You may think of estate planning as something that people with dependents and significant assets need to do and not your child who is fresh out of high school and headed for college. However, there are a few important estate planning documents that all adults who are 18 and over need to have, and a Portland estate planning attorney may be able to assist in creating those documents.

A college student needs, at minimum, durable powers of attorney that deal with healthcare and finances. Once a person turns eighteen, that person's parents are no longer legally permitted to handle the person's healthcare and financial decisions. This means that if the student becomes incapacitated without a durable power of attorney in place, a parent will be unable to step in and tell medical professionals how to handle the person's health care. The parent will also be unable to take care of the student's financial matters.

Along with a durable power of attorney for health care, a parent may also need to get HIPAA release forms so that medical information about the student can be shared. An attorney such as Kali Yost Law may be able to assist a parent and student in completing these documents.

There are other reasons besides the possibility of becoming incapacitated that parents may want to have power of attorney. If the student is going to college a long distance away, it is handy for a parent to be able to handle any financial or legal issues without the student being required to come home.

The advantage of working with an estate planning attorney Portland in creating these documents is that an attorney can help ensure that the documents are prepared accurately. The attorney may also want to discuss with the parents and student whether other documents may be necessary. For example, the student might also want to prepare a living will that outlines the type of health care the student wishes to have or reject.

Attorney Kali Yost may be able to assist both parents and their children during this exciting time and help prepare them for unexpected events that could require their parents' assistance.