Ann Hynek

Ann Hynek is the Founder of Hestia Wealth and Wellness, specializing in comprehensive financial and life planning for families navigating the complex world of special needs and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

After building a 15-year career leading marketing strategy at premier financial institutions, including BlackRock and Morgan Stanley, Ann experienced firsthand how challenging it is to navigate the special needs system when her son was diagnosed with autism at age 3. That journey revealed a critical gap: families need more than just financial advice. They need an integrated approach that addresses benefits optimization, care coordination, transition planning, and long-term wealth preservation.

At Hestia Wealth and Wellness, Ann combines strategic thinking honed at the highest levels of financial services with lived experience as a parent of a child with special needs. She helps families create comprehensive roadmaps that cover SSI/SSDI benefits, ABLE accounts, special needs trusts, estate planning, residential transitions, and lifetime care cost projections. Her approach ensures families can focus on what matters most, their loved one's quality of life, while knowing the financial and logistical pieces are in place.

Whether families are just beginning their journey, navigating a major transition, or planning for their long-term future, Ann provides clarity, strategy, and ongoing support through every stage.

Ann is a member of The Academy of Special Needs Planners and is a Chartered Special Needs Consultant (ChSNC). She also serves on the Board of Directors for two non-profit organizations, Disability Law United and GlobalMindED. She has a Master’s degree in Business Administration with a finance specialization from the University of Colorado-Denver and a Bachelor’s in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.