You can give one or more people power of attorney as part of your estate plan. As a minimum, you want someone to take care of health care decisions and someone to take care of financial and legal matters, although they could be the same person. Many people choose backups or subdivide the powers to make the roles less burdensome and provide additional security.
Certain qualities are essential in any power of attorney:
1. They are trustworthy
You cannot afford to have any doubts about someone’s honesty. You must be sure you can trust them to carry out your wishes. This applies just as much to a health care power of attorney who may need to communicate your treatment choices to doctors, as it does to a financial or legal power of attorney who can sign documents.
2. They are available when needed
If the person is not quickly available to carry out their role when needed, it could cause problematic delays. Be sure to update your estate plan if the power of attorney you had named moves far away, dies or is likely to no longer be available when needed for any other reason.
3. They are competent
You want someone who can efficiently do the things required of their role. Not someone who will take an age to get started, feel paralyzed anytime they are asked to make a decision, get confused due to a lack of basic math or English or overlook vital steps.
Learning more about what the roles will involve can help you make the appropriate choices.