When Your Child or Grandchild Turns 18

It's high school graduation season!  Graduation marks the time when children move beyond the protection of parents and home, and start their lives as adults.  Legally, once a child turns 18 years old, he or she is a legally recognized adult with all the rights of adulthood.

More importantly, when a child turns 18, the parents no longer have the right to manage medical and financial decisions for the adult child, and no longer have the right to have access to the adult child's private health care and financial information.  Also, the parents no longer have the right to determine what happens to an adult child's property upon his or her death.

If a parent or grandparent is to function as the representative for the adult child in the event of incapacity or death, there must be legal documents, signed by the adult child, that grant a person the legal permission to act in the adult child's behalf.

Read the article below, "Take These Three Steps When Your Child Turns 18."  The article explains the three key legal documents all 18 year olds should have, and why they should have them.

If you have a child or grandchild graduating this year, an ideal graduation gift would be to arrange for the necessary legal protections for the adult child, to insure peace of mind for the child and the parents and grandparents.  And even if your child has graduated previously and is now in college, it is not too late to get these protections in place for him or her.

Our office would be honored to prepare the necessary documents for your child or grandchild.  Call our office to arrange a consultation for your child or grandchild and you.

Questions?  Please free to give our office a call at 810-229-0220.

                                                                                                            --   Nancy Nawrocki