Special savings accounts help "ABLE" disabled family members

Many families have a child with a disability, or maybe an aging parent who's become disabled.

Now there's a relatively new way to save money for disabled family members without jeopardizing government benefits.

They're called ABLE accounts, savings plans with tax-advantages created by Congress, but that most people have never heard of.

Under federal law, many disabled people lose federal benefits if they have more than $2,000 in savings.

ABLE accounts get you beyond that $2,000 limit.

Here's how they work.

You can open an ABLE account for a disabled child or an adult who was disabled before the age of 26.

Then you contribute up to $14,000 a year to that account and it grows tax-free. You can withdraw money from the account tax-free as long as you use it for qualified expenses.

The best part is anyone can donate to the account, meaning friends or family members can offer their financial support as well.

Many companies such as Fidelity can help you set up an ABLE account and can fill you in on a few restrictions.

But with ABLE you may be more able to help a disabled loved one.