About
Mother first.
Associate Estate Planning Practitioner second.
Hi, I'm Danielle.
I'm a mother of a special needs adult, based in Singapore.
For years, I carried a question I couldn't answer: who will take care of my child when I'm gone? I didn't know where to start. The legal terminology felt foreign. The financial structures seemed impossibly complex. And the emotional weight of it all — the fear, the avoidance — made it easier to just not think about it.
Then I got sick. And lying in a hospital bed, watching my child's face, I realized I couldn't avoid this anymore. I had to know. I had to build something. I had to make sure my child would be okay.
So I learned. I read. I talked to lawyers and financial planners and other parents. I made mistakes. I started over. I built a plan. And five years later, I became an AEPP® — not to add letters after my name, but so I could sit beside other parents like me.
I did it so I could tell you: you don't have to figure this out alone. You don't have to carry this question by yourself. There's a path. It exists. And someone who has walked it can show you the way.
That's what MettaLuma is for.
Who I Am
My name is Danielle, and I am a financial educator and licensed Estate Planning Practitioner (AEPP) with over 20 years of experience in investment management across equities, fixed income, and real estate.
~ LLB (Law), BA Political Science & Economics
Scope of Work
Clarity Reduces Confusion
A deeper understanding leads to better decisions. Below, I address the most frequent questions from parents who are seeking a clear, confident path toward building a lasting financial legacy for their special needs child.
1. What happens to my child when I'm gone? How do I know they'll be okay?
You can't be there. But you can build a structure that lasts beyond you. Through guardianship planning, naming a trustee who understands your child, and the right financial frameworks (like a Special Needs Trust), your child has continuity, protection, and someone who knows them. Not perfect. But protected. And that's what a plan does.
2. How do I choose the right person to take over? What if no one is willing?
Start by asking: Who knows my child? Who loves them? Who can make decisions without becoming overwhelmed? It's often a sibling, but not always. Sometimes it's a trusted friend, an aunt, or even a professional caregiver. The key is having that conversation now — not waiting for an emergency. And if you don't have one person, you build a "circle of support" — two or three people sharing responsibility instead. That's actually stronger than one person alone.
3. What if my children fight over caregiving? I don't want my other kids to resent their sibling.
This is real. Resentment happens when one sibling is invisible, overwhelmed, and doing it all alone. It doesn't happen when there's a clear plan, shared responsibility, and everyone knows their role before the crisis. Planning protects your other children too. It says: "I'm not asking one of you to sacrifice everything. Here's how we do this together."
4. I'm the only one who knows how to care for my child — all the routines, what calms them, what they need. What if something happens to me suddenly?
This is the invisible knowledge problem. Everything you've built exists only in your head. That's why a "Letter of Intent" isn't just bureaucracy — it's your voice on paper. Your child's Tuesday. How they like their tea. What they're afraid of. Who makes them feel safe. When something happens to you, the people stepping in aren't guessing. They have your instructions.
5. How do I know I'm making the right decisions? What if I'm not protecting enough — or protecting too much?
You don't know. No parent does. But the research is clear: families who plan have less anxiety and better outcomes for their kids. Families who don't experience chaos. So the "right" decision isn't a perfect decision. It's a real decision — one you've thought through, documented, and prepared others for. That's enough. That's everything.
MettaLuma does not provide personalized financial, investment, tax, or legal advice.
