April is Health Care Decisions month, the month when you are supposed to sign health care proxies and talk to your family about your “end of life wishes.” I know many people will sign health care proxies, but I wonder how many will take that next step to communicate their wishes to their families, or [...]
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The New York Times has a recent article called “An Ill Father, A Life and Death Decision.” It’s about a daughter who has been appointed as the health care proxy for her father. This means that when he is unable to make or communicate his health care decisions, she communicates his wishes to his health [...]
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“Exactly how much power am I giving you?”
This was the question my father asked me when I wanted him to sign a durable power of attorney. (Yes, just as the cobbler’s children have no shoes, the lawyer’s father had no power of attorney.) He was in the middle of selling his house and buying a [...]
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As part of the work I do with my clients, one of the things we always talk about at our first meeting is whether they have signed a health care proxy. A health care proxy is a legal document which appoints another person to make health care decisions for you in the event you are [...]
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Whether you are signing a new power of attorney, or just want to revoke an old one, there are several things you should do in order to make sure that the old power of attorney is properly revoked.
If you are signing a new one, the new one will generally have language in it that states [...]
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An attorney-in-fact is the person you select to act for you under your durable power of attorney in the event of your incapacity. Under the power of attorney, that person will be your legal agent, and able to manage your money, real property and other matters such as life insurance and retirement accounts. They will [...]
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