Back to School: Emergency Contacts Lead to Thoughts of Guardianship

I too am so surprised at how quickly Summer flew by. August is here which means the school year is about to begin. Preschools to colleges are already sending out forms to complete including; health releases and emergency contact forms. Although many parents look upon these forms as a time-consuming necessary evil, they can actually provide a nice opportunity to think about other legal documents that also require you to nominate a person or couple to be there for your child.

1. For you, in your Will it means choosing a primary and contingent Guardian (someone local and someone perhaps in another state or country).
2. For your 18 year-old child it means letting them make the very important ADULT decision to appoint someone who can help with a financial or medical decision if they are unable to act on their own.

Both decisions are the most important estate planning appointments you can make. For so many of my clients it is also the most difficult.

The most important thing to remember is that you don’t have to do it alone. I am here to help walk you through the process and explain everything in a way that is positive and easy to understand.

Nominating Guardian(s) (both temporary and permanent) and Agents for your two Power of Attorneys are appointments you hope never to have to use—but absolutely you want them if you ever need them.

“I’d rather regret the things I have done than the things that I haven’t.” Lucille Ball