Estate Planning for Your Adult Child

My children are all back in school and my oldest daughter turned 18 this week. In her honor I thought it would be a good idea to revisit a topic I discussed about a year ago. If you have a child who has turned 18, there are a couple of additional items you should add to your back to school checklist:1. A Durable Power of Attorney; and2. An Advance Health Care Directive/Medical Power of AttorneyOnce a child turns 18, even if they still live in your house, they are legally an adult. As a parent, there are many things you can no longer do on their behalf without legal authorization. Having these two documents in place will allow you to more easily communicate with schools and medical providers about your now adult child. These documents can also come in handy just to help out if your child is out of the country or there is an unexpected emergency and your child needs you to act on his or her behalf.So with all of the other forms you are filling out this time of year, take a moment to get these two important legal documents in place.