Heading Off To College With Financial And Healthcare Powers of Attorneys In Place

COVID-19 Financial Power of Attorney for college students

The world has been living with COVID-19 since the beginning of the year. Kids were sent packing back home off of college campuses from all around the world. And now, after months of social distancing and shelter-in-home mandates, many campuses have opened back up and the kids are excited about going back to school. The freshman class is particularly excited. However, due to the threat of COVID-19 even for college-aged students, parents are filled with more trepidation than this traditional life event usually carries.

What happens if your child who is college-aged gets COVID-19 while at school?

Or, what if something else were to happen. If your child were to become ill and incapacitated, who would make important healthcare decisions? Most college-bound kids are considered adults and are entitled to make their own decisions.

Never before has there been a more important time to establish financial and health care powers of attorney for your college-bound kids who are 18 and older as they head back to school. Through these powers of attorneys, you can provide a valuable safety net for your college-bound student as they begin to experience the independence of adulthood.

A part of the independence rite of passage for persons 18-years-old is the ability to make their own financial decisions. Often these first-time financial decisions will include entering into service contracts such as cable television services. Further, many college-bound kids have bank accounts, valuable digital assets, and other belongings.

Through the financial power of attorney, the college student’s financial interests can be protected if they become incapacitated – whether that be paying bills, canceling contracts, discussing tuition concerns, or entering into contracts.

The last thing any parent would want is for their college student to be negatively scarred financially due to unforeseen circumstances that could easily be avoided through the proactive creation of a financial power of attorney.

It’s important to remember that as an adult the college student is protected by HIPPA and other medical privacy laws.

In the event of a medical emergency leaving the college student incapacitated, I am sure that neither you nor your child would want you to be shut out of active participation in the medical treatment plan discussions with doctors and making health care decisions due to these laws. Further, it is important that the college student has a choice in the end of life health care decisions and a voice in who they would want to be making healthcare decisions on their behalf if necessary. Unsettling notions for sure but, comforting to have these important decisions addressed.

Looking to find an experienced estate lawyer in the Georgia area who is skilled in asset protection and estate plan preparation? Shannon Pawley is an attorney in Georgia with expertise in estate planning and asset protection. Shannon can provide assistance with creating an estate plan to include making a will and how to establish a trust properly. If you have questions about asset protection or questions about making an estate plan, reach out to Shannon and she will be glad to help answer all the estate planning questions you might have!

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21:58 07 Feb 24

Shannon and her team were great. Went in for a consultation and got my money worth. She explained and made sure we understood. I will be using them in the future.

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We had excellent service from Shannon and her team, they are true professionals and helped us and explained every step in the process. We highly recommend The Estate and Asset Protection Law Firm.

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Stephanie Deal

15:22 07 Jul 23

My father and I recently used the estate, an asset protection, law, firm for new wheels, new, power of attorney’s, and a creation of a trust. Brooke and her entire team could not have been more helpful and more professional! We loved working with them, and they took everything seriously therefore I didn’t have to worry about a thing. I highly recommend everyone at the law firm.

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01:22 01 Jul 23

Great firm. Had answers to all our questions and explained everything clearly. Never felt rushed to make a decision Could not ask for a better experience. Every one we dealt with was professional and knowledgeable. We highly recommend this firm for estate planning.

Lee Jay

21:30 28 Jun 23

Shannon provided invaluable information regarding a family estate matter. Although her firm did not quite fit our immediate needs, the consultation was informative and extremely HELPFUL! Shannon clearly explained what our next steps should be and offered to assist if we had any questions along the way. Her expertise and willingness to help puts her in a league of her own!

Alice Guppy

02:01 23 Jan 23

Shannon and everyone at The Estate and Asset Protection Law Firm are professional, very knowledgeable, and a pleasure to work with. They answered all our questions in great detail and the plan they developed for us is exactly what we need to protect our assets and estate as we age especially with my husband's health issues.

Lynn McKibbin-Moore

23:09 24 Feb 22

My husband has dementia. This firm has been patient, kind and professional while we went through a move from a house of 37 years in to a condo to be closer to my daughter and her husband. (Miami to Atlanta). There was also a wedding. All in 6 months.We now have a trust, power of attorney. Wills for my daughter and her husband and more. All at a fair price. I could not recommend higher.

Tammy Lee

22:03 29 Jan 22

Shannon Pawley and her team are exceptional at helping families navigate tough situations. We began working with her upon finding out my father had Stage 4 kidney cancer. His decline was more rapid than expected.Attorney Pawley and her entire team expedited paperwork that allowed me to focus on my father’s care, make decisions that suddenly needed to be made for him medically and financially, and has allowed me the ability to focus more on grieving and less on legal matters upon his passing.It is obvious she is knowledgeable about the best ways to navigate estates to protect the assets for the owners and their loved ones. It is just as obvious that she is passionate and has true heart for what her clients go through.We will be using her for own estate needs, and I recommend her expertise to everybody I can.This service is worth every penny we paid as it has saved us more money and time than I could imagine.

H Jessie Brewer

18:26 18 Nov 21

Attorney Shannon Pawley and paralegal Alexis McCoy are legal professionals that my wife and I highly recommend. Their grasp of the Georgia law pertaining to Medicaid assistance and the interworking's of the State department is exceptional. Additionally, their client-attorney relationship skills are excellent. We wouldn't hesitate to use this law firm again should the need arise.

Dawn Hardy

15:06 13 Nov 21

Shannon and her team are the best! They listened to my needs and provided the best advice. They are patient and professional as well as personable, they didn't make me feel like I was just another client. Highly recommend!