There are many milestones on the way to adulthood. Almost every American remembers those rites of passage, like getting a driver’s license. The age of majority is 18 (in every state of which I am aware) and is one of these milestones. It is the age at which an individual may make decisions for themselves concerning a wide range of issues, such as contracts, health care, and disposition of assets upon death. It is the age at which every child should have their own estate plan, even if they do not … [Read more...] about Coming of Age Means Doing Estate Planning
HIPAA
College Coeds Need a HIPAA Release
As your clients send their “babies” off to college, each one should each be armed with a HIPAA Release along with their comforter and laptop computer. Steve Hartnett emphasized this in his June 6 post about the legal document needs of adult children: youngsters who’ve turned 18 are now legal adults are subject to HIPAA in their own right. If you still need convincing, consider this additional evidence from your colleagues: Two estate planning attorneys have told me their own PERSONAL STORIES … [Read more...] about College Coeds Need a HIPAA Release
Estate Planning for Adult Children
Once children reach the age of majority, the parents are no longer able to make decisions for them, regardless of how much they would like to do so! After the age of majority, typically eighteen, the children legally make decisions for themselves and parents have no rights to do so for them. Sometimes this can present a problem that the savvy estate planner can foresee and solve. In fact, it is solving a problem the client may not even know exists. For example, let’s take the typical estate … [Read more...] about Estate Planning for Adult Children
