As autumn rolls around, many families are turning their attention to children returning to college or new college graduates heading into the real world. If you have just moved your child into their first apartment or have a college student heading back to campus, congratulations on getting them settled in! Now that the work of unpacking boxes and room furnishings is behind you, it’s time to think about providing your child with the important documents they will need as they enter the world of adulthood.
Creating a Document Portfolio for Your Adult Child
Now that your son or daughter is no longer living under the same roof as you, it’s a good idea to give them access to certain documents. In today’s highly mobile era, a secure, digital archive is a great option for storing this information. This will enable your child to easily access information wherever and whenever they need it. Further, your child is likely more comfortable with digital documents than paper and will welcome this approach to being prepared.
Here are a few examples of documents that college students and recent graduates may need:
- Identification documents. These include electronic copies of passports, birth certificates, Social Security cards, and driver’s licenses.
- Health-related information. Adult children should have access to health insurance cards, but it can also be helpful to have a digital version of their vaccination records. In the event that students want to travel or study abroad, they should know what vaccinations they have already had and whether any immunizations need to be updated.
- Academic information. Incoming college freshmen should have access to their high school transcripts, in case questions arise about advanced placement courses or whether they have already met the prerequisites for various college courses. Continuing college students or new grads should have access to their college grades and transcripts, as well. It’s also a good idea for students to have admission documents and financial aid documents available.
- Emergency contacts. Of course, everyone hopes that an emergency won’t arise. If it does, however, college students and recent graduates should have access to emergency contact information. This may include telephone numbers and email addresses for other family members and relatives, family attorneys, or other individuals.
FidSafe is a great way to organize these important pieces of information and prepare your children as they head off to college or their first job. The secure iOS mobile app makes it easy for young people to access their documents when they need them, wherever they have internet access. Since today’s young adults are digital natives, using a digital storage account like FidSafe is much more familiar to them than sorting through a box of paper documents. FidSafe archives can also be updated over time, with additional or more current versions of documents. Document archives give parents peace of mind and teach young people the importance of staying organized – and that’s a win for everyone.
