Of the four different types of power of attorney the general power of attorney gives the agent or attorney in fact the broadest and most far reaching authorities. Before assigning an individual or organization the legal right to handle your financial and legal affairs you may want to consider the situations in which they could act on your behalf.
There are different types of power of attorney. These are meant to ensure that the needs of the principal is properly addressed and provided for. When preparing or creating a power of attorney, it is important to get lawyer assistance.
They would be able to help you identify what type of power of attorney would be best suitable for your needs.
- General power of attorney
The general power of attorney provides the attorney-in-fact (or agent) authority in all situations unless specified by the document. General power of attorney would include accessing safe deposit boxes, setting up trusts, transferring assets to trust funds, filing tax returns, entering contracts, representing the principal (signor of the document) and buying and selling property.
Are you having difficulty choosing your attorney-in-fact? Of course, the choices may seem obvious to you: your spouse, child, brother, sister, or friend. But deciding whom you will entrust your assets, money, and health (even your life) can be very tough. To make the selection process a bit easier for you, take heed of the following considerations that you must include when nominating a person in your power of attorney.
The power of attorney is a legal document that authorizes a person or organization to act on financial and business matters affairs of a person referred to as the principal. The person or organization that receives authority is called the agent or the attorney-in-fact.
The durable power of attorney is called such, since the attorney-in-fact would continue to have authority and act on behalf of the principal, even if the principal becomes incapacitated. Though the durable power of attorney has such characteristic, it is still important for the document to state that it would remain valid even if the principal becomes incapacitated or disabled.
If you are considering getting a power of attorney, you should fully understand what it is all about. In general, it is a legal requirement that you be in a competent and normal state of mind when getting a power or attorney or appointing a person to be your attorney-in-fact. However, it could be very hard to prove that you are not well when you do so. It would be safe to get that document even if you are in the pink of health or even if you do not foresee any event that would make you unable to handle your affairs.
By now you should know that when you get a power of attorney to authorize somebody else to execute your decisions in case you fail to do so, you need to find the right person to whom the authority would be bestowed. As a principal, you need to find your agent or attorney-in-fact. He or she does not need to be a lawyer. The agent could be just about anyone. However, you need to be very careful when choosing an agent for your power of attorney.
While it is much easier to put off getting a power of attorney than to create one, you should not take any chances. Before it is too late, you have to designate a trusted person to act and make decisions on your behalf. Should you wait until you become mentally or physically disabled and regret later for not doing it earlier? If you want to protect your assets and secure your financial future, then preparing a POA is one of the best decisions that you will ever make in your life.
Anything can happen and as much as we want to plan our day, we cannot really foresee the future. So what happens when we suddenly figure in an accident? Who will be at hand to take care of our business dealings and other personal issues? Can power of attorney fix things?
Having somebody take care of your business dealings can be real nice. Just think about it. You don’t have to go to your business meeting in say Uganda to sign documents. You can just send a representative with the power of attorney and that person can sign the contract for you. But for all its benefits, the power of attorney can also be a bane when not done the right way and when put into the wrong hands.
What is a power of attorney?
Power of attorney can be a tricky thing to do because you are basically giving another person full right to act in your stead in personal and legal matters. This means that the person who you have given the power of attorney to, which is called the ‘agent’ or the ‘attorney in fact,’ will have the right to sign legal documents in your name and even have access to your bank accounts, among other things. Thus, it is important to look into the validity of these powers of attorney and the circumstances when they can become invalid. So if you are thinking of giving a power of attorney, read on.
