Estate Planning for a College Student (Yes, Really.)
- Jack Hornsby
- Feb 25
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 4
This may sound a little dramatic.
Estate planning for a college student?
But if you have a son or daughter in college—or even someone you care about who is heading into adulthood—please hear me out.
Because one of the most important “grown-up” documents a young adult can sign isn’t about money at all.
It’s about who can speak up for them if they can’t speak for themselves.
Watch: Estate Planning for College Students
The Situation No Parent Wants to Imagine
A friend of a friend in our office had a colleged-age child involved in a terrible accident that left them in a coma.
The parents lived in another state and rushed to get information about what was happening.
But there was a problem.
Because their child was legally an adult, the parents couldn’t get medical updates—and they couldn’t easily make decisions—because of privacy laws.
That’s not because doctors were being cold.
That’s because they were following the law.
The Hard Truth: Once Your Child Turns 18, You Don’t Automatically Have Access
Here’s the part most families don’t realize:
When your child turns 18, you don’t automatically have the right to:
Talk to their doctors
Receive updates about their condition
Access medical records
Make medical decisions on their behalf
Even if you’re paying the tuition.Even if they’re on your health insurance.Even if you’re their parent.
In a crisis, this can create confusion, delays, and frustration during the exact moment your family needs clarity and calm.
The Simple Fix: A Healthcare Power of Attorney + HIPAA Release
If there’s one action step I’d encourage every family to take, it’s this:
Healthcare Power of Attorney (Medical POA)
A Healthcare Power of Attorney allows your college student to name a trusted person (usually a parent) to make medical decisions on their behalf if they become incapacitated.
This document gives their chosen healthcare agent the legal authority to act in their best interest when they can’t.
HIPAA Release Form
A HIPAA release allows that same agent to speak directly with doctors and stay informed about your student’s condition.
Without it, even getting basic updates can be difficult.
And here’s the key point:
These documents have to be set up before something happens.
Why This Is So Important (and Time-Sensitive)
There’s a simple reality about powers of attorney:
It’s easy to establish one when you don’t need it.But when you do need one… it may be too late.
If an emergency happens and your student becomes incapacitated without these documents in place, families can be forced into time-consuming legal processes just to gain
authority to help.
That’s not something anyone wants to deal with in the middle of a crisis.
“But My Kid Is Healthy…”
We don’t like thinking about worst-case scenarios.
But “healthy” isn’t a guarantee. It’s just the current status.
Accidents happen. Medical emergencies happen. Unexpected events happen.
And the time to prepare is before anything goes wrong.
The Good News: This Is Simple and Inexpensive
Compared to most legal and financial planning, this step is:
Simple
Inexpensive
Quick to complete
Massively helpful if it’s ever needed
Perfect Timing: School Break Is a Great Opportunity
With breaks from school coming up throughout the year, it’s the perfect time to take care of this.
If your college student is home:
Schedule a quick meeting with an estate attorney (clients can contact us at Luken)
Complete the Healthcare POA + HIPAA release
Make sure the signed documents are stored in an easy-to-access place
Share copies with the people who need them
And then… you can move forward with peace of mind.
While We’re Here… Do You Have Your Own Healthcare Documents?
One last thought—because this is important too.
Do you have your own:
Healthcare Power of Attorney
HIPAA release
Living will / Living Trust / Advance directive
If you don’t, consider this your nudge to take care of that as well.
Talk with your wealth advisor and/or a trusted estate attorney. Make sure your wishes are clear. And make sure your loved ones know how you would want to be cared for in life’s toughest moments.
Your family will forever be grateful.
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