Durable Powers of Attorney

Question: I have an elderly father with late-stage Alzheimer’s Disease. My sister has POA for him. I asked her 2+ years ago for information on his assets and investments because I wanted to [...]

Question: I have a health care proxy which is current. I have an old will but since my husband has died, the will also includes a directive that all assets should go to our children. The will is [...]

Question: In your blog post “How the Community Spouse Can Keep More Assets” you outline an example wherein husband John’s Alzheimer’s has progressed to a point that his wife, Joyce, [...]

Question: I am the social worker at a medical clinic and our doctors are frequently told by patients that their lawyer, neurologist, or someone else , told them to have the PCP determine capacity [...]

Question: My mother granted me her durable power of attorney six months ago and she now has rapidly advancing dementia but I am not sure how to use it. Response: You need to take the original [...]

Question: If I spend my winters in Florida, should I have separate Florida estate planning documents? Response: As with many responses to legal questions, the answer is yes and no, one being the [...]

Question: I have a durable power of attorney for my father who now has dementia. Does that mean I can go on-line as him to, for instance, manage his account with Social Security, read medical [...]

Question: Do you need a lawyer to prepare a durable power of attorney or can you use an on-line form? Response: Everyone should appoint an agent under a durable power of attorney to step in in [...]

Question: I’ve read that some states have enacted statutes that require financial institutions to honor durable powers of attorney. Do Massachusetts and New York have these statutes? And, I [...]

Question: I’m single, age 71, with no one able or capable to serve as my agent under a durable of attorney. My concern is what happens if I become mentally incapacitated. I have investments [...]