A Power of Attorney is a legal document giving someone else the authority to make decisions on your behalf when you are unable to manage legal or financial matters yourself any longer. You can appoint someone to manage your property and financial affairs on your behalf and act in your best interests. Are there other benefits to appointing someone in this role? Find out more about why you should use power of attorney in our new blog post below.
Choose the person you want, not someone the court appoints
You might assume that power of attorney goes to your spouse or next of kin, but this is not the case. Identifying the person that you actually want to handle your personal affairs on your behalf will reduce the risk of someone else being tasked with these responsibilities. Should you seek to make a Power of Attorney, H McPartland & Sons can assist you in doing so. We can also register a Power of Attorney on your behalf as well. Talk to us today to go through what’s involved and we can answer any questions you might have.
Talk with your family about how you want things to be handled if you can’t do it
Appointing someone you trust to manage your affairs when you no longer can is a good opportunity for you to discuss your needs and wishes with your family, and prepare them for how you want things to be handled. Getting all of these concerns out in the open with your loved ones can help everyone prepare for what is to come and ensure that no one feels left out of the process. You might consider it to be an uncomfortable talk, but it’s a practical one which could save a lot of time and money in the future.
Prevent any delays or hold ups by having total clarity
Taking control of someone’s financial affairs when they can no longer manage this themselves is a big responsibility, so by being very clear at the start when you appoint power of attorney to someone you are reducing the risk of delays with regards to important bills, such as care home fees, medical bills, and claiming pensions and benefits. Leaving these decisions to someone who the court appoints to manage them can result in severe delays, which could have bigger implications on your care, your financial matters and can cause significant amounts of stress for your family.
Provides total peace of mind for you and your family
Have a say about your future, and ensure your loved ones can take proper care of you when you no longer can. Taking care of this simple task now can lessen the burden placed on family members and can be a source of comfort. It also reduces the potential risk of any abuse of power as you can limit or increase the amount of control or authority someone else has over these important areas of your life.
Power of attorney ends when you die, so it’s also important that you make a comprehensive will so that your last wishes can be carried out exactly as you want them. If you don’t yet have a will, why not talk to our teams in Lurgan or Lisburn and see just how easy it is to set this up?