It’s easy to confuse guardianship and conservatorship.
Both involve court-ordered, court-supervised roles. But a guardian and a conservator perform different tasks under different circumstances. It’s important to understand the differences when a conservatorship or guardianship comes into play—or when you’re creating an estate plan and considering naming a guardian or a conservator if you ever need one.
A guardian is a court appointee responsible for the personal care of an adult or child who can’t do that independently. Guardians are only responsible for the health and well-being of a person.
A conservator is responsible for managing the finances of a person can’t do so. For example, a court may appoint a conservator for an elderly person who is no longer able to manage his or her finances, especially if financial management is necessary to provide care for the elderly person.
One person can serve as both a guardian and a conservator.
If you’re interested in meeting with an estate planning attorney who can help you understand more about guardianship and conservatorship, please contact me.