Power of Attorney
A power of attorney can help you make your decisions when you are incapacitated or do not know who will manage your assets. If you don’t have a power of attorney in place, you do not want to leave any of these issues up to chance. Take control of your future and save your family from internal conflict and contact Cross Law APC today to create a power of attorney. Whether you are looking for help creating a power of attorney or if you have been named an agent and need help making decisions, Cross Law APC is here for you.
The Importance of a Power of Attorney
Although we always want to be in control of our choices, there may come a time when we are no longer able to act on our own affairs or make sound decisions. No matter your age or phase of life, the risk that you may become incapacitated is present and only increases as you grow older.
Incapacity can happen to anyone because of any horrible issue, whether it be dementia, a serious illness, or if you are badly hurt; this could cause you to lose the ability to communicate or make informed decisions. No matter what the situation, decisions will still need to be made when determining your medical care and management of assets and properties. Without a designated power of attorney, this burden will fall on your loved ones that may not have the authority or the knowledge and experience to take action. This could cause your assets to go unmanaged or conflict amongst family members.
Take control of your future and choose who would like to have as your agent acting for you and making your decisions. Contact Cross Law APC today to designate a power of attorney.
Creating a Power of Attorney
When creating a power of attorney, you must first determine if you need a general or a limited power of attorney. A limited power of attorney gives authority to a chosen person for a specific purpose. For example, you may wish to give a family member the power to sign a particular contract on your behalf if you know you will be away during that time period. In contrast, a general power of attorney grants broad authority to someone to act on your behalf across many realm; this person will be considered your agent.
It is very important that you create a durable power of attorney when naming an agent to ensure that their authority does not end upon incapacitation. Incapacitation is when you will need a power of attorney the most, so correctly transferring authority to your agent is an enormous responsibility.
When creating a general durable power of attorney, you may also want to create a healthcare power of attorney. Your durable power of attorney will give your agent the authority to make decisions in financial matters and a healthcare power of attorney will give your agent the right to make health and well being decisions.