Keep your child safe while they’re away at school or traveling abroad

Do you have a college bound kid? You may want to draft a few documents before sending them off. We recommend that our clients with children who are age 18 and older consider drafting a Power of Attorney and Health Care Directive before they leave for school.

A Power of Attorney can give you financial rights and/or rights to decision making to help your son or daughter through their college career. This is extremely helpful in the event that your child is in an accident and cannot speak for themselves, as you would have the rights to pay their bills or seek out the help they need, without requiring your child’s approval. Additionally, the college may not give you information on your student without proper authorization. If you want a copy of their grades or list of their classes, you have no power without the proper documents.

In addition, we strongly suggest setting up a Health Care Directive so that in the case of a medical emergency, you are able to have the authority to make medical decisions on their behalf if they are incapacitated. We especially recommend these documents for kids that are traveling abroad or going on trips for spring break.

The documents are fairly simple to draft and just require your signature, along with that of your child. If you are interested in this, please give me a call and I can refer you to an outstanding attorney to draft the papers for you.