One common estate planning misconception is when Powers of Attorney start and end. A Power of Attorney is a tool used to grant authority to someone to act on your behalf in case they need to. Powers of Attorney can start or be effective either immediately or springing.
Health care Powers of Attorney, which allows someone to make health care decisions on your behalf, are effective only if you are not able to make decisions for yourself, whether that is because of a physical ailment, such as being unconscious, or a mental illness.
A financial Power of Attorney on the other hand can be effective immediately or springing. A financial Power of Attorney allows someone to make financial decisions on your behalf. If effective immediately, that means the moment it is signed the person can start making decisions on your behalf. If it is springing, the person can only make decisions on your behalf if you are unable to, again such as if you are unconscious or have a mental illness.
Whether to make it effective immediately or springing is an important decision. Most people choose to make if effective springing because they only want someone to make decisions on their behalf if they are unable to; however, some people do decide to have it effective immediately so their agent can make decisions right then and there and going forward. A lot of times this may be in the case of a person who is elderly or travels a lot.
When the Power of Attorney ends is another misconception. The Power of Attorney ends immediately upon death. That means your agent no longer has authority to make financial decisions on your behalf, whether that means writing checks, paying bills, or getting funds out of your account. As soon as you pass away, that authority transfers to the personal representative or executor under your Will or the trustee under your trust. If not planned properly, that could mean that the personal representative or executor may not have access to any of the decedent’s funds until a probate process is opened and the court grants that personal representative or executor with the proper authority to access those funds to pay your bills and final expenses, meaning weeks if not months of delay. Thus, proper planning can solve all of these issues.
If you have any questions regarding your Powers of Attorney or you do not have any please contact me.
© 2016 Crummey Estate Plan.
