Packing for College, 2010 Style

Karen Blumenthal

As you help pack up the minifridge, laptop and extra-long twin sheets for your college freshman, you might consider a few other last-minute chores:
• Scour your health-insurance coverage for loopholes.
• Reread your homeowner’s insurance policy.
• Call your lawyer.
Sending a child off to college for the first time is wrenching enough, but a slew of conflicting rules and changing banking and health-care laws are making this year’s move-in season more confusing than ever.
And with college costs and student debt at record levels, it is all the more important for students–and their parents–to avoid the new financial traps cropping up on campuses these days, from debit cards to health insurance.