A power of attorney is a powerful document indeed. However, if you don’t create the document now, it could be too late to do so when you need it most. These documents are designed to serve you when you are no longer able to serve yourself — in other words, when you become incapacitated.
Powers of attorney provide your loved ones with guidelines as to how decisions should be made for you — both financial and health decisions — in the event that you suffer a major health event or illness that renders you unable to make life decisions. If you do not have a power of attorney in place by the time you become mentally unfit or unable to create one, then it will be too late to do so. Your family members may have to go to court in order to get proper authority to make decisions for you.
You do not want your family to have to go to court for you like this. Namely, it will result in unnecessary delays. Health and financial decisions that should be made immediately may no be made until it is far too late to make a difference. Also, it can be costly and stressful for your family to go to court — especially if there is a disagreement over who should control your affairs and/or a disagreement over what decisions should be made. These kinds of disagreements can tear a family apart.
Every California estate planning attorney will include powers of attorney in your general estate planning documentation. At the Law Office of Barbara J. Dibble, we are an estate planning law firm and we know exactly what kinds of questions to ask in order to ensure your powers of attorney are appropriately drafted. Best of all, we offer a free, no cost consultation to all potential new clients. We will talk to you about your situation and let you know what we recommend for your estate planning.
