Client-Oriented Legal Support For Your Financial And Medical Future
The lawyer at Jen Haskins Law, LLC, can help you explore your legal options for protecting your wishes through a power of attorney. At her smaller firm, Jennifer Moore is better able to devote personalized, friendly attention to your individual case and help you build a life plan that most closely aligns with your wishes. From financial matters to end-of-life medical concerns, a power of attorney can make sure your voice is honored to the very last day. Reach out to attorney Moore today to discuss what powers of attorney you should create and what to include in them.
Get started in an initial consultation at Jen Haskins Law, LLC. The firm serves clients in Houston and Jones counties and throughout central Georgia.
Financial Power Of Attorney
A power of attorney (POA) is a legal document that grants specific powers to someone you trust (an “agent”) to handle certain matters on your behalf.
A financial POA allows a designated agent to handle all your financial and business matters. Common examples of financial matters that can be covered under this type of POA include:
- Real property
- Taxes
- Retirement plans
- Banks and financial institutions
- Stocks and bonds
- Business operations
- Government benefits
To create a valid, legally enforceable financial POA, you must meet the following requirements:
- Be of “sound mind” or mental capacity.
- Sign the document in the presence of a notary public and a separate witness (these individuals cannot be the agent you name in the POA).
A financial POA is effective immediately upon signing, unless you have specified in it that it should take effect at a future date, and it terminates upon your death. You can also revoke the POA at any time (as long as you are mentally competent when doing so).
Advance Directive For Health Care
This is a legal document that allows you to describe the medical treatment you wish to receive if you cannot voice these wishes yourself due to incapacitation.
Some medical wishes you can state in your advanced health care directive include:
- Palliative care – This is the kind of treatment given to reduce pain if you elect to forego life-prolonging treatments.
- Life-prolonging medical treatment – This could include blood transfusions, CPR, diagnostic tests, dialyses, administration of drugs, use of a respirator, and surgery.
- Intravenous food and water – You may or may not have a preference for receiving intravenous food and water if you are permanently unconscious.
Frequently Asked Questions About Powers Of Attorney
There are a lot of misunderstandings about POAs. Below are some of the questions clients most often ask.
What decisions can be made by a power of attorney in Georgia?
It depends entirely on the type of POA you have granted someone. With end-of-life planning, most people choose to designate both a financial POA and a health care POA. The financial POA would permit your agent to handle all your financial matters, including paying your bills, selling your property and more. The health care POA would allow your chosen agent to make decisions for your medical care should you be unable to direct your own.
Some people designate the same person as both their financial and health care POAs, while others appoint two different agents. In all situations, however, you need to make sure that you choose someone you trust.
What is the difference between durable and general powers of attorney?
A general power of attorney endows your agent with the authority to act on your behalf so long as you are not mentally incapacitated. If you become incapacitated, the POA expires. In comparison, a durable power of attorney remains in effect even when you are incapacitated, all the way until your death.
How do I start the power of attorney process in Georgia?
In Georgia, powers of attorney documents must be completed according to certain rules, including being witnessed and notarized. It is highly recommended that you seek guidance from an experienced attorney to help you understand what POA works best for your needs and how to structure things for your protection.
To begin the process, decide who you want to have your powers of attorney and make certain they understand what is being asked of them and are willing to act in that capacity. Then, contact an attorney to get help with the forms so that they can be properly filed with the Clerk of the Superior Court.
Reach Out To The Firm To Learn More
Attorney Moore can take a deeper look at your situation to determine how to structure your financial power of attorney to achieve your personal goals. Having a power of attorney to address your financial needs and an advanced directive for health care for your health care wishes in the event that you become medically incapacitated can prove a significant asset to you and your loved ones in the future.
Contact Jennifer Moore for an initial consultation to discuss your power of attorney concerns in more detail today.