What Hope Trust does

Hope Trust (legally Hope Portal Services, Inc., incorporated in Delaware) is a U.S.-based fintech founded in 2018 that provides a SaaS platform for special needs life care planning and trust administration. The company serves three primary customer segments: families with special needs dependents, financial advisors and wealth managers, and institutional trustees at banks and trust companies. Its core product, the Hope Care Plan, is generated through 20+ proprietary dynamic surveys with decision-tree architecture that synthesizes beneficiary information across medical, legal, financial, and social domains into a personalized life care document. Supporting modules include a Document Vault supporting 65+ document types, MYTO (Meet Your Trust Objective) financial planning tool, budgeting and asset aggregation with bank account linking, comprehensive medication recordkeeping, event scheduling, provider tracking, and a permissioned multi-user access system.

The company operates a hybrid monetization model: a freemium consumer subscription with a $50/month Total Care tier on a 24-month contract; a B2B Partner Professional Tier at $400/month on a 24-month contract with branded portals for financial advisors and insurance professionals; a la carte professional services including Special Needs Trust Generation ($1,000), Nurse Case Manager Assistance ($600), Benefits Analysis ($1,500), Education Assessment ($900), Home/Housing Assessment ($3,000), and Caregiver Assessment ($3,000); and fiduciary/trustee services starting at 85 basis points on assets under management. Go-to-market combines direct self-service via app.hopecareplan.com with a partner network of 41 financial services firms (life insurance providers and RIAs) and enterprise sales to banks and trust companies. BMO Harris Bank became the first bank partner in May 2021, piloting 20 complimentary one-year licenses, following participation in BMO's inaugural women's fintech accelerator in 2020. Marketing is driven by content/SEO, educational webinars, and partner referrals.

The company was co-founded by Daria Placitella (former PNC Bank regional president and managing executive for the Eastern U.S. overseeing $20B AUM), Russell J. Fishkind, Esq. (Chairman and General Counsel; co-author of a J.K. Lasser Pro estate planning reference and 3,000+ estate plans drafted), and Joshua A. Fishkind, Esq. (JD/MBA). The operating leadership includes a COO, Chief Clinical Coordinator (PhD neuropsychologist), Chief Care Coordinator (DNP), and CTO. Hope Trust is headquartered at the Bell Labs Holmdel Complex in Holmdel, New Jersey, with 11-50 employees, no disclosed institutional venture or private equity backing, and approximately $2.8M in disclosed funding raised across 2018 and 2019. The platform has no public API, no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, and operates domestically within the United States.

Name

Hope Trust

Legal name

Hope Portal Services, Inc.

Website

https://hopetrust.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hope Trust is a U.S. fintech offering a SaaS platform for special needs life care planning and trust administration, serving families, financial advisors, and institutional trustees with dynamic care plan generation, document storage, and optional fiduciary services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Needs Life Care Planning & Trust Administration Software

NAICS

Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Health and Welfare Funds (52512)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Needs & Supplemental Needs Trust Services (FSAAANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Estate Planning, Trust Structuring & Governance (FSAAADAF), Trust & Estate Tax Planning & Compliance (FSAEAKAE), Trust, Fiduciary & Estate Planning Services (FSABADAG), Rare Disease & Special Needs Support Organizations (BPAGACAM)

Keywords

• Special needs planning
• Trust administration
• Life care planning
• Fiduciary services
• Special needs trust

Headquarters

HQ city

Holmdel

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Fees (Core Care/Total Care): Monthly subscription revenue from two tiers: Core Care (Free tier with limited features) and Total Care ($50/month with full platform access). The freemium model drives user acquisition with upgrade path to paid services.
2. Professional Services: A la carte services including Nurse Case Manager Assistance ($600), Benefits Analysis ($1,500), Education Assessment ($900), Home/Housing Assessment ($3,000), Caregiver Assessment ($3,000), and Special Needs Trust Generation ($1,000).
3. Fiduciary Services (Trustee): Ongoing trust administration services when Hope Trust is appointed as trustee, charged at 85 basis points starting rate on assets under management.
4. Concierge Services: Hourly concierge services at $250/hour for sourcing, coordinating and delivering care services including nursing, household assistance, entertainment, travel and daily living support.
5. Partner Platform Fees: Partner tier pricing at $400/month (24-month contract) for financial advisors and professionals who want to offer Hope Trust services to their clients, including branded portal and account management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hope Trust provides a SaaS-based life care planning and special needs trust administration platform for families with special needs individuals and the professionals who serve them. The platform combines a dynamic questionnaire-driven care plan generator, a secure document vault, budgeting and medication tracking tools, and optional professional services including special needs trust document generation, fiduciary/trustee services, concierge care coordination, and a range of assessments (benefits, home/housing, education, caregiver). It also offers a white-label partner portal for financial advisors, banks, and trust companies.

