When you use a power of attorney, you're picking an agent. This is another individual that you are authorizing to make your decisions. The power of attorney does not start right away, but the document sets things up so that that person assumes responsibility for these...
Powers Of Attorney
Understanding the difference between springing and durable powers of attorney
As part of your estate planning, you’ll likely select one or more people to have powers of attorney (POAs) over important aspects of your life – usually, if and only if you become unable to care and/or speak for yourself. For example, you may give your medical POA to...
Make sure you have a financial power of attorney in place
If you have not yet created a financial power of attorney, you should do so as soon as possible. It is one of the most crucial of all estate planning tasks. Imagine lying in a coma in a hospital bed after an accident. At first, your family's only concern is your...
Knowing the options with a durable power of attorney
There may be a multitude of scenarios in which a person in Massachusetts or elsewhere could become incapable of making important decisions in life. Those who wish to plan for the possibility of sudden incapacitation could find it helpful to explore the potential...
A power of attorney protects your best interests
If something happens to you and you become incapacitated and unable to make your own decisions, don't you want to know that the person making choices on your behalf really has your best interests at heart? Say you suffer a stroke. In the span of a few seconds, you can...
Does a legal power of attorney matter after death?
If your elderly parent sets up a legal power of attorney for you, it gives you a lot of options to work on their behalf while they're still alive. You get to access their bank account, pay their bills, pay taxes and do many other things of this nature. Imagine that...
Why medical power of attorney documents help your family
A medical power of attorney is a document that gives someone else the power to make your healthcare decisions in a situation when you can't do it for yourself. This could be during end-of-life treatment, for instance, when you lack the ability to communicate your...
Why should I create a living will?
People don't create a living will in order to "do" something. Rather, a living will is designed to give helpful information and set rules and guidelines to be followed by medical practitioners and family members when someone receives care but no longer has the mental...
Why you need to protect your child’s inheritance from your spouse
If you're still married to the parent of your children, then protecting your children's inheritance won't be a primary concern, since your spouse (the kids' other parent) will leave your assets -- and what's left of your marital estate -- to them after death. On the...
Understanding powers of attorney in Massachusetts
Appointing a power of attorney for your estate is arguably one of the most important decisions that you will have to make. It gives this person power to essentially make decisions on your behalf. They are most often used in an estate plan, when foreseeing the...
