The Graduation Gift Every 18-year-old Really Needs

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Q. My daughter, Becca, is graduating from high school next week and attending college in Richmond in the fall. We couldn’t be more proud of all of her accomplishments. We are thrilled that she is just a little over two hours away, and that she can bring a car to school, so she can come home and visit (even if it’s just to bring us laundry) on weekends sometimes.

We threw a party for her last weekend, since she also recently turned 18. Aunt Olivia (we call her “Overcautious Olivia”) started bringing up concerns at the party. She had a scary experience several years ago when one of her own children got into a car accident at school, and she couldn’t find out anything from the medical providers due to HIPAA laws. She had to drive all the way to Blacksburg to see her son, who ended up pulling through, thank goodness. She suggested that before Becca goes away to college, we sit down with you and put together incapacity planning documents.

I don’t see how what she is saying can be true. I never heard of someone so young needing such documents in place. Can you please clarify if she is correct or just being overcautious, due to one bad experience that she had? Thanks!

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Critter Corner: When Should I Make Changes to My Incapacity Plan?

Dear Ribbit,

I saw the unthinkable happen to a friend of mine in college, and like most college students, he didn't have incapacity planning in place. I saw it as a sign and got my own planning in order. Now that I graduated, I am wondering-- is an incapacity plan something that stays the same over time, or should I be making changes to it? Under what instances do people make changes to incapacity plans?

Thanks!

Megan Chainges



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