Hiring a Professional to be Your POA

  For most aging adults, family members act as the health care and financial agents. Most of us have a spouse, adult child, sibling or other family member who is able and willing to be our agent(s). More and more frequently, however, we are hearing from elder orphans—or those who have no adult children, spouse…

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How Often Should You Update Your Documents?

  Your estate planning documents should be updated regularly. They are not meant for you to “set it and forget it.”  We recommend that everyone follow the following rule of thumb for updating their advance directives: Whenever there is a new decade, death, diagnosis, divorce, decline, or change in domicile, it’s time to update your…

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Has your Power of Attorney expired?

  At least once a week we hear from a family member who has been told that her dad’s power of attorney has expired. In an effort to protect an account holder’s assets, many financial institutions will refuse to accept a power of attorney. They fear fraud and exploitation, so they will often create artificial…

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Choosing the Best Agent for Your Power of Attorney

  Because a Power of Attorney enables your agent to act on your behalf for all financial matters, it is extremely important that you choose an agent that you trust.  Effectively, you are giving someone else the power to spend your money, sell your property, and take out new lines of credit in your name.…

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