My son enters college this fall. Are there insurance issues I need to consider?

Sending your kid to college has implications for home, car and health insurance.

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As long as your son lives on campus, your renters or home insurance covers the stuff he takes to college as part of the coverage for off-premises belongings. Still, it's a good idea to do an inventory of his possessions because the policy's coverage limit might be too low to cover pricey items, such as a laptop, flat-screen TV, iPod or sports equipment. Talk to your insurance agent about whether you need to purchase a personal property floater or endorsement to provide full coverage for everything.

If your son lives off campus, he'll need a separate renters insurance policy to cover his belongings.

College and car insurance

Let the insurance company know if your son takes a family car to college. Insurers base premiums partly on where cars are garaged, and failing to report the change could jeopardize coverage. Also make sure the insurer still allows your son to be listed on your policy; most car insurance companies let parents list children 18 and older on their policies as long as the kids are full-time college students.

If your son owns the title to the car, he should have his own car insurance policy and should inform the insurer about taking the vehicle to college.

Finally, your son can remain on your health insurance policy as a dependent up to age 26, but you might want to purchase a health plan through his college or university if he's leaving town and will be out of your plan's health network.

For more, see Insurance 101: Make sure your college-bound kid is covered.