Product overview

Hope Trust offers a unified SaaS platform for special needs life care planning and trust administration. The core product is the Hope Care Plan (formerly Hope Care Plan Document), a dynamic questionnaire-driven platform that generates comprehensive life care plans for individuals with special needs. The platform operates on a tiered model: a free Core Care tier with limited access to the Care Planning Tool, Document Vault (5GB), and basic features; and a paid Total Care tier ($50/month) with full platform access including 10GB document storage, live bank account linking, the MYTO (Meet Your Trust Objective) financial planning tool, concierge services, fiduciary/trustee services, and all premium add-ons. Key modules include the Hope Trust App (mobile/desktop portal), Document Vault, Medication Recordkeeping, Event Scheduling, Provider Tracking, and Permissioned Access controls. Add-on professional services (priced separately) include Special Needs Trust Generation ($1,000), Nurse Case Manager Assistance ($600), Benefits Analysis ($1,500), Home/Housing Assessment ($3,000), Education Assessment ($900), and Caregiver Assessment ($3,000). The platform is designed for families, care coordinators, financial advisors, and institutional trustees managing special needs trusts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hope Care Plan A dynamic, comprehensive life care plan document containing medical history, care nuances, and personal information for beneficiaries with special needs. Generated through a proprietary decision-tree intake questionnaire covering medical, legal, social, and financial domains.
• Hope Trust App Mobile and desktop application platform for registering, creating care plans, managing trust documents, and accessing Hope Trust's suite of services including budgeting, document vault, and care coordination.
• SNAP (Special Needs Assessment Preparation) Free multi-step assessment form that helps families identify strengths and weaknesses in their existing care plans across background, daily needs, financial needs, and legal needs categories.
• Hope Portal (Partner Platform) White-label tech platform for partners offering life care plan access, successor care coordination, gap analysis, document organization, customized SNT drafting, provider tracking, emergency contact management, budget building, medication tracking, and daily schedule management.
• Special Needs Trust Generation Custom third-party special needs trust document generation ready for attorney review and execution, incorporating the Hope Care Plan into the trust document.
• Fiduciary / Trustee Services Special needs-focused fiduciary/trustee services for managing and administering special needs trusts in accordance with grantor wishes. Starting at 85 basis points on assets under management.
• Hope Trust Concierge Services Care Coordinator services that source, coordinate, and deliver care including daily living tasks, household management, paperwork, and arranging activities. Available for paid tier users at $250/hour.
• Nurse Case Manager Assistance Onboarding support with registered nurse case managers providing up to 4 hours of guidance through care plan creation. Priced at $600.
• Benefits Analysis Assessment identifying currently available benefits and recommendations for applying and maximizing benefits including Medicaid/medical, Medicare, private insurance, SSI/SSDI, Veterans Affairs, housing, and food. Priced at $1,500.
• Home/Housing Assessment Comprehensive home assessment documenting acute medical care, quality of life and long-term care objectives, including modification opportunities, maintenance needs, and recommendations. Priced at $3,000.
• Education Assessment Individualized education plan evaluation and review for education needs and support options, including IEP and 504 plan support. Priced at $900.
• Caregiver Assessment Written assessment evaluating a loved one's care and quality of life needs and caregiver support requirements with recommendations on the level of support required. Priced at $3,000.
• Hope Trust Network Network of professional partners offering funding plan and investment management, conservatorship/guardianship, estate planning, ABLE account setup, and special needs trust administration services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 years of strong performance with only 1% renewal rate increase
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and supporting.

