Video: What is the Difference Between a Guardian and a Conservator?

When it comes to #estateplanning, what is the difference between a guardian and a conservator? Attorney Sarah Siedentopf explains, in Siedentopf Law’s latest video. #probate #Georgia #guardian #conservator

Hi, I’m Sarah Siedentopf. I’m an estate planning and probate attorney in Atlanta, Georgia.

What is the difference between a guardian and a conservator?

The guardian is appointed by the court to be the guardian of a person. It is the guardian’s job to make sure that the person gets medical care and has a place to live. Maybe to go shopping, to make sure the person has clothes. The guardian takes care of the person. On the other hand, the conservator is a guardian of stuff. The conservator is in charge of the bank account and maybe any real estate and other assets of the person. As you’ll quickly see, they have to work hand in hand because the guardian is taking the ward to the doctor but we need the conservator to pay the doctor’s bills or reimburse for the doctor’s bills.

Sometimes, to complicate things even further, these two people are the same person. The court can appoint the one person to act as both guardian and conservator, which has its upsides in the sense that it’s much easier to coordinate. But also there are upsides to having separate people. You can both spread out the work and have a sort of checks and balances to make sure that one person doesn’t sort of doing whatever they want to with no regard for their ward. If you have questions about the difference between guardians and conservators, please let me know. Thanks.