F3 – An Overview of Pooled Trusts in California

Families of individuals with disabilities face critical choices about housing that ensures safety, stability, and a meaningful quality of life. This session equips fiduciaries, trustees, and planning professionals with a practical framework for designing, documenting, and administering long-term housing plans—whether the home is acquired during the parent’s lifetime or through a trust after their death.

Attendees will explore legal, financial, and practical considerations, including property selection, accessibility, safety, maintenance, funding, and integration with public benefits such as California’s Regional Center system, Supported Living Services, and IHSS. Real-world checklists from a contractor-trained REALTOR and guidance on court-supervised decisions will show fiduciaries how to safeguard trust assets, preserve benefits, and ensure sustainable, lifelong housing solutions for beneficiaries.

Speakers

Michelle Wolf

JLA Trust

Michelle Wolf is the Founding Executive Director of JLA Trust and has nearly three decades of experience in the Jewish, nonprofit, and governmental sectors with a focus on social services and disability support. Before launching JLA Trust, she served as the Transitions Coordinator at Bet Tzedek, where she created a 42-member cross-agency coalition bridging the developmental disability and aging communities. She previously directed the Caring for Jews in Need department at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. Michelle also writes a monthly column for the Jewish Journal on disability and social service issues.

Stephen W. Dale, Esq., LLM, Trustee

Golden State Pooled Trust

https://www.gspt.org

Stephen W. Dale received his JD from Armstrong Law School and his LL.M. in Taxation from Golden Gate University. His law firm provides quality estate planning to clients with a special focus on the needs of persons with disabilities and their families.

Peter Wall

True Link Financial

Pete Wall is a Director with True Link Financial, a national leader in financial tools and administrative support for pooled Special Needs Trusts across the country. Through his work with pooled trust programs in multiple states, Pete provides extensive expertise in trust administration, benefit protection systems, and fiduciary best practices. As a member of the Alliance of Pooled Trusts, he offers a broad national perspective on how pooled trusts operate, common challenges across jurisdictions, and how fiduciaries can collaborate effectively with nonprofit pooled trust programs while maintaining neutrality and avoiding conflicts of interest.