ten years of experience in helping numerous families, I believe I have developed unique solutions through meaningful relationships which have resulted in financial security. You can count on me to deliver a combination of products, services and support uniquely suited to your financial security needs.

New Interactive 2009 Annual Report

Managing Your Money In A Downturn

Northwestern Mutual was recently featured in The New York Times Wealth Matters column, "Never Mind Your 401(k). How’s Your Insurance?" about the importance of managing risk in the current economic environment, and strategies that the wealthy use to manage not only their money but their overall well-being. Northwestern Mutual Executive Vice President Greg Oberland comments about how people should be rethinking and managing their insurance needs in a downturn. Read the article (PDF).

Community Involvement

Part of Steve Ehrens involvement in the community is working with special education PTA's, private schools, and other special needs organizations in planning special needs trust workshops. Steve always invites a highly respected estates and trust attorney to accompany him, in order to provide parents with the best legal advice when making future decisions for their special needs child.

Steve has educated parents throughout Connecticut and New York addressing over 50 organizations i.e.,  special education PTA's in Wesport, Farmington, Wilton, Fairfield, Orange: JCC's of Stamford and New Haven; private schools i.e., The Grove School, Villa Maria, Westchester Exceptional School and The Foundation School etc.; public schools and organizations i.e., Abilis, Pilot House and Apraxia Group. Steve is part of The Bender Group which hosts a golf tournament annually for Special Olympics. They have just won the Northwestern Mutual Foundation 2010 Community Award for their support of Special Olympics.

In Steve's endeavor to enlighten parents, he has received very positive feedback, including the following note from the Westchester Exceptional School, North Salem, New York:

Dear Steve:

May 14, 2007

We are deeply appreciative of the outstanding presentation that you and Adrienne (attorney) made at our school on May 8th.

We have received enthusiastic expressions of gratitude from those parents who attended. The information that you provided and the manner in which you communicatedwas sensitively validated by your having a daughter with a developmental disability. We look forward to your return visit in 2009.

Sincerely,

W. Carlton Smith 

It has been my pleasure to work with Stephen Ehrens.  For the last several years, we have combined our expertise by addressing special needs parent groups  -  empowering families and navigating their financial and legal planning for the future of a child with special needs.

Steve has always displayed the utmost professionalism in his role, demonstrated a broad knowledge base and has been dedicated to helping families realize their financial security for the future.

We are also committed to making a difference in the special needs professional community by co-sponsoring  events which are forums for the exchange of new ideas and networking opportunities which will ultimately benefit our clients and the community as a whole.

Attorney Greta E. Solomon, Partner, Cohen and Wolf, P.C.

Chair, Estates, Trust and Taxes