Helping Your College Aged Child During a Crisis

HELPING YOUR COLLEGE AGED CHILD DURING A CRISIS Posted on – 05/02/2017 by PJK Over the years I’ve gotten this question a lot, and now that my oldest daughter just turned 18, I have a vested interest in the answer.  You see, now that she is 18 she is allowed to do several things she couldn’t do before, such as vote and sign legal documents.  On the flip-side, the fact that she is now 18 has also changed things for my wife and me as her parents.  Since she is now legally an adult we no longer have that right to access her medical information, or make financial decisions for her – even during a crisis.  Therefore, in order to help my wife and me sleep a little better, my 18-year-old daughter will be getting her own mini-estate plan.  Her simple estate plan will include the following documents: A Health Care Power of Attorney. This document will allow my wife and me to make medical decisions for my daughter if she’s somehow incapacitated, and it will also give my wife and I access to her medical records if they are needed. The Health Care Power of Attorney is probably the most important of these three for a young adult. A General Financial Power of Attorney. Even though my daughter, like most 18-year-olds, doesn’t have much in the way of personal assets, it’s still helpful to have this document in place so we can help her manage her finances if, for some, reason, she can’t do so herself. A Will. This one is fairly self-explanatory. Everyone should have a will, even if they have little or no assets to pass on. Intestacy (dying without a will) can be an unpredictable and wasteful. If you or a loved one are in need of quality estate planning give me a call.  I will take the time to get to know you, your family, your desires, your concerns, your goals, and any potential future problems. Your estate plan should be a custom designed to meet your goals. Remember, failing to plan, is planning to fail.   Paul Kellogg is an attorney in Cincinnati with the Phillips Law Firm, Inc. Paul’s practice focuses on providing comprehensive estate planning services to families and business owners, as well as providing guidance to entrepreneurs and businesses on a wide variety of transactions and disputes.  He can be reached at (513) 985-2500 or via email at [email protected]           For an initial consultation contact us at (513) 985-2500 or email us at [email protected] or click Chat Now!® to get started immediately.