• BMO Harris BankflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2021BMO Harris Bank is Hope Trust's first bank partner. The $154.3 billion asset bank is testing Hope Trust's portal with 20 complimentary one-year licenses for current and prospective clients. BMO included Hope Trust in its inaugural women's fintech mentoring program in 2020. The partnership helps BMO serve special needs trust beneficiaries while preserving government benefits like Medicaid.
• BMO Accelerator ProgramcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018Hope Trust is the third graduate of the BMO accelerator program, having previously partnered with SpringFour (financial wellness) and Genivity (AI longevity software). The accelerator provided mentorship, resources, and connections leading to the banking partnership.
• Financial Services Firms (41 partners)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHope Trust works with 41 financial services firms including life insurance providers and registered investment advisers since launching in January. These partners refer clients to Hope Trust for special needs planning services and trust administration technology.
• Local Care Provider NetworksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHope Trust has partnerships with local providers who conduct in-person visits to beneficiaries on weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis. Visit frequency is determined by family needs and can be modified at any time.
• Steven L. Rubin, CELAsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSteven L. Rubin is a Certified Elder Law Attorney serving on Hope Trust's Board of Directors. He is a member of multiple bar associations and focuses on elder law, estate planning, Medicaid planning, life care planning, disability and special needs planning, trust planning and administration.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• MassMutual SpecialCare: MassMutual's SpecialCare program is a long-established special needs planning offering from a top-tier US life insurer, providing financial planning tools, lifetime care funding strategies, and connections to attorneys and benefits specialists. Highly comparable because both serve families with special needs dependents with bundled planning and advisory services, though MassMutual delivers through financial advisors and insurance products rather than a SaaS platform.
• Northwestern Mutual Special Needs Planning: Northwestern Mutual offers dedicated special needs planning services through its financial advisors, including special needs trust funding, government benefits coordination, and life care planning. Directly comparable to Hope Trust because both target families with disabled dependents; Hope Trust's SVP Debbie Niemann was previously a special needs specialist at Northwestern Mutual, illustrating the overlap in service approach.
• The Arc of the United States: The Arc is a national nonprofit organization providing advocacy, resources, and support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Comparable to Hope Trust because both serve families navigating special needs care planning, though The Arc operates as a nonprofit advocacy/resource network rather than a technology-enabled planning platform.
• Wells Fargo Special Needs Trust Services: Wells Fargo offers special needs trust administration through its wealth management division, serving as corporate trustee for SNTs. Comparable to Hope Trust's BMO Harris partnership model and its own fiduciary services; both compete for the same institutional trustee relationships, though Wells Fargo is a full-service national bank with substantially more scale.
• Fidelity Wealth Management (Special Needs Planning): Fidelity offers special needs planning resources, brokerage accounts, and trust services for families with disabled dependents through its wealth management platform. Comparable to Hope Trust as a major wealth management incumbent serving the same target demographic with planning tools and trust capabilities, though Fidelity operates at vastly greater scale and does not specialize in SNT-specific technology.

Direct peers

• Commonwealth Trust Company: Commonwealth Trust Company is a specialized trustee focused on special needs and pooled trusts, serving as corporate trustee for SNTs across the US. Direct peer to Hope Trust's fiduciary services because both administer special needs trusts and preserve beneficiary government benefits, though Commonwealth operates as a traditional trust company while Hope Trust combines trustee services with a technology platform.
• Special Needs Alliance: Special Needs Alliance is a national network of attorneys specializing in disability law, special needs trust drafting, and public benefits planning. Direct peer because members serve the same families with special needs planning needs that Hope Trust targets, though the alliance is a lawyer referral network rather than a software platform — Hope Trust positions itself as a complementary or competing solution depending on the attorney's technology adoption.
• PLAN of California (Pooled Special Needs Trusts): PLAN of California operates one of the largest pooled special needs trusts in the US, providing low-cost trust administration and pooled investment management for beneficiaries. Direct peer to Hope Trust's fiduciary services because both administer SNTs to preserve government benefits, though PLAN operates as a nonprofit pooled trust rather than a technology-enabled individualized planning platform.

Emerging players

• ABLE National Resource Center: ABLE National Resource Center provides information and tools related to ABLE accounts, a tax-advantaged savings vehicle for individuals with disabilities that complements SNTs. Comparable to Hope Trust because both support special needs financial planning and benefits optimization, though ABLE NRC focuses specifically on ABLE accounts while Hope Trust addresses the broader SNT and care planning ecosystem.

Others

• National Disability Institute: National Disability Institute is a nonprofit organization focused on financial wellness and economic empowerment for people with disabilities. Thematically related to Hope Trust because both serve the financial planning needs of special needs families, though NDI focuses on policy advocacy, research, and financial education rather than direct service delivery or technology platforms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hopetrustplan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hope Trust