Powers of attorney give another person (your appointed representative) the power to make decisions on your behalf. Most powers of attorney have a limited amount of authority granted to your representative.
Most people who start by creating a general power of attorney. This is a type of durable power of attorney that permits someone else to make nearly any type of decision on your behalf while the document remains in effect.
While a general power of attorney gives your appointed representative some authority over handling your affairs, these documents typically do not let your representative transfer real estate, personal property, money, or any other assets from your possession to themselves. If this occurs, it is usually seen as fraud. Typically, your representative must have specific written consent from you to transfer assets to themselves.
When you create your powers of attorney, you can usually authorize most forms of property transfer. However, the assets you wish to transfer must be yours to give, and the transfer authorization must be specific.
If you want your legal documents to include powers of attorney so that you can give authority of your affairs to another person, do so sooner rather than later. If you try to amend the document when an issue arises in the future, it may not be viewed as a legally valid option. Contact us at The Law Offices of Kayce C. Staehle if you have any questions about creating or using powers of attorney.