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About Us

Since the early 1990s, John Nadworny and Cynthia Haddad have worked together as a parent and sibling team in special needs financial planning. They continue to share their passion and understanding in providing financial planning information to families with special needs as noted speakers on special needs planning for families throughout the country. They have combined their years of personal experience of special needs and professional experience in the field of financial planning to create a Special Letter of Intent (offered on the CD which accompanies their new book, The Special Needs Planning Guide).

John and Cynthia have also contributed to Passport to Independence: Home, Work and Community - a Manual for Families (Specialized Housing, Inc., 2002). They are also contributing authors to various publications and journals, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Kiplinger's Retirement Report, The Boston Globe, Business Week, Bloomberg Wealth Management, Worth Magazine, USA Today, and other well-known periodicals.

John and Cynthia are both noted speakers on special needs planning for families throughout New England.

John and Cynthia are registered representatives and offer securities through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. Financial planning services are offered through Special Needs Financial Planning, LLC, in Waltham, Massachusetts, a registered investment advisor.

CYNTHIA R. HADDAD, CFP®

As a result of her own experience with an adult brother with special needs, Cynthia has dedicated her financial planning practice to helping other families address their unique financial planning needs. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors for The Arc of Massachusetts, and serves on the subcommittee for the upcoming capital campaign. She was honored to co-chair, along with her husband Mark, the 50th anniversary gala celebration for The Arc of Massachusetts in September 2005.

In addition to Cindy and John's new book The Special Needs Planning Guide, Cindy is a contributing author to A Special Needs Planning Guide for Families (Jewish Family & Children's Service, n.d.), a collaborative publication between colleagues to aid families with special needs in the planning process.

Cynthia has served on the Central Middlesex Area Advisory Board for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation and was a member of the committee for residential quality control. She is past chair of the Family-to-Family steering committee and has served as an advisor to the MARC Trust, Inc. (currently Planned Lifetime Assistance Network of Massachusetts, Inc.).

She is a graduate of Simmons College, Boston, MA and is a Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner.

JOHN W. NADWORNY, CFP® ChFC

As a parent and professional, John was appointed to the Governor's Commission on Mental Retardation for three terms. He is currently the chair of the subcommittee on transitioning to adult services. He helped draft the Qualified Disabilities Savings Program proposal that has recently been submitted to President George W. Bush by the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. In his second term on the Governor's Commission, John was the co-chair of the subcommittee on developing an overall plan for private-public housing partnerships between families and the Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation. He also served on the Family-to-Family Advisory Board. John is a past member of the Board of Directors of The Arc of East Middlesex.

John and his wife, Susan, received Distinguished Citizens Awards from The Arc of Massachusetts in 1995 and 1999. They are an active family in Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change. John completed the Ironman USA Triathlon in 1999 to raise funds to help endow the Family-to-Family project, which was established to address the Massachusetts waiting list for residential services.

John has earned a Master of Business Administration from Babson College, a Master of Science from Bentley College, and a Bachelor of Science from Bridgewater State College. He holds the professional designation of Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner, Chartered Financial Consultant, and Chartered Life Underwriter.

In addition to John and Cindy's new book The Special Needs Planning Guide, John is a contributing author to various publications and journals including The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Business Week, Bloomberg Wealth Management, Worth Magazine, and others.