PROTECTING TOMORROW TODAY

Having a secure financial future is no easy feat. Often, individuals and families find financial planning daunting and have little idea where to begin. The stakes are even higher for families whose loved ones have disabilities.

Barrington resident Mary Anne Ehlert, founder and president of Protected Tomorrows, works with families to financially protect members who have health conditions or impairments. Forty years in the financial industry have armed Ehlert with the analytical skills to help secure optimistic futures. More importantly, Ehlert’s own life experiences have graced her with compassion and empathy for families of the disabled.

Growing up, Ehlert witnessed the emotional and financial complexities of living with a loved one with a disability. One of six siblings, her sister Marcia, whom she was particularly close to, was born with cerebral palsy. “I saw firsthand the difficulties our parents had in making sure Marcia would be cared for when they could no longer do so,” she says.

After a successful tenure in the corporate financial world as an executive for almost 20 years, her sister’s life inspired Ehlert to venture into a unique financial planning career on her own. “Marcia helped me discover that I can make a difference in the lives of others,” she explains. In 1990, she founded Ehlert Financial Group and Protected Tomorrows.

For most parents of children with disabilities, time and resources are spent in the here and now. Few know how to ensure their children’s future will be safe and secure. “At Protected Tomorrows, parents are guided through this stressful, complex, and heart-wrenching process,” Ehlert says. Not only are the families impacted financially, but they also have to understand the maze of government benefits, find attorneys with unique expertise, and navigate the complexity of special education, supported employment, and long-term residential support.

Now, 35 years later, Protected Tomorrows has eight employees and a waiting list of clients from all across the country. “Many members of my team also have family members with disabilities,” observes Ehlert. “Our clients feel comfortable taking advice from people who have been through what they’re going through.” The Protected Tomorrows team crafts custom solutions for families, provides instruction through books, webinars, and online tools that families can follow at their own pace, and offers one-on-one consulting. The team also hosts meetings and conferences at the Midwest Protected Tomorrows Life Center. “I am constantly reinforcing how important the whole team I work with is to me in what I’m building, and that they are the reason we can do what we do,” she says.

Ehlert frequently uses her own book, The Gift I Was Given, to help families. She is regularly asked to speak to major disability groups to help teach and assist their communities.

Recognized around the nation as an important resource for families of the disabled, Protected Tomorrows works with numerous organizations that serve the caregivers of vulnerable populations ranging from children with developmental and physical disabilities to those diagnosed with mental health issues to those with aging and cognitive disabilities.

Ehlert envisions not only a brighter future for her clients but also expanded horizons for Protected Tomorrows. “Our next step is to utilize more online tools and build teams on the ground who can be trained to work with families just as we do,” she says. “We hope to use our experience and creativity to help build new solutions and access to new opportunities.”

Protected Tomorrows is located at 103 Schelter Road, Suite 10, in Lincolnshire, 847-522-8086, protectedtomorrows.com.