A power of attorney is a legal contract that authorizes a trusted individual to serve as your agent and act on your behalf. Depending on the type you select, you may give your agent the power to make healthcare, financial, and/or legal decisions on your behalf. You may delegate this responsibility if you become ill, injured, or incapacitated and cannot act on your own; or, if you simply want to take the burden of decision making off of you. With all that considered, please read on to discover why you need to incorporate a power of attorney into your estate plan and how a seasoned Broward County power of attorney at The Probate Lawyers can help you make one before it is too late.
Why do I need a power of attorney in my estate plan?
Essentially, the overall purpose of estate planning is to maintain some level of control over your life and legacy even when you are no longer around or otherwise incapable of handling it yourself anymore. In turn, the importance of a power of attorney is so that you can executively decide who gets to act on your behalf, and in what manner they are supposed to act. For example, you can instruct a specific person to order whether or not you should be resuscitated in an emergency situation, whether or not your real estate property should be sold in a financial crisis, and much more.
This is to say that, without this legal contract added alongside your other estate planning documents, a Florida court may find the need to intervene and appoint a guardian or conservator on your behalf. Here, it is likely that this appointed individual may be someone different than you originally had in mind. This is not to mention that the court’s decision may lead to unnecessary disputes amongst your loved ones.
Why should I not wait too long to make a power of attorney?
As it is insinuated, you must still be of a sound mental capacity when you craft and establish a power of attorney. Sadly, nobody knows if or when they will enter a life-threatening accident, receive a life-altering medical diagnosis, or otherwise experience an alarming deterioration to their mental capabilities. This is why we recommend that you start drafting this legal contract sooner rather than later.
In a worst-case scenario, one of your loved ones may come forward to litigate the validity and enforcability of your power of attorney document. Along with unnecessary disputes, this may cause your loved ones to undergo costly and time-consuming delays when trying to get you the help you need. All of this may just lead to the same result. with the Florida court appointing someone other than who you originally enlisted as your agent.
To conclude, if you require additional consulting, look no further than a competent Broward County estate lawyer from The Probate Lawyers. Schedule your initial consultation with us today.
