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Written by Third View Co-Founder, Jerry R. Sneed, and originally published in Barron’s

When I was in ninth grade, my family adopted my little brother, Eric.

He came from a special-needs program in Connecticut. My mother oversaw programs across the state for women and children. As she puts it, “I met Eric and had to take him home.” When we met him, he couldn’t walk. He was shy and fragile, but his smile was contagious.

Over the years, we taught him to walk again. Proudly, we taught him sarcasm. He’s witty now, the kind of guy who’ll tease you about your haircut or question your relationship choices. But beneath that, Eric can’t take care of himself. His medical needs are lifelong and complex.

When I sat down to write an article about estate planning, I hit a wall. I was fine until I started thinking about my brother, about what happens to Eric when my parents are gone, when I’m gone. That’s when it hits you: how do you protect someone from everything?

When you love someone with special needs, every financial decision feels heavier. You can’t get it wrong. There’s no do-over. The returns can’t be “good enough.” The trustee can’t be “pretty responsible.” The cash flow can’t be “close enough.”

You get one shot to protect someone who can’t protect themselves.

For most of my career, I didn’t seek out families with special-needs planning needs—maybe because I never labeled my brother as “special needs.” He was just my brother, no more of a pain in the ass than any of the other siblings. But writing this forced me to realize this is where I can help families the most: where the technical meets the personal.

So, when it comes to planning for those with special needs, here’s what I’ve learned…

We believe two secular forces will play an increasingly important role in shaping capital markets over the coming decade:

1) The continued Age of Intelligence, as advances in artificial intelligence, data infrastructure, automation, and digital finance drive productivity gains and long-term earnings growth.

2) The Mainstreaming of Private Markets, as broader access and deeper portfolio integration influence capital flows, liquidity dynamics, and investor behavior.

Against this backdrop, balance remains essential as we enter 2026. From a portfolio implementation perspective, we are emphasizing high-quality equities with durable cash flows and selective cyclical exposure, while maintaining fixed income allocations that prioritize duration management and consistent income generation.

These core positions are complemented by targeted global exposure and real assets, which we view as important tools for diversification and downside resilience across varying market and macro conditions. 

Read our full Q4 Viewpoint here:

A: Our name, Third View, embodies our commitment to thoughtful, multidimensional decision-making. We believe true clarity comes from examining every challenge or opportunity from multiple perspectives before reaching a conclusion. While simple answers can sometimes suffice, deeper analysis often reveals better solutions.

This principle is more than just a promise to our clients; it’s a standard we hold ourselves to every day. Curiosity, humility, and relentless exploration are the cornerstones of our approach. We are dedicated to uncovering opportunities others overlook and seeking to ensure our clients benefit from the highest level of insight and strategy.

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Jake McCarthy, Vice President and Private Wealth Advisor, here at Third View, spent a week with Co-Founder Jerry Sneed for what Jake called “Financial Bootcamp”. Jake shared about his experience on LinkedIn, including the 3 important lessons he learned.

More Press

📖 Jerry Sneed on LinkedIn: Top Reads of 2025

That’s all for this month. If you enjoyed the newsletter, the greatest compliment would be to forward it to someone you think would find it valuable. We’ll be back with more next month.
- Frank, Jerry, and Zoltan

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