The 5 Documents Every Adult Over 18 Needs (Yes, Even Your College Student)
The day your child turns 18, something quietly changes that most parents never see coming. In the eyes of the law, they are now an adult, and you lose the automatic right to step in for them.
That means if your 18 or 19 year old is in an accident, you may not be able to make medical decisions, speak with their doctors, or even get an update on their condition. If their accounts need handling while they recover, you may have no legal authority to touch them. Being their parent is no longer enough on its own.
Five documents fix this:
- Durable Financial Power of Attorney. Allows a trusted person to manage money matters if they are unable to.
- Health Care Power of Attorney. Lets your young adult name you, or someone they trust, to make medical decisions if they cannot make those decisions themselves.
- Mental Health Care Power of Attorney. Lets that same trusted person make mental health treatment decisions for them if they are unable to.
- Living Will. Sets out their wishes for end of life care, so no one has to guess.
- HIPAA Authorization. Gives you the legal right to receive information from their doctors, so you are never left in the dark.
These are not documents only older adults need. For a young person heading to college or out into the world, they are the difference between you being able to help and being shut out at the worst possible moment.
It takes very little to put these in place, and it gives your whole family real peace of mind.