---
title: Legal & Financial Planning — Guardianship vs Conservatorship vs POA
scope: TODO_SCOPE
covers:
- guardianship
- conservatorship
- poa
not_covered: []
sources:
- 20250921_Assured_Trust_Legal_Tools
- 20240915_Stephanie_Coleman_KU_LEND
- 20260719_Tyler_Davidson_Financial_Picture
last_updated: '2026-07-19'
token_estimate: 792
parent: https://fwmparents.org/resources/legal-financial-planning/index.md
---

# Legal & Financial Planning — Guardianship vs Conservatorship vs POA

- **At age 18, parents lose automatic legal authority.** Plan before this milestone. — *[Assured Trust, Sep 2025](https://fwmparents.org/sessions/20250921_Assured_Trust_Legal_Tools/notes.md)*

- **Guardianship:** Court controls the person's physical decisions. Court CAN appoint you guardian, but retains power at your death. — *[Assured Trust, Sep 2025](https://fwmparents.org/sessions/20250921_Assured_Trust_Legal_Tools/notes.md)*

- **Conservatorship:** Only applies to money decisions, not physical health. — *[Assured Trust, Sep 2025](https://fwmparents.org/sessions/20250921_Assured_Trust_Legal_Tools/notes.md)*

- **Power of Attorney:** Gives doctor permission to speak to you about child's health. BUT if child disagrees, doctor follows child's wishes. — *[Assured Trust, Sep 2025](https://fwmparents.org/sessions/20250921_Assured_Trust_Legal_Tools/notes.md)*

- [Stephanie's testimonial on Guardianship](https://ksautismmom.com/guardianship-he-didnt-need-it/) — *[Stephanie Coleman, Sep 2024](https://fwmparents.org/sessions/20240915_Stephanie_Coleman_KU_LEND/notes.md)*

- **BEFORE considering guardianship, CONSULT AN EXPERT** — *[Stephanie Coleman, Sep 2024](https://fwmparents.org/sessions/20240915_Stephanie_Coleman_KU_LEND/notes.md)*
    - When you get guardianship, your child technically becomes a ward of the state and you are appointed guardian — *[Stephanie Coleman, Sep 2024](https://fwmparents.org/sessions/20240915_Stephanie_Coleman_KU_LEND/notes.md)*
    - When you pass away, a Judge can decide to award guardianship to whomever they want — your will is not binding

- **For IEPs at 18+:** You don't need guardianship — just have your child sign a release — *[Stephanie Coleman, Sep 2024](https://fwmparents.org/sessions/20240915_Stephanie_Coleman_KU_LEND/notes.md)*

- A medical power of attorney covers health decisions — *[Stephanie Coleman, Sep 2024](https://fwmparents.org/sessions/20240915_Stephanie_Coleman_KU_LEND/notes.md)*

- **It is extremely difficult to remove "guardianship" status once assigned** — *[Stephanie Coleman, Sep 2024](https://fwmparents.org/sessions/20240915_Stephanie_Coleman_KU_LEND/notes.md)*

- Guardianship is the most extreme option — the court process requires establishing that your child cannot make decisions for themselves; it's stressful, and difficult and expensive to reverse — *[Tyler Davidson, Jul 2026](https://fwmparents.org/sessions/20260719_Tyler_Davidson_Financial_Picture/notes.md)*

- **Supported Decision-Making Agreements:** a less restrictive alternative — the individual appoints a trusted person to help guide decisions while still making their own ("bowling with the bumpers up"). Kansas recently passed a law giving these agreements more legal weight — *[Tyler Davidson, Jul 2026](https://fwmparents.org/sessions/20260719_Tyler_Davidson_Financial_Picture/notes.md)*

---

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