A Client Recently Asked Me If Their College Student Was Still Covered…
This is one of those questions that sounds simple at first… until you realize how many moving pieces are involved.
A client recently reached out because their child was heading off to college and taking a car with them. Their question was:
“Are they still covered under our insurance while they’re away at school?”
The short answer was yes… mostly.
But then came the follow-up questions:
What if they move out of the dorms?
What if they have roommates?
What if someone steals their laptop?
What if they’re driving the car in another state most of the year?
What if they cause an accident while away at school?
What if they’re no longer considered a dependent?
And honestly, these are exactly the kinds of questions families should be asking.
Because life changes quickly, and insurance policies don’t automatically update themselves when your kids grow up.
One of the biggest misconceptions people have is assuming coverage simply “follows” life changes without needing to review anything. Sometimes that’s true. Sometimes it’s partially true. And sometimes there are important gaps people don’t discover until after something stressful happens.
Especially for Eastside families sending kids off to college, there are often multiple policies intersecting:
auto insurance
renters insurance
homeowners coverage
liability protection
valuable personal property coverage
And every family’s situation looks a little different.
Some students stay in dorms.
Some move into apartments.
Some take cars.
Some don’t.
Some remain financially dependent.
Some don’t.
Which is why these conversations matter.
One of the things that I believe strongly is that insurance should evolve alongside your life — not remain static while everything around it changes.
College is one of those major transition moments where it’s worth slowing down and reviewing:
what coverage exists,
what assumptions are being made,
and whether everything still makes sense for your family’s current situation.
Because most of the time, the goal isn’t selling someone more insurance.
It’s helping people avoid unpleasant surprises later.
And often, the biggest value of working with a local advisor is simply having someone you can call with questions you didn’t even realize you should be asking.